Finally some great news for Florida - Business 2.0 Magazine ranked the country's strongest real estate markets 
and 3 Florida cities made it to the list! Woo Hoo! Number one used to be my weekend stompping ground my first year of college at Florida State University, what beautiful beaches!
Here's the list:
- Panama City, FL
- Vero Beach, FL
- Bridgeport, CT
- Lakeland, FL
- McAllen, TX
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- Wilmington, NC
- Manchester, NH
- Fort Collins, CO
- Atlanta, GA
The same article also lists the bottom 10 cities, the safest cities for investors, and the highest portion of households in foreclosure where Miami is number 3 and Fort Lauderdale is number 5. 
Sorry Florida, it can't always be good.
My favorite tool in the magazine is the cost of living comparison. - Try it out and see how much money you'll need to keep your same lifestyle in another city.
I usually don't like posting about articles I've read, but this one had great information about each particular city with specific trends and explanations as well as some fun tools like a Renovation Wizard.
I think I have to go put my heaad in an oven right now. Happy Sunday Morning Ines. LOL
I can't wait for someone to write something positive about SW Florida!
Manchester, NH is about a half hour north of here. I didn't think it was that strong. A little out of our market area. But, th eprices do seem to be more affordable.
Thanks Ines, good stuff...
George - you re right on about Bridgeport, look at what the article says:
But a mere 20 miles up the coast lies the hardscrabble city of Bridgeport, which has long suffered from sleazy politics and urban decay but is finally cleaning up its act. The average home price is severely depressed - $280,000, compared with $840,000 in the county's other large urban setting, Stamford.
But the wealth is starting to spread: As more businesses have left New York for Greenwich and Stamford, more middle-class workers - entry-level professionals, executive assistants, and so on--have come too, and they're keen to take advantage of bargain prices.
"Bridgeport has fixed the corruption," says Norman Feinstein, a principal with New Jersey-based Hampshire Funds. "The local government is pro-development, and buildings are being rehabbed."
CAUTION: The new demand is not organically driven by Bridgeport's economy. If the New York business climate starts to slip, all bets are off.
Rich - California made it to all the lists - the best city is next to the worst city - go figure! At least we are consistent here in S. Florida with Miami and Lauderdale being in the top foreclosure markets.
Maggie - I just feel strange quoting an article that I have not researched myself, because we know what the media can do to Real Estate - the foreclosure and top markets seemed accurate as far as I could tell.
Ardell - Seattle made number 3 in the safest cities to invest!
Chris - SW Florida, unfortunately made the "where not to buy list in the next year or so" - read why
Jay - read what it says about Manchester, it may be time for you to take your investment dollars there if it's close enough to you.
New Hampshire's financial appeal is readily apparent: It has no income or sales tax, and it's within commuting distance of Boston, one of the most expensive housing markets in the country. Manchester, a former textile mill town, is the largest city in northern New England; neighboring Nashua, which twice has won honors as Money Magazine's "best place to live" in America, shares a border with Massachusetts, which has been losing population since 2004.
But it's a great article nevertheless Maggie - The Miami Herald had an excellent one today in the front page - so good that I forwarded it to all our sellers for them to understand what we've been saying to them from another perspective. Take a look at the link when you have a chance.
Hey Bridgette - thanks for stopping by - Tennessee did not make it to any of the lists, so I guess that's positive - welcome to Active Rain.
Ines
Teri - The article identifies 5 "bubble-free markets" , perfect for investors and they are:
Their reasoning is pretty interesting, take a look at the link, and let me know when you finish your post. (come back and leave the link here....I don't mind).
Timothy - my pleasure, don't miss the reviews we did on the book. Here's the LINK to the last one which contains the rest of the reviews as well.
Mariana I did not know that - hmmm! says a lot about Ft. Collins, No?
Wow...Manchester NH...awesome! Time to expand my market area maybe??
great magazine... I subscribe because it is much more timely than some of the other publications...
