Here are the top ten counties in home sales in Florida in March 2012. Home sales refer to sales of single-family homes, condos and townhouses.

2,745     Broward County
2,531     Palm Beach County
2,436     Miami-Dade County
1,952     Lee County
1,057     Collier County
1,521     Hillsborough County
1,565     Orange County
1,549     Pinellas County
994        Sarasota County
910        Duval County

Based on sales of single-family homes, the top selling county was Lee County. These four counties were the only ones with sales exceeding 1,000 homes.

1,245     Lee County
1,179     Broward County
1,133     Palm Beach County
1,120     Hillsborough County
1,088     Orange County

Based on sales of condos and townhouses, the top selling county was Broward County. These  three counties were the only ones with sales exceeding 1,000 units.

1,550      Broward County
1,463      Miami-Dade County
1,378      Palm Beach County

It was Monroe County that had the highest median sales price in the Florida real estate market for all single-family homes, condos and townhouses sold in March 2012. The four other highest-price counties were Franklin, Walton, Collier and Saint Johns. Of these five counties, only Collier County had sales that exceeded 1,000 units. Monroe sold 161 units; Franklin, 39 units; Walton, 213 units; and Saint Johns sold 269 units.

$340,000     Monroe County 161
$275,000     Franklin County39
$225,000     Walton County213
$222,000     Collier County1057
$220,171      Saint Johns County269

Of the ten most popular counties based on sales, the county with the highest median sales  price was Collier County.

$222,000     Collier County
$159,990     Miami-Dade County
$150,000     Sarasota County
$131,400     Lee County
$130,000    Palm Beach County
$119,000     Hillsborough County
$117,000     Orange County
$115,000     Broward County
$111,250     Pinellas County
$110,250     Duval County

From the Florida real estate market data above, the most popular counties to home buyers are in the southern part of Florida, mostly those nearer to the water. Of the ten counties, only Duval County is located in the northern part of Florida. In the southwestern and central western counties, the more popular cities are Naples, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Bradenton, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. In the southeastern counties, the more popular cities are Miami, Key West, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach.

The best states were listed by the SBE Council using the following factors:

• Personal income tax
• corporate income tax
• Individual capital gains tax
• Corporate capital gains tax
• S-Corporation income tax
• Alternative minimum taxes on individuals and corporations
• Property taxes
• Consumer taxes
• Unemployment tax
• Amazon tax
• Gas or diesel tax
• Wireless taxes
• Internet access tax
• Death tax
• Indexing of personal income tax for inflation

Based on personal income tax, Florida is on top of the ranking together with 8 other states that do not collect state personal income taxes. The other states are Alaska, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. The highest state personal income tax rate is that of Hawaii, which is 11 percent.

Florida also does not collect individual capital gains taxes. The 8 other states mentioned above are also capital-gains-tax-free for individuals. The highest individual capital gains tax rate is that of California, which is 10.3 percent.

Florida collects corporate income taxes, but it imposes among the lowest rates. At 5.5 percent, Florida has the 9th lowest rate among states collecting state taxes. There are only 6 states which are corporate-income-tax free, namely Nevada, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. The 5 highest corporate income tax rates are those of Pennsylvania, 9.99 percent; Washington, D.C., 9.975 percent; Iowa, 9.9 percent; Minnesota, 9.8 percent; and Illinois, 9.5 percent.

The corporate capital gains tax rate in Florida is also among the lowest in the U.S. At 5.5 percent, it is the 11th lowest among states collecting corporate capital gains taxes.  Six states are not collecting this type of tax, and the lowest rate is that of Hawaii, which is 4 percent. The 5 highest corporate capital gains tax rates are again those of Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois.

Start your business in Florida. It’s one of the best states in the U.S., not only based on tax savings, but also based on weather, lifestyle and cost of living.

These are the four most expensive existing homes for sale in the Tampa Bay area as of May 2012:

16 Ambleside Drive in Belleair, listed for $11.9 Million

This magnificent home is a 3-story, 7-bedroom, 7-full-bath, 3-half-bath, 10,754-square-foot single family home on 3.9 acres of land with fruit trees and oak trees. You will love lounging at the lovely outdoor living areas or driving your boat from your own dock.

