Yes, Florida is on-sale.
Orlando is one of the best cities for bargain hunters.
According to Forbes magazine Orlando is one of the top ten markets for home bargain hunters. Here they are:
1. Salt Lake City, Utah
Of the major metros in the U.S., Salt Lake City is adding jobs faster than anywhere. The economic boom in SLC has drawn residents from all over the country, and more than a few home builders trying to make a profit in these otherwise woeful times. Housing supply has gone up quickly, and there hasn’t been a high rate of foreclosure.
2. Raleigh, N.C.
Raleigh is another market that has been driven by job growth. Like much of the Southeast, the expanding economy here has kept people moneyed enough to make home payments. According to RealtyTrac, there is only one foreclosure per 319 households, one of the lower rates in the country. The inventory of homes available is slightly lower than Salt Lake City (No. 1 on our list), at 14,764, despite Raleigh’s larger population of 408,985 people.
3. Orlando, Fla. 
South Florida markets aren’t often referred to as bargains, but Orlando stands out for two reasons. First, it’s adding jobs at a much quicker clip than other cities in the state, especially those in the South. Second, the market didn’t go through as much of a speculative boom as did the bigger cities of Miami and Tampa, so it doesn’t have as far to fall.
4. Charlotte, N.C.
Just like in-state neighbor Raleigh, Charlotte has expanded quickly as the result of an economic boom that has drawn many residents from the North and Northeast. The financial sector is largely responsible and this is something to keep an eye on as banks’ woes continue. While the city continues to grow, building activity has supplied plenty of inventory on the market, keeping things in the buyers’ favor.
5. Phoenix, Ariz.
Phoenix has a very high foreclosure rate; there’s no way around that. Based on RealtyTrac’s estimates, there is one foreclosure for every 87 households in Phoenix. Still, our data suggest that strong job and economic growth in many non-housing sectors of the local economy is enough to offset it, and people are still moving to the Valley of the Sun at a quick rate.
6. Seattle, Wash.
It looked like the good times were never going to end here, but housing price growth has slowed. The local economy continues to add jobs, and the city’s port, in particular, has profited from the weak dollar. The market slowdown isn’t an indicator of a crash and offers good bargains.
7. Las Vegas, Nev.
Las Vegas is a market hammered by foreclosures, due largely to extremely high speculation in both residential communities and the condo market. Though the housing slowdown has hurt jobs in the construction sector, Vegas continues to attract businesses and job seekers to its growing economy, making its excess inventory (and there’s a ton) less toxic than in other places. According to ZipRealty, inventory is down from its September peak by about 2,500 houses.
8. Jacksonville, Fla.
Jacksonville didn’t go through an obscene speculation boom, making its recovery cycle far less daunting than other Florida spots. Job growth isn’t outstanding, about average for the cities we measured, but the foreclosure rate is lower than any of the Florida cities we looked at, making the high inventory rate more likely to improve than get worse.
9. Richmond, Va.
According to RealtyTrac, Richmond is one of the nation’s metros least affected by foreclosures, with a rate of only one foreclosure per 1,103 households. (Compare that to Detroit; it’s got one foreclosure for every 33 households). Job growth isn’t as strong as in other Sunbelt cities, but it’s around the nationwide average. The only thing holding Richmond back from being higher on our list? Builders weren’t over-exuberant enough during the boom; there are plenty of homes on the market, but not nearly enough to classify as a glut.
10. Houston, Texas
Compared to housing prices in other cities, Houston real estate has always been a bargain, which is partly why the population has expanded so much since 2000. Jobs are being added to the books at the sixth fastest rate of cities measured, and while the city has had more than a few foreclosures, especially in Harris County, it hasn’t taken a huge hit. Based on inventory levels and construction projects in the works, buyers still have good standing to negotiate price.
Hey, Hey…. The seasonal shift in the market is here. Yes, The buyers are here ready, willing and able to buy. However, They can’t because the banks are holding the houses hostage. Yes, They will not answer and return phone calls and sometimes take up to 6 months to respond to an offer. What? 6 months? Yes, 6 months. Why don’t they want to get these homes off their books? They appear to be just waiting for up to 6 months to get a better offer. Someone needs to tell them that that better offer is not coming.
