Veros: Heartland Markets 'Moving Forward'

All but one of the country's strongest single-family home markets are in the nation's heartland, according to the latest quarterly forecast from Veros Real Estate Solutions. While coastal markets like Modesto, Riverside, and San Bernardino, Calif., and Ft. Myers, Fla., continue to show weakness, Wichita, Kan., Raleigh, N.C., Sioux Falls, S.D., Fargo, N.D., and Tulsa, Okla., are doing well. "Not all markets are experiencing drastic reductions in real estate values," said the company, which bases its findings on more than 50 variables. Appreciation rates aren't what they have been in Raleigh, but the North Carolina capital is "hanging on longer than some of the surrounding areas," Veros said. But the central part of the country has so far been "largely unaffected" by the rapid run-up in prices that is now hurting other parts of the country. "This region is moving forward without distress from the depreciation felt elsewhere and is experiencing minor growth," said Veros, a leader in predictive technology.