In the last quarter, Tampa home prices rose 2.48 percent, making the city 100th best for home appreciation in the United States.

So says the Web site neighborhoodscout.com.

Changes that small over 3 months are pretty much meaningless, but I was struck by the fact that Florida cities like Bradenton, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Miami crowded the list of top appreciators. Here's what neighborhoodscout had to say:

This makes Tampa one of the highest appreciating communities in the nation for the latest quarter, and may signal the city's near-future real estate investment strength.

Relative to Florida, our data show that Tampa's latest annual appreciation rate is higher than 46% of the other cities and towns in Florida.

A reader called me excitedly about the "news" and I did him the courtesy of checking it out. I admit I'm a bit suspicious. The Web site babbles on about its proprietary home evaluation method developed by "Dr. Schiller," he of the mysteriously absent first name.

Could it be trying to conflate its Dr. Schiller with the Dr. Shiller of S&P Case-Shiller home price index fame? No, I'm sure it's just an oversight.