ALISO VIEJO, CA, April 25, 2006 – There’s hope - despite the gloomy reports of the state of the auto industry and the state’s economy overall - and there is reason for optimism.  “You have to look under the hood,” said Sam Kahan, senior economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Detroit Branch.  “Michigan looks pretty bleak, doesn’t it?” Kahan said speaking at the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber Economic Forecast lunch at the Townsend Hotel last week. “But there’s a little bit more to the story here.” While overall the state has lost more jobs than it created in recent years, some job sectors such as health care services and financial advisers have experienced growth. It isn’t a large degree of growth, but it may indicate how the Michigan economy will recover – with small steps across a wide spectrum of fields.  He said, “25 – 35% of the Michigan economy is tied to the auto industry.” But that leaves 65% or so not dependent on the auto industry, which is undergoing a traumatic restructuring leading to massive layoffs. There is opportunity for growth in the non-auto areas. “It will be a little bit here; a little bit there ... the seeds of success are there,”

Also speaking in Michigan last week, at two events back-to-back at the AMC Star Theatres in Southfield, Michigan, was leading industry visionary Stefan Swanepoel. As the author of the 2007 Swanepoel TRENDS Report, Swanepoel discussed in detail the top 10 trends shaping the residential real estate brokerage industry at this time. The event was arranged by RealComp to inform, energize and prepare the Realtors of Michigan to seize the potential opportunities resulting from the changes occurring in the real estate industry.

Realcomp is Michigan’s premier provider of Multiple Listing Services (MLS) and real property data for REALTORS®, serving nearly 15,000 brokers, agents and appraiser members in over 2,100 offices in Southeastern Michigan.  Their mission is to provide cost-effective, market-driven, menu-based multiple listing and real property information services and support to meet the needs of REALTOR® participants; helping them to be successful

 “Gaining insight and an understanding of trends such as Web 2.0, the changing attitudes of home buyers and sellers and the multitude of new business models can help real estate professionals respond to the depressed Michigan market in a different way and with a fresh revelation,” says Swanepoel.  This Friday, April 26th, Swanepoel will again deliver this same presentation to the real estate professionals in Oregon at the “Spring Broker Summit” arranged this time by the Oregon Association of REALTORS®.

Other groups interested in learning more about the top 10 trends shaping the real estate industry can contact him at www.swanepoel.com .  The basis of his 2 hour presentation is the 159-page Swanepoel TRENDS Report that analysis the real estate industry in detail. Published by RIS Media this report can now be purchased at www.RealEstateBooks.org.