Realtor.com: Northeast Markets Continue to Dominate Hottest Markets

(Stamford, Conn., courtesy of David Kanigan/pexels.com)

Realtor.com, Santa Clara, Calif., released its list of the hottest housing markets in May, finding that Hartford, Conn., claimed the top spot.

Buyers are looking for relative affordability still within commuting distance of major Northeast metros like Boston and New York, Realtor.com noted. Fifteen of the top 20 hottest markets were in the Northeast, with New England dominating. The remaining five were in the Midwest.

Hartford saw 5.3 times the national average number of viewers per property, the typical home sold in 25 days and the median price was $475,000–well below nearby Boston and New York.

Next on the list was Amherst Town-Northampton, Mass., with 3.1 times the average viewers per property, a median 19 days on the market and a median price of $550,000. Next was Waterbury-Shelton, Conn., with 3.5 times the average viewers per property, a median 27 days on the market and a median price of $400,000.

Rounding out the top 10 are Norwich-New London, Conn., Springfield, Mass., Kenosha, Wis., Rochester, N.Y., Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn., Lancaster, Pa., and Manchester-Nashua, N.H.

The homes on the list of the top 20 hottest markets sold in a median period of 28 days, more than three weeks less than the national norm.

Competition can be tight: across the top 20 hottest markets, almost all are running well below pre-pandemic inventory levels.

Realtor.com’s market hotness rankings take into account both market demand and the pace of the market.