The election of a U.S. President will likely be followed by a slight rise in the housing market.

When will the real estate market in Florida begin to improve?

Historical cyclical consumer behavior during down-turned economic markets suggests that the U.S. economy will experience an upward movement immediately after the November presidential election.

Another influence on buyers' decision to buy property is seeing home prices drop to the cost of their actual replacement (what it would cost to build them from the ground up.) That is the point at which the inventory of homes on the U.S. market will begin to shrink. Consumers will realize then that prices will not drop lower, and will begin to move.

(Source: Summary of interview of All Hoffman, former chairman and CEO of WCI Communities, a luxury builder on Florida's Gulf Coast. Published 24 Aug. 2008, on  www.tampabay.com).