Now, Who Will Buy all these Houses?

Somebody will, for the right price.

Somebody will, for the right price.

I agree--just wondering where that price is going...

That's the million dollar question, or at this rate the 1/4 of a million dollar question. My bet is still down for a while.

[University of Florida News - Recession discouraging people from moving to Florida

interesting that the baby boomers have not shown up and now it looks as though the "1,000 people a day moving to Florida" that we have seen for many years, is going away too. It's a new world.

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I can't help but think that in the long term this is good.


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I can't help but think that in the long term this is good.


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I agree. Quality of life will improve; and maybe we will expand our revenue base to include more than tourism.

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I can't help but think that in the long term this is good.


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Yes yes yes yes yes.

As of next week we residents of Tampa are no longer permitted to use freshwater sprinklers to water our yards. Why? Our reservoir is dry and will remain that way until the drought ends or at least eases. We are pumping groundwater. Sinkholes, anyone?

When it comes to development, we need to slow down and catch our breath in this state. Maybe before the next boom people (and HOAs) will stop their reflexive yearnings for green lawns. Maybe careful development will become the norm. Probably not, but one can hope.

I agree. and maybe we up here in "the great NWest" will give up our love affair with non-native Palm trees!😱

I think that the bubble bursting was a good thing in some ways as a major speed check was definitely needed - from a price, quality, and reality standpoint.

IMO the amount of water we waste on irrigating lawns and landscaping is freaking ridiculous. The amount of water I see being used to "water" pavement just in Sowal is crazy. I think that if we made people carry their own water to their lawns and gardens, we'd see a quick return to more intelligent usage.

It's even more ridiculous when people insist upon doing it in drought striken areas or when they have limited water resources. My grandparents never had a "lawn" - they had a yard full of native grasses because it just wasn't done to plant sod and water it in their climate. Grandpa would scythe before the grandkids visited (because Grandma worried about snakes), but that was the extent of any maintenence. With the exception of learning the hard way what thistles were, we never noticed that we were playing in a meadow instead of a lawn.

Decades later my aunt's community actually made it part of their covenants that you had to plant native grasses instead of turf because they didn't want their limited water resources going to "lawn".

Many newer developments throw the conventional wisdom about water usage out the window in favor of green grass and it is rapidly accelerating the Western water wars. In a weird twist some areas are using terrorism as an excuse to further secure their remote water reservoirs (located in places most Americans couldn't find on a map, let alone Al Queda).

Hopefully rainwater collection (roof runoff) will catch on eventually in this area. That and solar power. I mean, this is Florida right? :idontno:

Think about how full you're cistern could be today. (Bad day for solar, though :lol:)

Can't imagine watering lawns with drinking water. Just watched the documentary "Flow" the other day. That'll make you a little uncomfortable about our way of life...

I think that the bubble bursting was a good thing in some ways as a major speed check was definitely needed - from a price, quality, and reality standpoint.

IMO the amount of water we waste on irrigating lawns and landscaping is freaking ridiculous. The amount of water I see being used to "water" pavement just in Sowal is crazy. I think that if we made people carry their own water to their lawns and gardens, we'd see a quick return to more intelligent usage.

It's even more ridiculous when people insist upon doing it in drought striken areas or when they have limited water resources. My grandparents never had a "lawn" - they had a yard full of native grasses because it just wasn't done to plant sod and water it in their climate. Grandpa would scythe before the grandkids visited (because Grandma worried about snakes), but that was the extent of any maintenence. With the exception of learning the hard way what thistles were, we never noticed that we were playing in a meadow instead of a lawn.

Decades later my aunt's community actually made it part of their covenants that you had to plant native grasses instead of turf because they didn't want their limited water resources going to "lawn".

Many newer developments throw the conventional wisdom about water usage out the window in favor of green grass and it is rapidly accelerating the Western water wars. In a weird twist some areas are using terrorism as an excuse to further secure their remote water reservoirs (located in places most Americans couldn't find on a map, let alone Al Queda).

not to speak of the huge amount of $$$ being spent on lawn care...with those gasoline powered mowers that are so loud!:bang:

I think that the bubble bursting was a good thing in some ways as a major speed check was definitely needed - from a price, quality, and reality standpoint.

IMO the amount of water we waste on irrigating lawns and landscaping is freaking ridiculous. The amount of water I see being used to "water" pavement just in Sowal is crazy. I think that if we made people carry their own water to their lawns and gardens, we'd see a quick return to more intelligent usage.

It's even more ridiculous when people insist upon doing it in drought striken areas or when they have limited water resources. My grandparents never had a "lawn" - they had a yard full of native grasses because it just wasn't done to plant sod and water it in their climate. Grandpa would scythe before the grandkids visited (because Grandma worried about snakes), but that was the extent of any maintenence. With the exception of learning the hard way what thistles were, we never noticed that we were playing in a meadow instead of a lawn.

Decades later my aunt's community actually made it part of their covenants that you had to plant native grasses instead of turf because they didn't want their limited water resources going to "lawn".

Many newer developments throw the conventional wisdom about water usage out the window in favor of green grass and it is rapidly accelerating the Western water wars. In a weird twist some areas are using terrorism as an excuse to further secure their remote water reservoirs (located in places most Americans couldn't find on a map, let alone Al Queda).

I have spent the better part of my adult life landscaping professionally and I am constanly amazed by what other "professionals" sell as useful information. Most of the "accepted" techniques are wasteful, counter-productive and just plain silly. Most landscapers do the work you ask for in a way that creates a perpetual false need for their services. I also have a natural "lawn". No water, no fertilizer. A lawn is the single most wasteful thing you can have in your yard. Unlike trees and shrubs, grass processes very little CO 2 and requires more water, food and care than everything else in your yard combined. For the record, chemical fertilizers not only pollute but they actually make your yard worse. It's like drinking sugar water every day instead of giving you body true nutrition. Some how our parents and grand parents managed to do quite well by working with nature instead of trying to improve it in a factory or lab. God gave us common sense for a reason.

I agree. Quality of life will improve; and maybe we will expand our revenue base to include more than tourism.

Absolutely! The housing market has been functioning at a less than sustainable level for some time and real estate and tourism took our economy over. We need a broad and self sustaining economy locally and nationally. I believe things will be better in light of recent lessons but it will be slow. It is time for us all to live on money we actually have and let credit (and credit companies) suffer instead of ourselves.