Real Estate Rebound Gaining Ground in Select Cities

Bay City, Michigan, which has seen seven consecutive months of rising home prices, is one of 25 metro areas seeing a rebound in their real estate market despite a slow economic recovery, Morgan Brennan reports for Forbes.

1 minute read

August 24, 2011, 12:00 PM PDT

By Kristopher Fortin


Florida has been one of the hardest states hit from the real estate bust, yet it has contributed six cities that have going against the downward market trend.

"Take Fort Myers. The Sunshine State's retirement haven, where home prices tumbled 58.6% from their 2006 peak, had a 2.9% appreciation rate in the first quarter and a 3.7% rate during the second. Those numbers have been steadily inching back up since November of 2010, following the home price dip felt throughout the U.S. (including in many of the cities that grace this list) after the First-Time Home Buyer tax credits expired. In spite of that dip, homes in Fort Myers have appreciated 3.8% from June of 2010 to June of 2011."

In Bay City, "(Renee Harvey, a Saginaw, Mich.-based real estate broker with Keller Williams) chalks up the slight uptick to the local presence of corporate giants like Dow Chemical Company and the fact that lenders and Realtors in the area have been more effectively mitigating distressed properties: 'We are selling more traditional properties and much fewer distressed properties.'"

A slideshow showing the 25 rebounding metro areas is attached to the original article on the Forbes website.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011 in Forbes

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Entrance to subterranean Hollywood/Vine Metro station in Los Angeles, California surrounded by tall apartment buildings.

Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access

A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.

April 21 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Yellow roadside sign with extreme heat warning: "Danger - Extreme Conditions! - STOP - Do not hike Jun-Sep - HEAT KILLS"

Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills

Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.

April 21 - Nevada Current

View of downtown Pittsburgh, PA with river and bridge in foreground at dusk.

Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units

Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.

April 21 - Axios