Notice Vero is the only non Gulf Coast spot!
Monika - time to expand....did you read the part I included for Jay above? It's pretty interesting, I would definitely look into it if I were in your shoes.
David - I don't subscribe to it, but will seriously consider it - I found it on-line. As for Vero, Angela Phillips was telling me that the whole area of Vero is for sale (at least it seems like it is) - she says everywhere you look there's a real estate sign - so it's interesting to read it is one of the strongest real estate markets.
Thanks Rick & Ines,
How about the top ten best places to live as reported by CNN Money...
See the complete report at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/
George: best real estate markets vs best places to live is quantitative vs qualitative
for instance... Naperville, IL was just highlighted on Oprah for its amazing schools. Oprah sent some inner city kids to Naperville High for the day and vice versa. The Inner City kids saw the language labs, full wifi, cardio room, gourmet & healthy food offerings, digital library, double full court basketball court ...
the kids from Naperville were trying to find the heated pool... the tennis court... a computer etc...
those are just some of the things that go into best places to live. Also notice that South Florida has no heavy industry...but our schools are not great. Our Crime rate is higher than Colorado but we're more diverse. Also, most of those spots are nice cities outside major metropoli... they're true suburbs... I can't really say that there is much true urban living nor much true suburban life in South Florida.
Hey, these were the same magazines that said no bubble! LOL! Journalists always get a pass! Soemtimes I think these articles are lampoons
Anyway, great post, an interesting read. I think a lot of it is wishful thinking. It is nice to see Atlanta #10, but the small print that I've read mentions caveats of job loss, lack of job creation, fortune five hundred companies that left Atlanta in 2006, the GM, and FORD plant closings, Delta emerging from bankruptcy, and military base closures.... Stay tuned...
Jim - I agree with you....I hesitate about posting these articles, but it gives you food for thought and lets consumers know that the media also grasps at straws.
Lloyd - Oh! I forgot to add the disclosure, here it goes:
PLEASE DO NOT STICK YOUR HEAD IN THE OVEN AFTER READING THESE ARTICLES
Is that better? BTW - I love Fort Myers Beach, we used to go there yearly and rent a house on the ocean for the week, it was great!
Laurie - I think the whole nation is going through a trying market, but you are right, at least Florida is pretty.
Here is a link to the CNN news list that matches yours.
Under contract since August - OUCH!! Our market is not accepting contingencies here, so they really got lucky. The market has picked up a bit, but it has to do with price reductions and aggressive marketing. I wish you luck on that one.
Doug - send the article to your sister - I'm sure she'll be happy to hear the good news.
There have been many great articles posted in this section. My question is why is that the best places to invest, or live or seem to show up as most apperctiating markets are always major cities or their closest suburbs? For example I live and sell in the Bend/Sunriver Oregon market. We have over the last 5 years had 100% apperciation and in 2006 when most of the country was not going anywhere we bucked the trend and still did nearly 21% across the board.
We are a destination area that is growing at record pace, and have some industry and big corps coming are way....and we what are we noticed for? The 2nd most overpriced market in the country. The reason, because we have some many 2nd homes and people who tele comute to work in big cities that the affordablity index is all screwed up.
Any thoughts from any other little guys (areas) that have gotten the short end of the stick? I would love to hear peoples thoughts.
David - I've lived in big cities 90% of my life, and the 10% when I lived in small towns, there was something missing, a void that needed filling. I am not the right person to answer your question about why small towns don't get recognition, but I can tell you from my perspective, it could be a per/capita thing, small towns=small inventory, when you compare percentages to larger cities, the numbers may not be there proportionally. Any takers on this question?
"Ines, I am surprised the Bridgeport, CT made that list, Bridgeport is a pretty tough city, the surrounding areas are nice but Bridgeport is a ruff area. I use to make sales calls in and around the city and most of the business use to have bars on the windows for security."
