Miami may top the state's housing crash list but just 250 miles north Orlando is already seeing some signs of recovery.
Experts claim that with a strong tourist trade which is boosted by major attractions like Disney and Universal Studios, a growing industrial sector and universities attracting international interest, Orlando has the most stable housing market at present.
The latest information from the Fund Real Estate Forecast shows that the Orlando's real estate market actually flattened out in spring 2007, before the subprime mortgage crisis hit the US big time. So it is expected to be the first part to recover.
'Orlando continues to be the strongest residential real estate market in the state because of its large share of fast-growing industries, such as tourism, healthcare, education and defense manufacturing,' the forecast says.
'If this continues to be the case, savvy investors might stand to profit by getting in before the market begins to recover in earnest. Despite being the strongest market in the state, Orlando is still solidly in a buyer's market and investors may comes across some potentially profitable deals in the area,' a spokesman said.
Orlando is a prime tourist location for both domestic and international travellers, and holiday rental properties are likely to do well. Almost 45 million domestic visitors came to Orlando in 2007, a 1.8% increase from 2006, and almost three million visitors arrived from overseas.
