The expensive advertising campaign put out by the Sarasota Association of Realtors to lure buyers in a slumping market has raised a question: The market is showing signs of awakening, but is it due to the ads themselves or the themes within those ads that would likely be occurring regardless of the ads?The campaign's slogan is Time 2 Buy. It promotes the idea that the slump has created a buying opportunity, as interest rates have dropped, prices have stabilized and the glut of available homes in several price ranges means buyers can be picky. Bob Graham, a former Florida governor and U.S. senator, joined the board of directors at Tampa-based WellCare Health Plans Inc., replacing another ex-politician.Clyde Nixon carried lots of titles in his business career. President and chief executive of several companies, chairman of the board, community fundraiser and regional economic cheerleader, to name just a few.But Nixon, who died April 29 at 72 years old after a yearlong bout with cancer, will also be remembered by legions of friends, colleagues and employees for carrying a bucket of water. Bond-fund managers tend to be a gloomy lot. But real estate and finance companies oon the Gulf Coast might want to heed what Bill Gross has to say about the relationship between home prices and interest rates.
