Earlier this summer, both of my brothers decided to buy homes.   We live in the Orlando area, where housing is relatively cheap, and in this economy we assumed it would be a buyer’s market.

We were wrong.

I guess it’s a good thing, a sign that the economy is on the upswing, but houses are literally flying off the shelves around here.  With almost every house we’ve liked, it has gone off the market within a week.  Some are gone within 48 hours of being listed.

In my best Seinfeld impression, “What is the deal with real estate around here?!”

My oldest brother, who has a bigger budget, decided to purchase a house that is building built as we speak.  None of the houses he looked at met his needs – open floor plan, recently renovated (no popcorn ceilings!), good location – so it made more sense to build and make his own decisions on layout and style.

My other brother, with a more modest budget, is still looking for a place.  We’ve gone to see houses every weekend for the last month – probably 30 so far.  There has been a wide-range in condition and price; we’ve seen places that should probably be condemned for their structural damage and we’ve seen estates that include a basketball court and tiki-bar with a beautiful lanai.  He has even put in a couple of bids, although none of them have worked out so far.  One home that he was really interested in, from the online profile, had already been sold by the time he made it over (about two days after listing).  In fact, when he and the realtor walked in to tour the place a woman came up and told them the house had already been bought – by her.  Apparently she had made a cash offer the previous day…and she was steaking the place out to make sure no one else tried to take it?

There are no rules in Orlando real estate, my friends.

And it’s not limited to Florida.  I have some friends in DC who are having a difficult time finding a bigger place in their current neighborhood of Capitol Hill.  Extremely popular for its location and sense of community, The Hill never has houses listed for very long.

Prices are rising, too.  Whereas a couple of years ago you could offer 20K less than listing, now you are seeing houses go listing price and above.  The demand for homes has definitely jumped and I’m surprised I haven’t heard more about this on the news.

Could this be a sign that our Road to Recovery is working?  Let’s hope so!

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In Season Four, Liz’s apartment building is “going condo” and she is forced to buy or move.  She decides to not only purchase her place, but the place above her – where a gay hipster cop currently lives.  Liz learns from Jack and Jenna that one must do whatever necessary to secure their real estate happiness.

I know this sounds ugly, but with Manhattan real estate there are no rules; it’s like check-in at an Italian airport.  – Jack

And later in the episode –

There are no rules in Manhattan real estate; it’s like check-in at an Italian sex party. – Jenna