FORT MYERS, Fla.- Real estate is always a hot topic, especially when it comes to prices. Local realtors say many out-of-state buyers still think Southwest Florida is as depressed as two years ago. A popular show may give the nation a new perspective.

H.G.T.V.'s House Hunters is about to give the nation a real look at Southwest Florida's housing market and Cape Coral RE/MAX realtor Victoria Yereance hopes it sets the record straight.

"My decision to participate was not to get the message out about how unrealistic some of these buyers are but really to say, here's what's really going on that you aren't seeing or reading elsewhere," Yereance said.

In Thursday night's episode, Ohio homeowners Crystal and Bradden Jozsa are searching for a second home in Fort Myers. Their wish list is long, but their budget is short. Back in Toledo for the summer, they tell us they learned a lesson in Florida real estate.

"We actually started with a really low budget," Crystal Jozsa said.  "We thought we were looking for something in the $40,000 to $50,000 range.  But then we ended up going to about $120,000, and our max was around $150,000.  That was higher than we thought we would go."

"The perception for a lot of people from out of state was this area ... was a fire sale," Yereance said.

In fact, agents like Yereance says many out-of-state buyers still struggle with their perception of the local market, versus its present-day reality.

"Don't get me wrong, there are still really good deals to be had here," Yereance said. "Two years ago we were deeply discounted. This year? We're just 'discounted' and the property values are going to go up."

While you'll have to watch to see just how the Jozsas' search ends, they tell us they're happy with what they found.     

Experts say just remember: paradise still has a price.     

You can see House Hunters at 10:00 p.m. cable's H.G.T.V.