While enjoying the outdoor pool, you also have encompassing views of the intracoastal waters, the sky, the green lawn and the trees.

3130 Shipwatch Drive in Holiday, listed for $14.9 Million

This 2-story 4-bedroom, 4-full bath, 1-half-bath, 4,894-square-foot is on more than 80 acres of land in front of the Gulf of Mexico. You can use the future designation of the land as residential-6 to build a residential community or a multi-family development.

1020 Druid Road South in Clearwater, listed for $14.9 Million

This splendid waterfront residence is a 2-story, 5-bedroom, 7-full-bath, 4-half-bath, 14,912-square-foot on 1.7 acres of land on Clearwater Harbor. You, your family and your guests will enjoy year-round luxurious resort-style living with features such as a separate guest home, a multimedia home theater, a pool and a covered loggia terrace with views of the water.

706 Guisando de Avila in Tampa, listed for $14.9 Million

This magnificent 10-bedroom, 10-full-bath, 3-half-bath, 28,893-square-foot residence is on more than five acres of landscaped grounds within the prestigious, exclusive, gated golf and country club community of Avila. In addition to works of fine craftsmanship, elegant rooms and features like 14 fireplaces and an elevator, you will bask in the glow of lush expansive grounds and beautiful nature views with the assurance of security and privacy enjoyed by Avila residents.

MILLION DOLLAR HOMES / MASTER PLANNED COMMUNITIES

Among the top factors cited by the CEOs was the new business tax relief program under the administration of Florida Governor Rick Scott. The governor signed several bills aimed at helping business people put up and expand operations to create more jobs. These are also expected to improve the state’s business climate in order to attract investments from out of state.

Governor Rick Scott was also able to reduce Florida’s unemployment rate in 2011 by 2.1 percentage points by creating more than 140,000 jobs in the private sector. The other factors that continue to attract out-of-state investors to Florida are the state’s significant population growth, lack of state income tax, relatively low corporate income tax, and lower cost of living. The CEOs gave Florida a rating of 5 to living environment and a rating of 4 to both workforce quality and taxation and regulations.

6 Best State for Business in 2012

1.  Texas
2.  Florida
3.  North Carolina
4.  Tennessee
5.  Indiana
6.  Virginia

6 Best State for Business in 2011

1.  Texas
2.  North Carolina
3.  Florida
4.  Tennessee
5.  Georgia
6.  Indiana

6 Best States for Business in 2010

1.  Texas
2.  North Carolina
3.  Tennessee
4.  Virginia
5.  Nevada
6.  Florida

In the Tampa area, among the most encouraging business developments that are helping making Tampa real estate more attractive are the following:

• Investment of $8.9 million for the University of South Florida Health Heart Institute from the state of Florida and the county of Hillsborough
• Creation of new jobs by WellCare
• Opening of the University of South Florida Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS)
• Time Warner’s lease of space for its new services center
• Expansion projects for the Port of Tampa
• Launching of a one-stop permitting shop for the city of Tampa’s Planning and Development Department

As investors lease or buy industrial and commercial properties in Florida for their operations and as new or relocating employees rent or buy residential properties, the Florida real estate market becomes more vibrant.

Explore the city of Tampa for your business. Search Tampa commercial properties. Find your piece of Tampa real estate.

$100,000 to less than $120,000      142 units sold
$120,000 to less than $140,000      148 units sold
$140,000 to less than $160,000       95 units sold
$160,000 to less than $180,000      109 units sold
$180,000 to less than $200,000       86 units sold

Of the 421 condos, townhomes and co-ops sold in March, 137 units were in the $100,000 to $300,000 price range. That was 32.5 percent or about one-third.

In February, single-family homes and villas in the $100,000 to $300,000 price range accounted for almost 54 percent of the total number of sold units. A total of 672 units in this price range were sold, out of the 1,252 units sold in February.

In January, a total of 546 units in this price range were sold, out of the 1,051 units of single-family homes and villas sold during the month. That was almost 52 percent. In all the first three months of this year, the price range of $100,000 to $300,000 accounted for more than half of Tampa real estate sales during each month.

What homes in the MLS are currently available in the $100,000 to $300,000 price range?

