To calculate a city’s popularity, though, Realtor.com® looked at the cities that attracted the highest levels of buying interest in the past year. As is typical, larger cities like New York City, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, and Tampa, FL, attracted the most views across the country. However, it is not surprising to see populous metros attract more online traffic because larger metros tend to have more homes for sale.
But, when Realtor.com adjusted its analysis for market size, midsize cities—such as Columbus; Knoxville, TN; Louisville/Jefferson, KY; and Pittsburgh—were more popular with shoppers.
Among the top 10 most popular markets that Realtor.com identified, five are in the South, three are in the Northeast, and two are in the Midwest. None is in the West.
“It is interesting to find that none of these top markets are traditional big cities such as New York and Los Angeles. Instead, many are midsize markets with relatively high affordability. While people move for different reasons, housing affordability is a key consideration for today’s homebuyers when choosing where to live,” says Realtor.com economist Jiayu Xu. “In addition, warmer weather is also a major draw as 5 out of 10 markets are located in the warm South.”
In the Northeast, Pittsburgh emerged as the most popular housing market, and it’s a top destination for college graduates embarking on new careers. It also offers a lower cost of living and a diverse and growing economy with strengths in technology, health care, education, and finance. Among out-of-state buyers, those from New York showed the highest interest in Pittsburgh homes, followed by shoppers from Virginia and Ohio.
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