The real estate bubble in Bermuda is not about to burst in the near future, according to leading realtor Rego Realtors.

In its latest bulletin, the estate agent said that the property market was still buoyant with more demand for housing than there was supply and investors were looking to property rather than stocks as an investment due to current market conditions.

?One of the most popular questions asked of realtors is ?When is the bubble going to burst??, said the bulletin on the state of the market. ?At the risk of appearing over-optimistic, we proclaim ?not anytime soon?.

And rival realtor Coldwell Banker JW Bermuda Realty said that Hurricane Fabian had not impacted the buying and selling of houses with the market ?still going strong?.

?Despite an immediate temporary decrease in supply of housing and commercial space and a surge in rental demand, particularly for short-term furnished residences, the longer-term effects on real estate sales and rentals appear to be minimal,? said Bermuda Realty in its latest state-of-the-market update.

Both realtors regularly issue reports on how residential and commercial real estate markets are doing, and send them to their customers.

Bermuda Realty said: ?Supply and demand levels have returned to the pre-hurricane norm thus pricing has remained fairly steady and it is still a vendor/landlord market.

?It does not appear that customer?s expectations have changed regarding value, demand for waterfront property has not wavered and we have not had any deals fall through as a result of damage.?

And this feeling was echoed in the Rego Realtors? report, which said the real estate market, like other equity markets, was based on supply and demand.

?However in the current market, real estate is not being traded as quickly and in the same volume as financial assets,? said the report.

?The demand for real estate far exceeds the current supply with less than ten percent of the total market available properties being traded.?

The Rego report went on to say that lack of confidence in the stock market was high and it was only the ?savviest of investors? who felt confident in the current markets. This in turn has driven investment money into real estate.

?Interest rates are comparatively lower thus making home ownership much more affordable,? added the Rego document. ?Demographically more people want to own their own home including first time buyers who have accepted condominium living as a way of life.?

And the Rego report stated that this sector of the market has grown significantly and new units that enter the market are quickly ?snapped up? by eager buyers.

?The continued interest of non-Bermudians in Bermuda real estate albeit slightly lower than previous years, has supported stable prices in the higher end of the market. It appears that conditions that currently prevail will be present for some time to come.

?So when will the Bermuda bubble burst?... Not this year!?