$245,000 in Fishhawk Ranch

This is a 3-bedroom two-story single family home in the FishHawk Ranch, a residential community recognized as the 26th top-selling masterplanned community  in 2011. It sits on a corner lot, across the Palmetto Club and it affords views of the conservation area. It’s on 16114 Palmetto Shade Ct Lithia.

$178,500 in South Fork

This is a 4-bedroom 3-bath home in South Fork, another resort-style masterplanned community in Riverview. The living room opens up to a patio that overlooks the community pond and green areas. This home is on 11433 Flora Springs Drive, Riverview

$159,000 in Sterling Ranch

The word Ranch may connote something far away, but Sterling Ranch is in the heart of the city of Brandon and has easy access to Crosstown Expressway, Highway 60 and I-75. This 3-bedroom 2-bath single family home has a spacious backyard great for gatherings, barbecues and play.
The address is 2103 Cattleman Drive, Brandon.

In March, a total of 1,967 housing units in the Tampa area were sold, representing a 16-percent increase from the previous month’s sales. The average sale price was $153,748, an increase of 2.4 percent from the previous month’s average sale price of $150,108.

Get your own piece of Tampa real estate. Call 813-671-6657 or email julia@tampa4U.com or visit Tampa4U.com.

Historic homes are old homes, and, just like people, who are usually seen as old when they approach the common age of retirement which is 60, old homes are usually those aged more than 50, or those approaching 60. In addition to being old, these homes are also representative of the architectural style during the era it was built, or possess a uniqueness or certain features that make them stand out from the rest.

A number of old homes have been formally designated as historic homes by the National Historic Trust or its state branches or by local historic organizations. Some of these are located in areas designed as historic districts; others are designated as historic because of their association to a historic event or a prominent person in history.

A study presented at the American Real Estate Society in 2009 studied historic homes in the U.S. aged 67 to 219 years. The study determined that 119 years is the breakpoint age where age affects significantly the value of the historic house. It says that the homebuyer takes pride in owning the oldest home in the area, particularly if the area has been designated as a national historic district. The oldest home takes the value and reputation of the authentic antique.

Of the 11 available historic homes for sale in Tampa that range in list price from $145,000 to $2.4 million, the oldest was built in 1915 and the most recently built was constructed in 1939.

Historic Houses for sale in the Tampa area are not as old as those in Georgia and other states. Also, these houses have been updated so that families can also enjoy modern conveniences, but architectural features and materials that make them unique have been carefully preserved.

The Most Expensive Historic Home for Sale in the city of Tampa as of April 2012:

It’s a three-story 8,185-square-foot Victorian home listed for $2,399,000. It has six bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms and located in historic West Hyde Park. It was built in 1911. One of the things that make this home magnificent is the panoramic view of the Hillsborough Bay.

Of the 14 available historic homes in Pinellas County that range in list price from $182,500 to $3.9 million, the oldest was built in 1900 and the most recently built was constructed in 1945.

The Most Expensive Historic Home for Sale in St Petersburg as of April 2012:

It’s a two-story three-bedroom 6,697-square-foot waterfront home embraced by the Boca Ciega Bay and has easy access to the Gulf of Mexico. The main house occupies a portion of the more than 2.5-acre property that includes a two-bedroom carriage house, a shop, a garage, a carport, a cabana, secret garden rooms and a covered boat slip. It was built in 1916 by Walter Fuller, one of founding fathers of St. Petersburg.

There are other more affordable historic homes for sale in Tampa and surrounding areas. Contact Tampa4U.com.

Here are the 10 most searched metro markets in the country in March 2012, based on home searches on realtor.com:

1.   Chicago, Illinois
2.   Detroit, Michigan
3.   Los Angeles-Long Beach, California
4.   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5.   Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
6.   Phoenix-Mesa
7.   Atlanta, Georgia
8.   Dallas, Texas
9.   Las Vegas, Nevada
10. Orlando, Florida

Among Florida real estate markets, the 10 most searched metro markets in March 2012, based on realtor.com website searches, were the following:

1.   Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
2.   Orlando, Florida
3.   West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Florida
4.   Fort Lauderdale, Florida
5.   Miami, Florida
6.   Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida
7.   Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Florida
8.   Jacksonville, Florida
9.   Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, Florida
10.  Fort Pierce-Port St. Lucie, Florida

Realtor.com tracked real estate searches by counting zip codes, cities, or neighborhoods entered by prospective real estate buyers on realtor.com.

