The Brief
- Frisco, Texas, ranks as the best real estate market in the U.S., boosted by newer housing, affordability and strong job growth.
- McKinney, Texas, ranks second, while Murfreesboro, Tennessee, takes third place due to residential development and healthy local economies.
- WalletHub compared 300 U.S. cities using 17 metrics, including home-price appreciation, housing affordability, building activity and employment growth.
Whether you work in real estate or are simply searching for a place to call home, understanding the housing market is an important step before purchasing a property.
To identify the best local real estate markets in the U.S., WalletHub evaluated 300 cities of different sizes using 17 indicators of housing-market attractiveness and economic strength. The analysis considered factors ranging from median home-price appreciation and housing affordability to employment growth.
What they’re saying:
“Current home prices are extremely important, but there’s much more to consider when evaluating the health of a city’s real estate market,” said Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst. “Factors such as the cost of living, potential home-value appreciation, the availability of recently built homes and the strength of the local job market should all be weighed alongside asking prices and interest rates. The best cities may not always be the cheapest, but they offer strong housing options and long-term stability.”
Best real estate markets
Dig deeper:
Frisco, Texas
Frisco, Texas, ranks as the best real estate market in the country. One of its biggest strengths is its abundance of newer housing. Nearly 47% of the city’s homes were built between 2010 and 2024, the highest share among the cities studied. For buyers, newer construction can mean fewer immediate repairs and maintenance projects after moving in.…