Realtor.com has been busy determining which markets across the country have and are becoming the hottest, safest and most affordable housing markets across the country.

Let’s look at the Hottest first. According to Javier Vivas, director of economic research with realtor.com, “We’ve seen affordability reach a tipping point in large, high cost markets, generating this trickle-down effect into secondary markets.”

Realtor.com’s Hottest Markets 

  1. Chico CA – just 15 miles from Paradise, the heart of the Camp Fire that devastated the town last summer.
  2. Midland TX
  3. Odessa TX
  4. Columbus OH
  5. Fort Wayne IN
  6. San Francisco CA
  7. Sacramento CA
  8. Colorado Springs CO
  9. Boston MA
  10. Stockton CA
  11. Vallejo CA
  12. Rockford IL
  13. Detroit MI
  14. Yuba City CA
  15. Dallas TX

Realtor.com then zeroed in on metro area cities and suburbs considered to be the safest (according to crime data from NeighborhoodScout), most affordable (with prices roughly those of the national median list price of approximately $300,000) and the most fun (according to nightlife, outdoor activities, indie bookstores, restaurants as tracked by Yelp.com).

Safest, Most Affordable and “Most Extras” Markets 

  1. Grand Rapids MI – median list price $$280,000; crime rate of 18.38%
    1. Booming economy with only 2.5% unemployment
    2. Projected to be second hottest market in 2019
    3. 2% projected sales price growth
  2. Pittsburgh PA – median list price of $173,000; crime rate of 18.44%
    1. Reinventing self as thriving corporate hub for startups and tech players
    2. Craftsman-style homes in Brighton Heights
  3. Port St. Lucie FL – median list price $285,000; crime rate 19.16%
    1. 2 hours north of Miami
    2. One of most affordable beach towns in country
    3. Magnet for retirees
  4. El Paso TX – median list price $175,800; crime rate of 20.48%
    1. realtor.com named it as one of best markets for middle-class buyers
  5. Syracuse NY – median list price $160,000; crime rate of 21.4%
    1. Formerly unsafe industrial center until City invested millions into core
    2. Home prices rose 9.6% in 2018
  6. Hartford CT – median list price of $260,000; crime rate of 21.97%
    1. Charming town with Colonial history with affluent, well educated residents in suburbs
    2. Developers invested millions in city-proper to flip multi-family units into sale/rent properties for recent Connecticut college grads
  7. Fayetteville AR – median list price $272,600; crime rate 23.21%
    1. Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville (Fayetteville metro)
    2. Ensures high property values and low crime as company expansion expands real estate opportunities
  8. Springfield Ma – median list price $244,950; crime rate of 26.14%
    1. State has top public schools according to US News and World Report
    2. Springfield mirrors state’s affluence without its high property prices
  9. Cincinnati OH – median list price $233,600; crime rate of 26.14%
    1. Over-the-Rhine neighborhood is city’s biggest success story
    2. Great condos in brick buildings and great nightlife
  10. Fort Wayne, IN – median list price $180,000; crime rate of 26.2%
    1. Major renovations of Parkview Park (minor league baseball) and downtown Harrison Park
    2. New apartments, hotel and amphitheater venue

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