“The recovery, and future outlook, continue to be very regional,” Sharga says. Like Florida, the Southwest, Coastal California and Pacific Northwest are all showing great promise, while the Midwest and Northeast are still struggling.”

IRVINE, CA—Four of the top five metro areas for single-family housing are in Florida. Home to Orlando, Palm Beach County, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, the Sunshine State was whalloped when the housing bubble burst, as evinced by its dominance in the rankings.

'While most of the cities at the top of the list share common traits like job growth, population growth and economic expansion, many of the cities showing the greatest potential were among those hardest hit during the Great Recession,” says Rick Sharga, EVP with Ten-X. “The top 20 cities in our report include many that were devastated during the foreclosure crisis—especially in states like Florida—and as home prices continue to recover, they still represent buying opportunities for homeowners and investors alike.”

In fifth place is Dallas, which edged out Las Vegas from the previous edition of Ten-X's Top Single-Family Housing Markets Report. Outside the top five, Florida is also home to other metros in the firm's top 50, Jacksonville at number eight and Miami in 16th place.

The firm says healthy economic and demographic trends are fueling demand throughout much of the Sunshine State, keeping sales elevated and enabling significant price growth. Dallas benefits from a more diversified economy than most other Texas metros, allowing it to withstand pressures emanating from low oil prices. Las Vegas, still a leader in terms of housing demand, sales and job growth, is now ranked ninth.

“The recovery, and future outlook, continue to be very regional,” Sharga says. Like Florida, the Southwest, Coastal California and Pacific Northwest are all showing great promise, while the Midwest and Northeast are still struggling.”