The Google keyword tool also shows the popularity of Tampa real estate among potential homebuyers. The total of global monthly searches for Tampa real estate has been among the highest in Florida over the past several months. Its closest competitors are Miami, Orlando, and Sarasota.

Real estate analysts say that prospective home buyers and real estate investors across the U.S.and around the world are interested in Tampa and in other cities of Florida because of the attractive prices of real properties in the state. They constantly hear of great deals that can be enjoyed by people with money to invest.

Of the 10 most searched metro markets, the Tampa real estate market posted the third lowest median list price in March, which was $147,500, far lower than the median list price in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area, which was $329,000.

In addition to these great pricing deals, Florida has, for years, a favorite destination for people from around the world because of its magnificent beaches, lovely weather, historic districts, theme parks, exquisite towns and golf resorts.

Tampa has a cost index of 96.4, far below that of San Francisco, California which is 104.5. San Francisco is the most expensive city for business among the country’s 27 largest cities.

Tampa’s cost index is lower than that of Miami, which is 97.8, and almost the same as third-ranking Orlando, which is 96.3. Compared to large cities worldwide, Tampa is more competitive than large cities in Australia, which has a cost index of 103.7; in Germany, with a cost index of 100.1; in Japan, with a cost index of 109.4; and in Italy, with a cost index of 97.9.

KPMG analyzed 26 business cost components such as property taxes, sales taxes, transportation, facility leasing, labor and utilities.

Cincinnati is the least expensive for business, according to KPMG. Here are the most competitive large cities in the U.S. for business, ranked according to their business cost index by KPMG:

95.9      Cincinnati, Ohio
96.2      Atlanta, Georgia
96.3      Orlando, Florida
96.4      Tampa, Florida
96.5      Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
97.0      Baltimore, Maryland
97.1      Saint Louis, Missouri
97.1      Cleveland, Ohio
97.2      Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
97.6      Phoenix, Arizona
97.8      Miami, Florida

The tax, audit and advisory company KPMG LLP is the U.S. member company of KPMG International Cooperative, a global company that has more than 8,000 partners in 152 countries.

The city of Tampa has been included in other business location recommendations and lists. In December 2011, Kiplinger cited Tampa as one of Ten Great Cities for Starting a Business. It highlighted Tampa’s local government which is doing everything to help start-ups and other businesses; non-profits that organize networking, entrepreneurship and mentoring programs; Florida’s lack of personal income tax and lower corporate income tax rate; and the continued investments of national startup organizations in Florida.

The fast increase of Tampa’s population is also an attraction for businesses. Based on U.S. Bureau of Census data, the Tampa metro area is the 15th fastest-growing large metro area among 366 large metro areas in the U.S. over the period from July 2010 to July 2011. Tampa has been estimated to have more than 2.8 million residents in July 2011.

Come to the city of Tampa, and if you fall in love with the place, contact Tampa4U.com to find your next home.

Home listings in the Tampa Bay area have been in decline since May 2007 when inventory reached its peak and then started its slide in the following month, June 2007.

There were some months over the five-year period since 2007 when the inventory went up over the month, but it just quickly went down the following month.  From the peak of  22,035 available homes for sale in Tampa Fl in May 2007, the Tampa area inventory is now down to only about one-third. At the end of March, the inventory was only 8,135 units. That’s a sharp drop of more than 63 percent from the peak in 2007.

Here is a summary of available homes for sale in the Tampa area in the month of March since 2008:

For the first three months of this year, the housing inventory trend was as follows:

As the inventory decreased this year, the listing and sales prices increased.
Apparently, the sellers have been noticing the diminishing inventory. From a 7.2-month supply in January, the inventory has dropped to a 4.1-month supply. Based on interviews with several realtors in the area, there are now a lot of pre-approved sellers ready to buy but could not find the home they’re looking for in their desired community.

The average listing price in March was $162,588 and the average sales price was $153,748. The March 2012 listing price rose by more than three percent over the month while the sales price increased by 2.42 percent.

