The Florida realtors had a press conference Thursday. "Getting affordable catastrophe insurance is the biggest challenge facing nearly every segment of the housing market, the head of the state's Realtors group said Thursday. 'Citizens is no longer the insurer of last resort,' said Mike Dooley, president of the Florida Association of Realtors. 'Citizens is becoming the insurer of only resort.'"

"Against a background of local homeowners getting socked with budget-busting rate hikes or discovering their insurer has dropped them completely, Dooley called Thursday for national catastrophe insurance. The Florida Association of Realtors has passed a motion to make the issue 'a national talking point.'"

"'There comes a time when the free market can't protect us,' Dooley said. 'We don't have a free-market military. We pay taxes and ask the government to protect us.'"

"Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said: 'I continue to believe that catastrophic losses are not an insurance problem, but an economic security problem.'"

"He also pointed out that most lenders insist the homes they finance carry disaster insurance. 'If you can't get insurance, they'll go out and get it for you on the international market and you'll have to pay whatever it costs,' Dooley said. 'It's a condition of your mortgage. And if you can't make payments, then that's another problem because banks don't want a whole lot of houses on their hands, especially in a market like this.'"

"As for the current market, remember that real estate is a long-term investment, Dooley advised. 'There is no real estate bubble,' he insisted. 'A house..doesn't go away. If the price falls, you still have your house.'"

"The seminar's host agreed. 'Be patient,' counseled Jim Flood, regional president of HomeBanc Mortgage. 'The last two years have been the best years in the industry. We need to be grateful for that.'"