Some neighborhoods near elite schools in Southeast Florida, prime shopping and top jobs are putting the housing bust behind them, according to a recent report from Zillow. The leader in Southeast Florida is Weston, with the Home Value Index being up by 9.3 percent in 2010. Altos Research seems to support this trend. The Miami average price for a home for sale was reported at $413,322 in March 2011, compared to $410,476 in February of this year, for a 0.69 percent increase. Also Miami housing inventory levels decreased by 1.62 percent from of 28,428 homes in March, down from 28,895 homes in February.

Who are the buyers? Investors. The National Association of Realtors estimates that 1 million homes were bought as investment properties in 2010. Investments by international buyers into U.S. real estate nearly doubled last year and the percentage of dollar volume represented by foreign transactions increased from 4.3 in 2009 to 7.1 in 2010. A total of $907 billion worth of real estate was sold in 2010 in the United States. Four states accounted for 54 percent of all international transactions—Arizona, California, Florida and Texas. Florida, with large numbers of distressed properties in vacation areas, exhibited the biggest increases in foreign purchases. Foreign purchases in Florida increased correspondingly from 10 percent to 22 percent. Early 2011 data predicts further increases of such values, especially in Florida and an even higher influx of foreign investors from Middle and South America and Eastern Europe.

Of those countries investing in the U.S. housing market, four countries accounted for approximately 50 percent of all buyers in 2010. Canada accounted for the most international transactions in 2010, at 30 percent of the total. The United Kingdom, Mexico and China were also active investors, where each represented approximately 10 percent of international purchases. According to the Realtor Association, only 2 percent of Realtors, however, obtained 75 percent of all transactions with international clients. “Sellers look to Brosda and Bentley Realtors to provide key market intelligence,” says Katerina Brosda, CEO of Brosda and Bentley Realtors. “In addition, Brosda and Bentley Realtors’ diversified marketing, targets audiences with the greatest possible resonance. Recognizing that traditional campaigns of the past may not necessarily reach today’s tech-savvy consumers. Our firm takes a unique approach to marketing properties and our clients quickly appreciate the company’s understanding of intricate global dynamics, trends as well as our quick response to shifts in market conditions in an ever-changing economy.”

Foreign investors on average participate closer to the upper end of the market—which is not surprising given the circumstances surrounding the purchasing decision: 1.) desire for a second home, 2.) diversification of assets in the United States, 3.) awareness of U.S. real estate as offering higher value, 4.) pooling of investments by families seeking to participate in a desirable market, and attraction to urban, higher priced markets. According to a Home Buyer Seller Survey, 92 percent of U.S. buyers finance their homes with a mortgage. In contrast, 55 percent of foreign buyers are reported as paying cash. “Real estate has always been local, local and local”, says Brosda. “What we can now add to this slogan is real estate is truly building and area specific, and an excellent location is specifically defined based on a multitude of impacts. There are certain microdynamics in place that an experienced Realtor will guide the buyer or seller through. We’ll see more of those ‘islands of steady real estate appreciation’ like in Weston, Sunny Isles Beach and in Miami Beach, but ‘good deals to fetch’ will still always be available in the years to come.” For more information on buying or selling real estate, call 786.406.1757or visit BrosdaandBentley.com or helloMiami.mobi.