Florida Virtual Houses

The Hottest and Coldest Real Estate Markets

July 22nd, 2009

The online real estate agency ZipRealty.com has just come out with its list of the hottest and coldest real estate markets, based on whether homes are selling for above or below the asking prices.

For the most part the “hottest” markets aren’t the posh zip codes of Beverly Hills or Greenwich. Most are markets where banks are dumping foreclosed homes and bidding wars have sprouted up.

Topping the list of hottest markets is the Phoenix suburb Youngtown, where homes sold at an average of 111% of list price in the second quarter. The picture is of a four bedroom, 2,200 square foot bank-owned McMansion in Youngtown. It's got a formal living and dining room, a powder room, a large master bed and bath downstairs, a "desired location close to schools, local freeways and professional football stadium." It's listed for $107,000. You can get everything a young family needs in Youngtown, except trees apparently.

Following it on the list of hottest markets: San Pedro, Calif (sale price as a percentage of asking price: 109%), New Haven, Conn. (107%), Oakland (105%) and Encanto, Calif. (103%), a San Diego suburb. Not the fanciest post marks.

And where are home sales coldest according to Zip? Again, not where you would expect. Atlanta (sales are at 81% of list price), Naples (81%), St. Petersburg (81%), Weston, Fla. (80%) and Eloy, Az. (80%). Number six on the cold list is a fairly posh place, Boca Raton (80%).

“As housing inventory shrinks dramatically across many California markets, we’re actually seeing bidding wars again in some places,” said Leslie Tyler, vice president and chief home hunter for ZipRealty. “In markets like Southern Florida that still show relatively high inventory levels, banks and sellers are accepting offers well below asking price to move homes off their books.”

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