Like thousands of others, the Marcelluses are participating in the new South Florida ''housing market'' -- the rental market. The number of units rented in Miami-Dade and Broward counties between August and January shot up more than 40 percent over the year before, while home sales sank more than 40 percent. Giant brokerage EWM in January had 600 homes listed for sale but more than three times that many for rent.
During the boom, people rented because they couldn't afford to buy, and many of them still can't. Now, uncertainty over falling prices has made potential buyers like the Marcelluses even more gun-shy about jumping in.
