Median home price: $198,000
Fort Lauderdale is going through many of the same trends its larger neighbor to the south -- Miami -- is experiencing.
Investors, including many international buyers, are returning to the market and taking advantage of fire-sale prices, according to Terri Bersach, president of the Miami Association of Realtors.
Home sales, which had been lagging, soared 44% in November compared with a year earlier, according to Bersach, and local real estate players hope that the late-year momentum will carry through to 2012.
"My business has kept growing steadily since 2009, especially in the last 3 months, where I have seen a drastic increase," said Carmen Zuniga, a real estate agent with All Star Realty.
The sales boost has helped to reduce inventory, which should put pressure on prices. The number of homes for sale dropped 42% in December compared with 12 months earlier, according to Realtor.com.
NEXT: Lakeland, Fla.
