TONS OF ALL CAPS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS!!! A MUST SEE!!

The Real Estate Desperation Index: A simple measure of the level of housing-market desperation for a given market area:

• Go to craigslist.org and specify a market area.
• Select the "housing" category and the "real estate for sale" sub-category.
• Type in "incentives" in the "search for" box and click the "search" button. (Here's a sample results list for Miami: http://miami.craigslist.org/search/rfs?query=incentives.)
• Select any listing that is typed in all capital letters and features one or more exclamation marks.
• Enjoy.

A sampling:

• "$89990 I PAY YOU TO BUY!" from Tampa. "ALL YOU LITERALLY NEED IS $99.00 TO BUY!!"
• "$287000 SANTA SAYS NO PAYMENTS!!! NO JOKE!!! THEY PAY YOU!!!" from Las Vegas.
• "$324200 BUILDER'S BLOW OUT SALE!! PAY NO CLOSING & HOA FEE!!" from Los Angeles.

The incentives promised in some of these ads range from home-price reductions to a variety of free upgrades and/or reductions in taxes, fees or mortgage costs. There are phrases like "THESE DEALS WON'T LAST!!!" -- but they don't specify whether the deals are going to get better or worse. Another thought: If the deals were really super-crazy-wild good, would they need to "shout" about them?

All rights reserved. This article may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News. Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.