Which of the following statements is true according to what you hear?

In several metropolitan areas, from Miami to Riverside, Calif., where the real estate market is white hot, rapidly rising prices are luring a growing number of ordinary people into buying and selling residences they do not intend to occupy, despite warnings from some economists that prices cannot continue to rise as steeply as they have in the last few years.

It was the first presidential election in nine years, made necessary after the death of Mr. Arafat on November 11. Despite being held under Israeli occupation, the voting was judged by international observers to be generally free and fair, with little interference from Israel, which eased travel restrictions on Palestinians and largely halted military activity in the territories.