Last week we talked about seven metro regions in the state of Florida being among the top 50 growth regions in the country. Our area was about mid-way in the seven top Florida regions and we can expect these numbers to keep moving upwards.

Much of the growth in Florida has to do with the estimated 76 million baby boomers retiring or beginning to organize their lives in anticipation of retirement. This has resulted in vacation home sales hitting an all-time high not only in Florida but in other areas of the country as well.

The National Association of Realtors estimates that vacation home sales amounted to 1.13 million properties last year, up a robust 57.4 percent from 2013. When you consider that 2013 was up 30 percent over 2012, you’re looking at a substantial trend. The last previous high was in 2006 for vacation home sales, and 2014 topped that becoming the biggest year for vacation homes sales volume since the NRA started tracking the market in 2003.

In addition, Mark Zandi, the chief economist for Moody’s, noted that vacation home sales account for one-fifth of all home sales. He expects that should rise over the next five to 10 years as the income and number of vacation home buyers increases. The National Association of Realtors reported their findings indicate that vacation home buyers last year had a median household income of $94,380, up from $85,600 in 2013.

Last year’s gains in vacation home sales also are due to more purchases of condominiums and townhomes, with the NRA reporting 45 percent more sales of condos and townhomes than in previous years. Also 46 percent of vacation homes bought last year were in the South, up from 41 percent in 2013.

Meanwhile the prospect of rising prices is likely to motivate vacation home buyers to act sooner rather than later. With mortgage rates still around 4 percent, a lot more buyers will qualify for financing, however, the Federal Reserve keeps hinting that rates could go up, so we can anticipate that vacation and second home buyers who have the ability to act now will do so. Another motivator is that second homes are still entitled to a mortgage tax deduction for the first $1 million of financing.

Not too much of this is news to Anna Maria. The trend on the Island is shifting away from residential homes to vacation homes and rentals and is anticipated to grow as more and more is written about Anna Maria’s beaches and the Old Florida vibe. This trend was talked about at a recent meeting with the Urban Land Institute on Anna Maria. Members also discussed that the Island can expect 80 to 90 more single family homes, 20 to 30 more rental units and 40 to 60 more hotel rooms each year. Along with this growth will naturally come more businesses, more beachgoers, and it goes without saying more traffic. Only about 19 percent of the Island’s population are permanent residents, a number that will inevitably go down.

After the winter that the Northeast just experienced, anyone who might be thinking about a vacation or second home in Florida, may be more than ready to jump in. Growth is what we’re all about in Florida, and if you don’t like it, I suggest you go to North Dakota. Oh, don’t they have snow and freezing temps there? Well, maybe not.