Bright outlook dampens quickly

Residential home sales data for Florida in March was certainly sunny, with double-digit percentage increases in sales for single-family homes and condos.

But a few lines in a U.S. Census Bureau report released earlier this spring clouds that report. To wit: There are 1.6 million vacant homes in Florida, which is 18% of the total homes, the bureau reports. That's up 63% in the last decade.

Florida's total vacant home count is more than two states also caught up in the real estate crash, Nevada and Arizona, which had 14% and 16%, respectively. California has a comparably low rate of 8%, according to the census report.