Canadian snowbirds still eyeing Florida real estate
The survey shows that Canadian buyers account for 31 percent of international buyers in Florida, down slightly from recent years.
Florida is one of the worst hit pariah in America’s real estate in term of loss value and foreclosure rate during the great American real estate slump, it’s still is one of the greatest around …
Florida was home to the largest number of zip codes with the highest foreclosure rates in 2012. TheĀ second hardest hit zip code, 33032 inĀ Homestead, Fla., south ofĀ Miami. Its foreclosure rate hit nearly 10% last year, up from 5.4% in 2011. The bust depressed prices by nearly two-thirds in the area, according to Zillow. Three other nearby zip codes in Homestead and Miami finished in the top 10, Florida had 33 zip codes among the 100 hardest hit, more than any other state.
And Canadians are buying up Floridian real estate as if they’re free, or potentially can fly sky high like Google stocks.
If the recent cold snap in Montreal has led you to contemplate buying a vacation home in a sunnier climate, you arenāt alone.
Ā The survey shows that Canadian buyers account for 31 percent of international buyers in Florida, down slightly from recent years.Ā About half of them buy condos, as opposed to single family homes or townhouses, and most intend to spend 3-6 months of the year there.
āWeāre dealing in a world where prices are starting to come back but thereās still room to go,ā says Dr. John Tuccillo, chief economist for the Florida Realtors association. āThere are areas here where there are still bargains.ā
For shoppers, Tuccillo offers the following advice.
āI would come without a lot of illusions.Ā Understand what the market is and where it is, so when you come you can evaluate properties in a proper way. If you come expecting to pay 20 cents on the dollar you might be disappointed.ā
Secondly, he says, āChoose the location before you choose the property.Ā Determine where you want to be, what fits your goals and desires. One ought never to buy based simply on price.ā
He says there are lots of reasons to shop in Florida.Ā Besides the exchange rate and the still-attractive pricing, he cites proximity to Canada as well as linguistic and cultural similarities.
And, of course, thereās the obvious.
āThereās also the issue of āwinter vs winter,ā Tuccillo says.Ā āI personally believe that if itās going to be winter it ought to be nice and cold and snowy.Ā But on the other side of the coin, itās quite a bit warmer and sunnier here.
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