The saying goes..."where there this is explosive job opportunities, then explosive real estate follows." 

 SOMETIMES THESE LISTS ARE BOGUS. 

For example, the labor index in 2012 said .."Des Moines, IA had explosive job growth and unemployment rate of 3.5%. So I moved there wanting to get a decent paying job.

I discovered the mega-job growth was in the retail sector paying a measley $8 dollars an hour. Anyone could get a job at Walmart or Menard's --everyone was hiring. But there were no high paying salaried jobs anywhere. So I left Des Moines the next year.

Makes me wonder why Tampa, FL is on the list for hottest real estate markets. I lived in Tampa before I moved tor Des Moines. I had bought a condo in Florida years ago and ended up in bankruptcy after I was laid off from my job in 2010. THERE ARE NO JOBS IN TAMPA, so therefore the RE market cannot be that hot. Yes, I tried renting out my condo and had a lot of renters but most of them were poor rental prospects because nobody had jobs! I couldn't even qualify most of them.

I could see wealthy retirees gobbling up rentals and homes in Tampa. But how is the RE market hot there? I left Tampa in 2011.

What are your thoughts on these lists?

Top 10 Cities Offering the Most Opportunity for Real Estate Investors, 2016

1. Dallas, TX
2. Portland, OR
3. Denver, CO
4. Miami, FL
5. Tampa, FL
6. Seattle, WA
7. Nashville, TN
8. Atlanta, GA
9. Houston, TX
10. Austin, TX