Maybe Amy Hoak of Marketwatch started something with her - pardon the pun - groundbreaking story "Home prices aren't tanking everywhere" back in April. She pointed out then that there were really only five states in a housing recession -- California, Arizona, Nevada, Florida and Michigan. Other parts of the country are "doing fine," she wrote.

John Wasik, a columnist for Bloomberg News actually wrote a positive story about housing, too, using identical language -- that some of the market is "doing fine."

Hey, in some circles "doing fine" isn't much to celebrate, but in housing, having two prominent financial reporters writing something positive is reason to break out the champagne.

Both writers point out what the National Association of Realtors has been trying to tell the financial press for years -- that real estate is regional, not national. The writers also note that most of the areas increasing in value also sat out the housing boom earlier in the decade, with San Francisco and Manhattan as exceptions.

Is the sun finally coming out for real estate? As Wasik points out, where jobs are leaving, a housing rebound will be slow, but "the most bountiful places for housing growth are where homes are reasonably priced and people are relocating there because jobs are being created."

Using housing reports from Homesmartreports.com, Wasik singles out Dallas.

"Not only is "Big D'' one of the top producers of jobs -- followed by the San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle-Tacoma, Washington -- it leads in the total number of people moving in, according to the most recent figures by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau," he wrote, "Dallas homes gained an average of 16 percent compared with the 41 percent national average through 2007... . While that sounds like bad news for Dallas homeowners, it's a plus if you are moving into the area. Your housing dollar will buy much more than in San Jose, California."

Wasik notes other low-risk areas as Bethesda, Maryland; Stamford-Norwalk, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; the Boston-Worcester areas; and Lexington, Kentucky.

Hoak mentioned the Carolinas, Texas, and some Rocky Mountain states are doing fine, as well.

So why is housing better in these areas?

"Americans are getting older, want to move somewhere warmer and need to find a smaller home for less money. Or younger workers are going where they can find decent jobs and affordable housing. Hint: You won't find these areas in coastal cities," writes Wasik.

Thanks, John. Thanks, Amy. Thanks for doing your part to stop the housing hysteria.

Published: June 13, 2008

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Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.