A recent report has revealed that despite rising housing prices and high mortgage rates making it increasingly difficult for Americans to own their own homes, there are still some real estate markets worth considering for first-time homebuyers.
Realtor.com, a real estate website, has released a report selecting the most suitable markets for first-time homebuyers in the United States. The report analyzed over 10,000 locations within the top 100 metropolitan areas in the U.S. and scored each location based on the following criteria (out of 10 points):
– Affordability (25%)
– Local amenities (25%)
– Housing supply (10%)
– Proportion of young population (10%)
– Commute quality (10%)
– Economic health (10%)
– Housing market outlook (10%)
Subsequently, Realtor.com identified the top ten markets from December 2024 to November 2025, each having at least 500 active listings.
Joel Berner, Senior Economist at Realtor.com, told CNBC’s “Make It” column that many markets from last year’s list continue to perform well and remain good options for first-time homebuyers this year.
According to Realtor.com’s rankings, Rochester, New York, topped the list as the best market for first-time homebuyers with a score of 9.3. The median listing price for homes in this city is $139,900, significantly lower than the national median of $399,950.
On the other hand, all markets in Florida dropped out of the top ten best markets for first-time homebuyers this year. Berner mentioned that Realtor.com’s overall forecast for 2026 indicates a relatively soft market in Florida in terms of price and sales growth.
The following are the top ten markets selected by the website for first-time homebuyers:
1. Rochester, New York
2. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
3. Granite City, Illinois
4. Birmingham, Alabama
5. North Little Rock, Arkansas
6. Syracuse, New York
7. Baltimore, Maryland
8. St. Louis Park, Minnesota
9. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
10. Garfield Heights, Ohio
Berner noted that having many medium-sized markets in the top ten indicates that these markets are becoming more popular than larger cities, though not necessarily rural areas.
(Reference: CNBC reporting)