Realtor.com’s latest top 10 investment markets report shows metros just off the beaten path leading the way.
Built from Realtor.com data updated through February 2012, the report put Tucson, Ariz.; Austin, Texas; and Kansas City, Mo., as the top current real estate markets to invest in.
The top 10 list was built by analyzing the housing inventories, price trends and unemployment rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 146 markets Realtor.com tracks.
Real estate markets in the Midwest and the South dominate the list of the Top 10 Markets to Watch in 2012, according to a report compiled by Inman News. Only two Northeastern markets, both in New York, made the list, but no markets from the West were included. The 10 markets are: Raleigh-Cary, N.C.; Wichita, Kan.; Rochester, N.Y.; Des Moines, Iowa; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Peoria, Ill.; Amarillo, Texas; Binghampton, N.Y.; Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa; and Bloomington-Normal, Ill. These markets are showing signs of improvement in several key metrics, including above-average price appreciation, a flourishing job market, a high rate of sales in proportion to population, higher home affordability, low foreclosure activity, a below-average share of distressed sales, and low vacancy rates.
Let’s look at the market activity trends of Oxnard between May 2010 and July 2011 for all property types:
Let’s look at the market activity trends of Ventura between May 2010 and July 2011 for all property types: