"There is nothing else to say about Nicky…I think conscientious with great attention to detail, always offering encouragement AND endless patience just about sum it up. We are so grateful that we found Nicky when we decided to make the move from one 55+ community to another. She made the process much smoother than it otherwise would have been. I would recommend her with no hesitation and already have. Thank you Nicky!"

-Joy Cameron

"Thank you Nicky for helping us find the perfect house in Florida! We could not have done it without you. Your knowledge and professionalism made the process run smoothly. We think of you not only as our realtor but as a friend. We would not hesitate to recommend Nicky to anyone looking for a house in Florida!"

-Kathy and Gary Reece

"We want to thank you for all your assistance in finding the perfect Central Florida home for us! You guided us so well, and stuck with us for so long. You took the time to get to know us, and the type of community and home we were looking for. You sincerely cared. We appreciated the advice you gave us, and the wealth of knowledge that you have of this area. Thank you for working so hard with the seller to make the transaction possible. You went above and beyond the call of duty to make the deal happen. House shopping with you was a pleasure (and fun too)! We will highly recommend Nicky Martz to anyone looking to buy or sell a home in this area. Thank you again!"

-Rick and Colleen Lampertz

"My wife and I used Nicky Martz as our buying realtor for a purchase of a home in a 55 plus community in Leesburg FL. We closed on our home in June 2013 and now over a month later,we are very pleased with our purchase and the service provided to us by Nicky. I would say she knows the local market and especially the 55 plus communities. She keeps up to date with the listings and is always working to further her professional credentials. She worked hard and found for us what we were seeking. She was also patient as we had a few missteps with potential finds that, for a variety of reasons, didn’t work out to be best fits for us. One of my favorite aspects of the service that she provided was her honesty in her independent assessment of the properties that she showed us. Her opinion was very helpful in our making the final right choice for us. I would recommend her as a Leesburg FL. realtor."

-Ron and Sally Priest

"When we decided to move to Florida we found your website and emailed you about some homes we found on the internet. You set up the showing of all 7 homes on one Sunday and you spent the day with us so we could see them all while we were here from Virginia. In the past 35 years we have purchased and sold 9 homes in 6 states and this was the best help we have ever had from a realtor. You are the most knowledgeable, polite and helpful of anyone we have ever dealt with in the real estate business and I would recommend you to anyone looking to purchase real estate in this area. We cannot thank you enough for your help, far beyond any expectations."

-Max and Doris Modlin

"I wanted to write this testimony concerning my experience with Nicky Martz, during the research, planning, and purchase of my 2006 Condominium. I was looking for some property (a second home) in central Florida and by fate made contact with Nicky Martz as I needed a realtor. It just so happen Nicky had just started working as a real estate agent in central Florida and I was her first client. I was only in town for the weekend and had communicated with her via email prior to arriving. When we meet for the first time she was organized and prepared to show me several listings based on what I had told her I was looking for. I can honestly tell you that I had worked with Agents in Northern GA, NW Arkansas and in east TN and NONE were as helpful, positive, and thorough as Nicky Martz. By the end of the weekend we had found my current second home and it is a year later and that condo is my future retirement home. She has provided me with such a sense of calmness’ and peace of mind with regards to where I will be once I retire. Florida is my present and future thanks to Nicky Martz."

-Susan Alders

"We are so happy with sale and purchase of our home. Nicky is a fantastic realtor and person. She is never more than a phone call away and returns calls promptly. She listed our home and sold it in 5 days. She took us to see our new home and we had a contract to buy the same day that we sold our home. Nicky will help with all information you need about the new community and is willing to take you wherever you want to see property. She will walk you through the whole process of buying and selling. This is the second time she has helped us and we would recommend her to anyone. All of our neighbors and friends have been amazed by how fast our home sold and have requested her card."

-Hurshel and Becky James

"Nicky for hire, when you want the best! When we first met Nicky, we knew right away that we were in good hands. She took the time getting to know us as people not just clients. Over a five day period and showings, we did find exactly what we were looking for. From start to finish, we were simply amazed how smoothly everything went along. The harsh winters of Maine will now be a distant memory. We would HIGHLY recommend Nicky and her team to anyone looking to relocate in Central Florida."

