Bubble burst? What bubble burst? The danger in talking about local situations as if they applied across the board is that real estate is always a local situation and what's a bubble bursting in one area can be a time someone else's balloon is expanding rapidly.
Take a look at these metro areas that were the biggest value gainers in 2006, according the National Association of Realtors.
2006 biggest value gainers
Rank
Metropolitan statistical area
One-year appreciation (%) 1
Salem, Ore.
19.8 2
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C.
19.4 3
Spokane, Wash.
17.7 4
Salt Lake City, Utah
16.7 5
Eugene-Springfield, Ore.
16.7 6
Baton Rouge, La.
15.9 7
Gainesville, Fla.
15.9 8
Ocala, Fla.
15.5 9
Dover, Del.
14.7 10
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash.
14.7
Source: National Association of Realtors,
February 2007 Metropolitan Area
Existing-Home Prices and State Existing-Home
Sales report
-- Posted: March
8, 2007
