Florida’s Top Real Estate Markets For Buyers

It’s no secret that the Florida real estate market was hit hard by the recession, but after years of slow sales and a buyer’s market, things are finally starting to take a turn for the better, at least in some areas.

In the fourth quarter of 2015, 63,305 homes were sold across the state of Florida, for an average price of $279,000, after about 46 days on the market, according to a report from Florida Realtors. While each of these numbers is an improvement over 2014 data, all of the state’s housing markets are not created equal, and conditions are improving much faster in some areas than in others.

So which metro areas are the most in-demand? Below, we’ve put together a list of some of Florida’s top real estate markets, where homes are selling for high prices in short periods.

• Palm Bay. In December, Palm Bay came in at number 14 on Realtor.com’s list of the hottest housing markets in the U.S. The criteria for making the list? Homes in these areas received 1.4 to 2.9 times the number of views per listing than the national average, move off market 29 to 51 days more quickly than the rest of the U.S., and have seen days on market drop by a combined average of 15 percent year over year.
• Tampa. Tampa also made Realtor.com’s list for the first time in December, taking the 18th spot.
• Jacksonville. According to the National Association of Realtor’s annual list of the best markets in the U.S. for home values, Jacksonville is the best place to be in 2016. The average list price for a home in the area jumped more than 25 percent from December 2014 through December 2015, the largest growth in the nation.
• Punta Gorda. Punta Gorda ranked third on the NAR’s best markets for home values list. Priced there lept 20.7 percent year-over-year.
• Cape Coral-Ft. Myers. If demand is any indication, the Cape Coral-Ft. Meyers is on its way to becoming one of Florida’s most popular metros. From April 2014 through April 2015, the number of homes that were on the market for longer than two months in the area dropped from 64 percent to 47 percent.

Have you settled on a new neighborhood? Give Orange Movers a call! Like Florida’s hottest metro areas, our services go quickly! Book your move early for the best chance of getting the date and level of service you need.