Prudential Palms April numbers up 30%

Prudential Palms Realty sold 30% more units in April 2009 than in April 2008, making last month the strongest in the company’s seven-year history in terms of the number of properties sold.

“People who have kind of been holding out are now convinced that it has bottomed out,” said W. Howard Rooks, the company’s director of development.

According to Prudential Palms Realty broker/owner Helen Sosso, much of the increase comes from short sales and foreclosures, which now account for 75% of the company’s business.

Sosso said that the company has recently gotten more calls from outside the state, including many from baby boomers who aren’t ready to move to the area yet but plan to do so in the next few years.

“We’ve seen many multiple offers that we haven’t seen for a number of years,” Sosso said.

Prudential Palms Realty merged with Rooks Morris Real Estate in January. The company has approximately 265 agents serving Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties.