The real estate market has been a deciding factor in the recession that the entire nation just experienced a few years ago. It is refreshing to see that the latest statistics are clearly showing that this market, one that is so important to South Florida, is making a strong comeback.

Closed sales, pending sales and median prices all rose in Florida in 2012, while the inventory of homes for sale shrank compared to the year prior, according to Florida Realtors data.

“Throughout 2012, we’ve seen increasingly strong signs that the state’s housing market is in solid recovery,” said 2013 Florida Realtors President Dean Asher in a statement.

Asher, broker and owner of Don Asher & Associates in Orlando, said several factors are spurring the recovery forward, including strong job creation and low-interest rates on mortgages.

“These positive fundamentals in the housing sector continue to attract potential homeowners and investors, however, they’re facing a limited inventory of available for-sale homes in many areas,” he said in a statement.

Statewide closed sales of existing single-family homes totaled 204,414 in 2012, up 8.5 percent compared to the prior year, according to data from Florida Realtors Industry Data and Analysis department in partnership with local realtor boards and associations.

In the fourth quarter, closed sales of single-family existing homes totaled 52,624, up 21.2 percent from the same time a year ago. Closed sales typically occur 30 to 90 days after sales contracts are written.

Pending sales, contracts that are signed but not closed, for existing single-family homes rose 17.6 percent in 2012 compared to 2011’s figure. The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in 2012 was $145,000, up 9 percent from the previous year. Looking at the fourth quarter of 2012, the statewide single-family, existing-home median price was $150,000, up 11.1 percent from the same quarter a year ago.

The data jibes with developers of single-family residences like Sunrise-based GL Homes, which had $600 million in sales 2012, production that harkens back to 2005.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the preliminary national median sales price for existing single-family homes for all of 2012 was $176,600, up 6.3 percent from 2011, which was the strongest annual price gain since 2005.

These strong fundamentals are attracting foreign investors who are interested in setting a foothold and residency in the United States. These investors are incentivized to invest in the United States by the prospect of obtaining permanent residency (green card) if they meet certain requirements. One such strategy is to create a business in the United States by either procuring some office space or setting up a virtual office from which they can run their new U.S.-based company.