As a real estate market, Tampa Bay is both undervalued and relatively unknown, according to Tampa Bay Times Senior Correspondent Susan Taylor Martin.
The idea came to her after a listening to a panel of experts who attended the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) in Miami.
The panel agreed that the strengthening U.S. dollar has made it more difficult for even the very deep-pocketed foreign buyers to afford South Florida prices. As a result these buyers are looking away from coveted markets such as Miami and New York, and instead eyeing less expensive places.
Nashville is one top contender because of its many universities and its musical history, the panel said.
Martin contends that Tampa Bay is Florida’s “best kept secret” because of its relatively affordable prices, and an abundant of well educated, technologically savvy young people “who will have a huge impact on the real estate industry in coming years.”