California Cities Dominate List Of January’s Hottest Markets

Eight of the 10 markets with the most buyer activity in January are located in California.

Realtor.com released its list of the nation’s 20 hottest housing market for this month. San Francisco, San Jose, Vallejo, Sacramento, San Diego, and even smaller cities such as Yuba City, Stockton, and Oxnard ranked near the top. The results were based on listings views and home sales.

Other markets that fared well include Dallas (4th), Columbus (12th), and Fort Wayne, Ind. (20th).

January is usually the worst month for the housing market, but altogether, homes sold 4 percent faster this month than at the same time last year.

Typically, the median list price reaches its lowest point in January. At its current estimate of $250,000 for the month, it’s holding steady from last month and 10% higher than one year ago. And that would be a record for January. All told, we’re expecting to see a 9% decrease in listing inventory in January from December, and an 11% drop since one year ago.

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