55Places: Chicago Has Tightest Inventory for 55-Plus Buyers

(Image courtesy of Ivan Samkov/pexels.com)

55Places, Chicago, ranked the 13 toughest real estate markets for 55-plus buyers right now, based on areas with less than three months of inventory. With just 1.6 months of inventory, Chicago tops the list.

Chicago’s competitiveness has increased over the past year. In March 2024, there was an average of 142 homes actively listed in 55-plus communities, but in March 2025, that fell to just 119. The median asking price is $367,835 and properties are staying on the market for an average of 41 days.

No. 2 is the Boston-Providence market, with inventory of 1.7 months. The New England region has an average active listing count of 61, with an average median listing price of $649,450, and homes are spending 42 days on the market.

No. 3 is Philadelphia, with 1.9 months of inventory, and 11% fewer active listings than this time last year to currently sit at an average of 174 active listings. The median price for 55-plus homes is $479,000, and they are usually on the market for 48 days.

Washington, D.C./Baltimore is No. 4, also with 1.9 months of inventory. The average active listing count is 241, and homes stay on the market for 51 days. The average median listing price stands at $499,923, but the average median closing price is $524,000, up from $436,000 in 2024.

And, No. 5 is the San Diego area, with inventory of 2.4 months. There’s an average of 150 active listings, and the homes spend 49 days on the market. The average listing price is $687,450.

Rounding out the top 13 are the Southern Pines area in North Carolina (2.4 months inventory), Los Angeles/Orange County area (2.4 months), Sacramento (2.5 months), Central New Jersey (2.6 months), Raleigh-Durham area (2.7 months), the Bay Area (2.8 months), Charlotte (2.9 months) and Long Island (2.9 months).