Do you recall that just a few weeks ago the news media had us in an all-out panic about rising gas prices?

Yes, gas prices at the pumps were increasing at a rather rapid rate and the media was blasting headlines that summer could bring $5 per gallon at the pump.

I’m not saying that isn’t a possibility, but look at what’s happening now at the pump. Gas prices are decreasing and yet the news media is quiet. I did hear one teaser from a news outlet touting how much money we could potentially pocket this summer now that gas prices are doing down. I laughed, considering just a few weeks ago the news was all about how much money we would be losing, how our summer vacation plans would suffer, and how life as we know it would be over.

Melodramatic? Maybe. But I believe the news media lives and breathes by drama.

How easily do you get sucked into the media hype?

At the recently held Naples Economic Summit, John Tucillo, a chief economist with Florida Realtors, emphasized that while the Naples real estate market is experiencing a “mini-recovery” the perception by many is that Florida real estate is a disaster and the entire state is overloaded with foreclosures and short sales.

Newspaper, magazine, radio and TV headlines have a lot to do with that widely-held perception. The trick is in changing that perception.

The only way to do that is by talking to someone, perferably a knowledgeable Naples Realtor, who knows the local Naples real estate market.

It’s the same thing as reading the headlines about rising gas prices only to go to the pump and see prices decreasing. It’s always better to get the information first-hand.

I don’t necessarily dismiss what the national headlines have to say, but I always stop to consider whether or not they are in sync with what I’m seeing every day on location.

Not sure what’s really happening in your neighborhood? Call me and I’ll do the research and fill you in.