Inman News reports on the continuing speculation in housing. "Economist Mark Dotzour said he gave a presentation earlier this year to a group of Texas mortgage professionals in which he asked how many of them had recently closed a mortgage loan for a California resident, about 75 percent raised their hands in response."

"'This is quite a deluge. It's quite widespread,' Dotzour said of the influx of California buyers to the Texas market. 'We're starting to see a pretty significant migration of California people not only buying property for investment but moving here to live.'"

"Several communities in Texas appear to be ripe for a boom as the national housing market winds down from its formerly feverish pace, he noted. Odessa and Midland led in home-price appreciation in the fourth quarter 2005, Dotzour said; Odessa had 15 percent year-over-year price growth for the quarter. Real estate markets in El Paso, San Antonio, Wichita Falls, Corpus Christi, Tyler and Brownsville, among others, are also on the upswing."

"Mary Manry, broker in Fort Worth, Texas, said, 'We see a big influx of California investors,' Manry said, noting that Californians can buy a lot more house in Texas for a lot less than they could in their own state. 'I think we will see the benefits of a lot of these overheated markets coming this direction.'"

"North Carolina is seeing an influx from Florida and other Eastern states, said Renee Hentschel, an associate broker in Hickory, N.C. 'Sales have doubled for me, personally. A lot of that is due to a lot of folks from Florida. They're cashing out on the homes they bought, taking the equity, and coming here. They're actually getting more house for their money,' she said."

"Sharon Lyons, broker in Carolina Beach, N.C., said that properties in her market area dramatically appreciated in a short period of time last year, and she attributes the surge to increased interest by people from other states. Sales have slowed in the area this year, though, falling 24 percent in Wilmington in May compared to May 2006."

"Trela Bird, a Realtor in Midvale, Utah, said the Greater Salt Lake City began to boom last year. 'We're seeing a lot (of buyers) from California, and a little bit from some of the East Coast states, some from Texas, Arizona and Nevada. I think the news has gone out, we're number four in job growth right now and prices compared to a lot of places are still reasonable,' Bird said."

"'We get people from California (who say), 'Oh, wow. We can get twice the house for half the price,' she said. Buyers from out of state seem most interested in new and newer homes, she said."