Midwest and Northeast Markets Heat Up in April

With summer around the bend and more states opening up, real estate has been heating up across the country. Realtor.com notes that April real estate data shows more buyers are entering the market earlier than usual, especially in Northeast and Midwest markets. The real estate site identified April’s hottest markets by analyzing how quickly homes sell and which listings get the most views. The list features several Midwest cities, and Realtor.com’s chief economist says buyers in that region typically stick to strong seasonal patterns by waiting for warmer weather before jumping into the market.

This year, the combination of low mortgage rates, rising home prices, and a large group of people at the typical first-time home buyer age has spurred real estate activity to new heights. Affordability is also a factor—in all but one of the eight Midwestern metros in the top 20, the median home list price was below the national median of $375,000 in April.

Meanwhile, the top two markets remained the same as in March: the New Hampshire metros of Manchester and Concord. Manchester, the state’s largest city, is no stranger to the hottest markets list—it was No. 2 in April 2020. Concord, on the other hand, leaped 22 spots from last year to land at No. 2 this year.

“It’s pure madness,” says Joelle Sturm, a Realtor® with Better Homes & Gardens, Masiello Group, in Concord. “I’ve been doing real estate for 20 years in this area, and I’ve never seen a market like this.”

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