When a city makes a turnaround, it's too bad that some folks get stuck in the past. Bridgeport has a deep water harbor, one of the longest sandy beaches in Connecticut, gorgeous architecture, and a downtown that has great restaurants like Ralph & Ritchies or Joseph's Steakhouse. My husband andI look forward to going downtown to art gallery exhibitions or concerts and plays.
Remember, one of the most important precepts of real estate is location, location, location. Bridgeport is within commuting distance of Manhattan and located in Fairfield County, one of the most desirable areas of the country. Bridgeport is just beginning its renaissance. Business 2.0 anticipates a 63% rise in value for real estate in Bridgeport over the next five years. I think it will be higher than that, especially in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, where the first new Metro North train station will be built in 40 years.
Gail - after your description of Bridgeport, I am not surprised it made the list. It's articles like this that we need to take seriously because it may be a door to great investments. To think you could buy waterfront properties in Miami 5 years ago for $200,000 and now they're over $2,000,000! I only wish I had the vision and would have purchased a couple of them. Thanks for the heads up.
I can tell you that Panama City has the most beautiful white sandy beaches and really easy access from bigger towns, if it was closer, it would be a place I would personally invest right away.
Rick & Ines,
Panama City sounds wonderful. I have friends who own a place in Costa Rica and plan to retire there. In the meantime, they travel back and forth. I can't imagine doing that. You should know that South Miami is OUR favorite place in the world to vacation. We go there as often as we can, which hasn't been a lot since my 88 year old dad came to live with us last year, unfortunately!
I love living in the city, but also near the Sound where I can go for a three-mile walk and be on the sidewalk the whole time. I always run into neighbors on my walk and chat. I can go across the street from my house to Harborview Market and get an espresso and freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies, they have two fireplaces blazing in the winter and art exhibits on the walls. Tomorrow night, one of my neighbors (and my client, their house is up for sale) will be performing her cabaret act at the Black Rock Arts Center. We will bring a bottle of wine and have a great evening with people from the neighborhood. (She lives here, but was the star of Annie in London at the age of 12 and has performed professionally all over the world until recently when she settled down with her husband and two children).
Cities are great places to live. Europeans discovered that centuries ago. We're just learning how great it is to be within walking distance of restaurants, museums, art galleries, cafes, shops, and cultural activities. Bridgeport is ideal because it combines the natural beauty of Long Island Sound with a vibrant urban lifestyle.
Rick & Ines,
I finally wrote the post on Bridgeport in my blog. Thanks so much for letting me link it to your blog. I put a link in the post to your blog so readers could see your post which started this discussion, which got me fired up enough to put up my first public post.
Gail, I think you did great with the links - very informative!
Ines
Ines, I finally figured it out and was able to go back and edit the post. Thanks!
I can't wait to return to South Beach. That's where my husband and I go to get away from it all. We love it there. We're tied down at the moment with caregiving for my 94 y.o. mom and 88 y.o. dad, but as soon as we can we'll be there.
We will definitely do that. If I ever make enough money, our second home will be a condo in South Beach. That's our dream.
It's not that bad Gail - you can still by a studio for under $200K on Ocean Drive and can rent it out by the season, or even weekly.
I would like to buy a home in Panama City Beach. A subject worries me that no one mentioned(GLOBAL
WARMING). Severe storms, permanent flooding due to sea level rise? Are people confident of getting
their investment back in the event of a major catastrophe to the region. Especially if all of mostly all of
the capital comes from the individual purchaser?
Vicky- thanks so much for reading and commenting on this article. I think you would agree that natural disasters are out of our control and that's why insurance is for. In Panama City Beach, houses are usually built with everything you mentioned in mind (except Global Warming). Houses are usually on stilts and have the adequate hurricane protection.
As much as I would like to tell you that people are confident in getting their "investment money" back in case of a major catastrophe, I would ask that you look at the history of hurricane damage in the area and always get good insurance (that's why we pay so much here in Florida).