Top 10 Cities for Buying a Big, Family Home

Starting a family is a life-changing decision, and finding the area best suited to a family's needs can be daunting. SmartAsset has ranked the best cities using data on six metrics:

• 5-year change in median home values
• Average effective property tax rate
• Median housing cost as a percent of income
• 5-year change in median rent costs
• Percent of houses with at least two bedrooms
• Percent of homeowners who are housing cost-burdened

Arizona emerged as a bastion of value, with homes appreciating faster than anywhere else evaluated, and a large supply of large multi-bedroom homes, while large cities like Chicago rank lower due to smaller living spaces available.

According to our data, Chandler – a large city in the Phoenix metro area – is the best city to buy a family home. Our data shows that from 2011 to 2015 the median home value increased by a whopping 45%. While that trend may not continue at such a breakneck pace in the future it is still good sign for potential homeowners.

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