The 15 Hottest Housing Markets Right Now

As home buyers continue their searches in an active and competitive fall season, the nation’s top-performing markets in October are all affordable alternatives to their nearby big-city counterparts.

Topping realtor.com®’s October list was Manchester, N.H., about an hour northwest of Boston. Homes in Manchester are selling in under 24 days—about 21 days faster than the overall housing market. Properties there are receiving about 2.8 times as many views on realtor.com®.

“Affordability and strong local economies remain very much top-of-mind for today’s buyers,” says George Ratiu, manager of economic research at realtor.com®. “With home prices reaching record levels this year, many buyers are still finding themselves locked out of expensive cities. Many of the markets on our list are small to mid-sized within a reasonable commute distance of a major employment center but with much more affordable home prices.”

Realtor.com® identifies the top-performing housing markets each month by pinpointing which areas have seen the quickest sales and fetched the most views at its site. The average median list price in the 20 markets topping its list in October is nearly 16% lower than the median price nationally. Homes on the list were a median of $320,000 compared to the nationwide median home price of $380,000, realtor.com® says.

Here are the 15 markets that topped realtor.com®’s October list:

1. Manchester, N.H.: $419,000 (median listing price)
2. Burlington, N.C.: $295,000
3. Eureka, Calif.: $489,000
4. Rochester, N.Y.: $211,000
5. Elkhart, Ind.: $219,900
6. Lafayette, Ind.: $227,500
7. Fort Wayne, Ind.: $224,900
8. Johnson City, Tenn.: $300,000
9. Jefferson City, Mo.: $179,900
10. Rapid City, S.D.: $386,000
11. Raleigh, N.C.: $425,000
12. Topeka, Kan.: $175,000
13. Concord, N.H.: $389,900
14. Springfield, Mass.: $310,000
15. Worcester, Mass.: $399,000

Source: Realtor Magazine