Sales of most types of homes increased in March compared to February and January. The number of sold single-family homes and villas increased to 1,459 units, up from 1,252 in February and from 1,051 in January. Sales of condos, co-ops and townhomes rose to 421 units, up from 369 in February and from 304 in January.

The $200,000 to $250,000 sales price range continued to be the most popular in March among buyer-occupants of single-family homes and villas. Second and third most popular were the $120,000 to $140,000 and the $100,000 to $120,000 sales price ranges.

Overall, the price range with the highest number of single-family units sold was the less-than-$50,000 range, as this price range represented investment houses — the ones that are usually bought by investors in bulk and in cash.

Look at homes for sale in Tampa Fl now before they’re gone.  Contact Tampa4U.com.

If the self-employed individuals are considered, then the real estate market impact would even be greater. This survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not include the self-employed.

Here are the highest paying jobs in Tampa (jobs with at least 1,000 employees), based on the May 2011 occupational and wage estimates of the BLS for the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area.

Mean                Occupations
annual
salaries

$210,080    Physicians and Surgeons
$193,800    CEOs
$146,350    Sales Managers
$125,980    Computer and Information Systems Managers
$116,230    Architectural and Engineering Managers
$114,750    Financial Managers
$109,790    General and Operations Managers
$108,900    Lawyers
$108,310    Pharmacists
$107,550    Marketing Managers
$104,820    Administrative Services Managers
$102,380    Medical and Health Services Managers
$94,370      Postsecondary Health Specialties Teachers
$88,570      Occupational Therapists
$88,490      Construction Managers
$86,770      First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
$85,930      Systems Software Developers
$84,420      Personal Financial Advisors
$84,350      Sales Reps, Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
$83,720      Applications Software Developers
$83,160      Civil Engineers
$82,190      Computer Systems Analysts
$80,640     Physical Therapists
$79,270     Securities, Commodities and Financial Services Sales Agents
$77,660     Mechanical Engineers
$74,810     Postsecondary Teachers
$74,210     Detectives and Criminal Investigators
$73,730     Network and Computer Systems Administrators
$73,690     Electrical Engineers
$71,760     Computer Programmers

Without considering the number of employees, the two highest paying jobs in the Tampa-St.  Petersburg-Clearwater area are the general internists and the general pediatricians:

$230,390    General Internists
$224,470    General Pediatricians

Among the 30 highest paying jobs in Tampa, the ones with the biggest number of individuals holding these jobs are the following:

11,980    General and Operations Managers
7,430     Lawyers
4,440     Computer Systems Analysts
4,520     Sales Reps,  Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
4,130     Applications Software Developers 4,130
3,520     Securities, Commodities and Financial Services Sales Agents
3,520     Computer Programmers
3,260     Financial Managers
3,100     Physicians and Surgeons
3,030     Pharmacists

Master-Planned Communities / Million-Dollar Homes

Waterfront Homes / New Home Search

Out of the 366 metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S., here are the 15 metro areas with the biggest numeric increase from July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011:

1.   126,037     6.5M    Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
2.   110,068     6.1M    Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
3.   100,430   12.9M   Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California
4.     96,251   19.0M   New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania
5.     94,798    5.7M    Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia
6.     92,045    5.7M    Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida
7.     72,909    5.4M    Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia
8.     59,992    4.3M    Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California
9.     55,272    1.8M    Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas
10.    54,166    4.2M    Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Arizona
11.    52,140    3.5M    Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington
12.    47,656    4.4M    San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California
13.    44,935    2.6M    Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colorado
14.    42,036    2.2M    San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas
15.    36,573    2.8M    Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida

In July 2010, the Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida metro area was the 19th largest metropolitan area in the nation. In July 2011, however, its ranking went down by one level, to 18th place, although it increased by the 15th biggest numeric increase over the one-year period. Its rate of population growth over the same one-year period was 1.3 percent, the 69th highest rate
among 366 metro areas in the country.

One of the major reasons for the increase in population in the Tampa area is employee relocation or inward migration due to the rise in available jobs in the area. Based on charts from the US Labor Statistics, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area was the 9th fastest-growing metro area in the U.S. in non-farm jobs over the one-year period from January 2011 to January 2012. Among Florida metro areas, it was the fastest-growing metro. It surpassed the growth rate of Florida’s two other popular metro areas, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach and the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford areas.

