SIGNS OF LIFE?

摘要

Located in the heart of the country's bleakest real estate, economies, Tim Hu-lett says he can't remember seeing so many for-sale and for-lease signs in his home county of Palm Beach, Fla. Never in his 40-year career has the president of Hulett Environmental Services watched such a housing bubble — dozens of cranes building luxury high-rise condos along the beach — or experienced such a dramatic burst. And things still aren't pretty. "Florida was one of the most blighted areas, one of the top states with the most foreclosures," reports Hulett, relating how inflated prices in Palm Beach County took a real blow when the economy tanked in December 2007. In 2006 and before that, people were migrating to Florida with money to invest in real estate. "They were also looking for pest control services," Hulett adds.