There have been 17 recessions since the Great Depression and Real Estate has proven to be an industry that can survive anything.

The real estate market hasn’t been great lately, but as 2013 has proven to be a lucrative year for real estate. In fact, gains in 2014 are expected to be half of what they were in 2013, according to CNN Money.

“It will still be a sellers’ market in 2014, given how far we have before inventory is back to normal,” says Jed Kolko, chief economist at Trulia, noting the supply of homes in September was still about 15% below historical norms. “But it will not be as extreme as 2013,” he says.

And the Florida real estate market is seeing some promising developments that could make 2014 a solid year in real estate for the Sunshine State.

Foreclosed Homes in Florida Dropping

After three consecutive months on top, Florida was leading the nation in foreclosures. However in September, Nevada knocked Florida off its unwanted pedestal to become the state leading the nation. We’re number two, but hey, after three consecutive months, we’ll take it.

To some prospective buyers, foreclosed homes are like a diamond in the rough. To others, they’re an affordable place to fix up and call their forever home.

House flippers quickly fix up a home to resell it for an easy profit, according to Business Time. HGTV has a handful of shows on flipping houses and it has become a popular trend in recent years.

The bottom line is this: foreclosures are good for flippers, but bad for families who want to make their new home permanent.

The number of new foreclosure filings, including default notices, auctions and bank repossessions, dropped 15 percent to a total of 113,454 properties the nation in November, according to RealtyTrac.

Foreclosure starts in Florida dropped dramatically in August—65 percent, compared with last year, according to this article by the Sun Sentinel.

Numerous reports predict a resurgence of the housing market in 2014 and the Florida housing market is no exception as median home prices continue to climb.

Lee County Home Prices Continue to Climb

The median price of a single-family home in Lee County, sold in November, was $170.000—up 8.3 percent from October’s $157,000 and up from $140,000 a year ago, according to the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach.

Realtor.com thinks the warmer client may be playing a role in the Florida housing market.

Due to tight inventory, states in the West and South should see home prices reach 4 to 8 percent over the next year.

But like everything, we cannot predict the future. However, one thing is for certain: the future looks pretty good for Florida real estate. We’ll update you on these trends as soon as we can.