We just got back from Walt Disney World, and were amazed with what we saw. Mickey and Minnie seemed to be fairing the recession pretty well, but Orlando looked like it had been through a war. It seemed as if every third home had a “for sale” sign in the yard.

According to the National Association of Realtors, California, Nevada and Florida were hit the worst in the housing downturn. For those of us that work in the Northern Virginia marketplace, it is easy to forget how shielded we are due to the Federal government. Virginia’s unemployment rate is currently at 6.3%. Contrast that with Florida’s at 11.1% which is only beaten by the two states previously mentioned, California and Nevada.

In Northern Virginia we have just moved into a sellers market, with only 2.9 months of inventory on hand. Properly priced homes are getting quick offers and sometimes multiple ones. According to AOL Real Estate 7% of homes in Orlando are vacant and sales are down by 30% from 2010. Ouch!!! Home values have fallen over 12% in the past year, while we are seeing prices creep back up here in our area. See our market video here!

Even if your real estate business is off a bit from past years or you are underwater in your northern Virginia home, you may want to count your blessings. It could be a whole lot worse. Orlando is a GREAT place to visit, but I think I’ll take selling homes in Virginia over the move down south…at least for now!

Filed under: Housing market, How's your Market?, Northern Virginia, Statistics | Tagged: DC, Fairfax, Housing Market, Northern Virginia, Prince William