The other big reason is the choice of the Tampa area as retirement place for retired military personnel, other retirees, the 55+ age group, Canadian retirees and other foreign retirees. People in their golden age want to enjoy the beaches, historic districts, golf resorts, lakes, theme parks, access to cruise ships and other lovely destinations in the Tampa area. They can enjoy these almost all the days of the year without worrying about plowing the snow in their front and back yards and warming themselves from the freezing cold.

Come to Tampa and experience resort-style living. Contact Tampa4U.com to find your desired home.

Here are some home design trends seen on many of the homes that won Best in American Living Awards and on homes highlighted during the home builders show:

Spaces for Extended Families

With some adult children returning back to stay with their parents to save on costs and older people being encouraged by their children to live with them and their grandchildren, new designs for single-family homes include spaces for them. Additional space could be a smaller home built beside the main house, or a separate living unit with access to the main house or an additional master suite on the ground floor for the grandparents.

The continuously growing cultural diversity in the U.S. is also contributing to the rising popularity of homes that support multigenerational living.

Redesign of Spaces for Utility and Efficiency

In many families, members usually congregate in the kitchen, so designers have increased kitchen spaces to allow family interaction. To support multitasking, office desks are now incorporated in pantry or kitchen designs and laundry appliances are now installed in walk-in closets.

Remedies for Smaller Sizes of Units

Formal dens and large home offices are eliminated and replaced with individual workspaces and small libraries. To provide areas for reflection or private time, alcoves and window seats are integrated.

Cost-effective overall design

New home designs now are mostly rectangular and are moving away from multiple roof lines which are pleasing to the eyes but which are creating unnecessary interior spaces. To compensate, materials such as glass, wood, stone and metal are used in innovative ways to create a visually stimulating exterior look.

Increase in safety and energy efficiency

Materials and building systems that reduce energy consumption are now among the most highlighted features of new home designs. These include the use of airtight exterior walls, spray foam attic insulation, double-paned insulating glass windows, insulated garage doors, fiberglass entry doors, Energy Star lighting fixtures and Energy Star appliances.

Certified energy-efficient homes for sale in Tampa Fl are available. These Tampa homes, built by the best home builders in the Tampa Bay region, are certified energy-efficient by the nonprofit Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) and the U.S. Green Building Council’s program Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Contact Tampa4U.com.

As explained by McPheters, places in the Southeast typically perform well during big-growth periods mostly because of their pleasant climates and their strong performance in the construction and health care sectors.

The study found that the city of Houston posted the biggest growth rate, with 3.7 percent, and that the city of Atlanta followed with 3.1 percent. The other cities that posted growth rates of 1.9 percent to 2.5 percent were Denver, Dallas, Seattle, Cincinnati, and Phoenix. California’s city, Riverside, was eighth, posting almost the same growth rate as Tampa. Pittsburgh completes the Top 10 cities with the biggest non-farm job growth rates.

The national job growth rate for the January 2011 to January 2012 period was 1.5 percent, representing an addition of 1.986 million jobs nationwide.

Tampa was the only Florida city in the Top Ten list compiled by the ASU W.P. Carey School of Business. Other big cities in Florida, like Miami and Orlando, posted growth rates of 1.2 and 0.8 percent, respectively.

Here are the non-farm job growth rates of fast-growing metro areas in Florida from January 2011 to January 2012, including the total number of employees as of January 2012:

Large Metro Areas (with More than 1 Million Employees)

1.7%   1,132,100   Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
1.2%   2,228,100   Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach
0.8%   1,006,100  Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford

Smaller Metro Areas (With More than 100,000 Workers)

4.1%    119,200   Naples-Marco Island
0.9%    588,700   Jacksonville
1.6%    204,700   Cape Coral-Fort Myers
1.4%    240,900   North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota
0.6%   153,800    Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach
0.0%   169,100    Tallahassee
-0.8%  191,400    Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville
-0.9%  193,100    Lakeland-Winter Haven
-1.2%   118,900   Port St. Lucie
-1.8%   124,600   Gainesville
-2.1%   155,100   Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent

Over the same one-year period, Florida had a non-farm job growth rate of  one percent, resulting in a total of 7,271,000 employees statewide in January 2012.