-Michael and Lorette Dumont

While Florida metros again dominated the rankings, Ten-X said there was movement within the top five slots: Orlando jumped from fourth to first to overtake Fort Lauderdale; Fort Lauderdale dropped to third; Palm Beach County remained unchanged in second; and Tampa slipped from third place to fourth.

"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 Ten-X Executive Vice President Rick Sharga. "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."

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

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

Top five markets at a glance

Market – home price growth year over year – home sales growth year over year

• Orlando – 11.2% – 0.2%
• Palm Beach County – 12.1% – -0.6%
• Fort Lauderdale – 8.8% – -0.9%
• Tampa – 10.7% – -0.4%
• Dallas – 9.9% – -0.3%

Ten-X analysis of the top five markets

Orlando
The Orlando housing market continues to make substantial strides in its recovery. Metro employment is up 4.1 percent year-over-year, supported in large part by its booming leisure/hospitality sector that comprises over 21 percent of local employment. Payrolls are at an all-time high, some 27 percent above their prior peak. Home prices jumped 4.4 percent this past quarter, eclipsing $200,000 for the first time since 2008. Up 11.2 percent year-over-year, home prices have outpaced US annual growth for 20 straight quarters, with room for additional growth as prices remain 17.3 percent below their prior peak. Population growth has exceeded two percent for four consecutive years, and Orlando's economic outlook is among the best in the nation.

Palm Beach County
Palm Beach is seeing healthy progress in its housing recovery, though economic growth has markedly decelerated in 2016. Year-over-year employment growth is at 1.5 percent, the lowest annual rate since 2011 and down from the three to five percent growth the metro has enjoyed for most of the recovery. Home sales are at a high level, however, some 24 percent below their bubble peak, indicating plenty of room for further growth. Seasonally adjusted prices are approaching $270,000 and are at their highest level since 2007, though they remain 11.6 percent below their prior peak. This suggests room for further growth. Single-family homes in the metro offer great affordability and are cheaper than local apartment rentals, which should preserve demand for buying and allow for additional price gains. With permit activity still hovering at a low level, overbuilding is far from a concern and Palm Beach's housing market remains solid.

Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale's housing market continues to thrive in its lengthy recovery from the housing bust. With metro employment up 3.4 percent year-over-year, the local manufacturing and transportation/utilities sectors sustained vigorous growth throughout 2016. Leisure/hospitality jobs, a mainstay of the local economy, continue to reach new heights. Home sales are still some 26 percent below their pre-bust peak, largely seeing choppy progress despite contracting this past quarter, and home prices have risen 8.8 percent over the past year to a cyclical high of nearly $245,000. Though annual home price growth has outpaced the US since 2011, prices remain 16.2 percent below their prior peak, leaving additional room for gains. Fort Lauderdale's population growth doubled that of the U.S. at 1.4 percent in 2015, and continued growth should support the housing market's ongoing recovery.

Tampa
Tampa's housing market is marching ahead on its road to recovery, thanks to an economy that continues to enjoy strong job growth and strengthening demographics. Despite cooling over the past few months, total employment stands 2.6 percent higher than its year-ago level, with job gains in 32 of the past 34 months. Tampa's largest sector, professional/business services, has seen its explosive growth slow in the past year, though payrolls are up 4.6 percent year-over-year. Home prices reached a cyclical high of almost $180,000 and are up 10.7 percent year-over-year, continuing the torrid pace that has outstripped US annual growth since late 2011. Meanwhile, prices are very affordable in the metro at 12.3 percent below their prior peak, suggesting further room for gains. Accelerating population growth combined with a robust economy should fuel Tampa's housing market going forward.

Dallas
Dallas continues to see vigorous growth, notwithstanding the drop in oil prices that are threatening some other Texas metros. Driven largely by the professional/business services sector, payrolls are up 3.8 percent from last year and the city has added jobs in 44 of the last 45 months. Recent job losses in the manufacturing sector have been slight compared to the rest of the state, keeping unemployment at a low 3.6 percent. Single-family prices are up 9.9 percent from a year ago, reaching an all-time high of more than $215,000. Though prices have risen for 19 consecutive quarters and are well above their prior peak, single-family homes remain affordable in the metro, indicating that further price gains are sustainable. Dallas' population growth in 2015 was almost triple the U.S. average, which bodes well for the future.

© 2017 Florida Realtors