For those moving to Tampa, contact Tampa4U.com for help in finding your Tampa home.

Of the 24 metropolitan areas in Florida, as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area was 17th in a ranking of mean annual salary for realtors in 2010. In a ranking of median prices of existing single-family homes sold in Florida in 2010, Tampa home prices ranked 11th among 19 metro areas,
as defined by the Florida Realtors.

Here’s a ranking of the mean annual salaries of realtors in 23 metro areas in 2010:

For non-metro areas, here were the mean annual salaries in 2010:

South Florida nonmetropolitan area — $36,810
Northwest Florida nonmetropolitan area — $36,640
Northeast Florida nonmetropolitan area — $30,800

Note: Data for Punta Gorda is not available

The mean annual salary for realtors in the Tampa area in 2010 was lower by 31.8% than the national mean annual salary of $52,490 and lower by 11.7% than the statewide mean annual salary of $40,540. It was also lower by 29.5% than the highest mean annual salary in Florida — $50,800 — which was that of realtors in the Naples-Marco Island area. It was higher by 45.3% than the lowest mean annual salary in Florida, which was $24,640, the mean annual salary of realtors in Gainesville.

Take advantage of relatively lower Tampa home prices. View affordable but beautiful Tampa homes. Contact Tampa4U.com.

This March, the U.S. Deparment of Veterans Affairs has taken another step in its effort to expand its medical care facilities in the Tampa Bay area by awarding a contract to Duke Realty to construct a 106,000-square-foot at Hidden River Corporate Park in Tampa to be used to house its new VA primary care clinic. This two-story medical facility, scheduled to be completed in 2014,will provide primary care services for more than 87,000 veterans in the counties of Polk, Pasco, Hernando and Hillsborough.

Certainly, the new VA clinic is another signification addition to the following VA administrative and health care facilities attracting military retirement in the Tampa area:

James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital
13000 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard
Tampa, FL 3612

This hospital has two Veterans Administration (VA) facilities located in Tampa and New Port Richey and three VA community-based outpatient clinics in Lakeland, Zephyrhills and Brooksville.

Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) in the Tampa Bay area

Zephyrhills CBOC
6937 Medical View Lane
Zephyrhills, FL 33541

t.Petersburg CBOC
840 Dr. MLK Jr. Street N
St. Petersburg, FL 33705

Lakeland CBOC
4237 South Pipkin Road
Lakeland, FL 33542

Sarasota CBOC
5682 Bee Ridge Road, Suite 100
Sarasota, FL 34233

Veteran Centers in the Tampa Bay area

Tampa Vet Center
Fountain Oaks Business Plaza, Suite 600
3637 W. Waters Avenue
Tampa, FL 33614

Clearwater Vet Center
29259 US Highway 19 North
Clearwater, FL 33761

3A RCS Southeast Regional Office in Clearwater
29529 US Highway 19 North
Clearwater, FL 33761

Pasco County Vet Center in Odessa
4111 Land O’Lakes Boulevard
Odessa, FL 33525

Polk County Vet Center in Lakeland
210 N Missouri Avenue
Lakeland, FL 33815

Sarasota Vet Center
4801 Swift Road Suite A
Sarasota, FL 34231

St. Petersburg Vet Center
6798 Crosswinds Drive N Gaslight Square Bdlg A
St. Petersburg, FL 33710

VISN 8: VA Sunshine Healthcare Network
140 Fountain Parkway
St. Petersburg, FL 33716

Veterans Benefits Administration Offices in the Tampa Bay area

St. Petersburg Regional Office
9500 Bay Pines Boulevard
St. Petersburg, FL 33708

Intake Site at MacDill Air Force Base
Base Hospital 2nd Floor, Room C 277
Tampa, FL 33621

Indeed, military retirement in Tampa is being considered by relatively large numbers of veterans because in addition to the abundance of health care facilities dedicated to veterans, the Tampa Bay area also hosts military bases such as the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, the Coast Guard Sector facility in St. Petersburg and the Coast Guard Air Station in Clearwater.  There are also institutions that offer special continuing education opportunities to veterans such as the University of South Florida, University of Tampa, Hillsborough Community College.