Realtor.com®'s 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes in America: Historic New England is the Newest Homebuying Hotspot

Rhea-AI Summary

Realtor.com® has unveiled its 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes, with New England dominating the list. Homes in these areas sold in an average of just 8 days, attracting nearly 4 times more buyer views than typical listings. The report highlights Nashua, NH, and Brighton, NY, as top contenders. New insights, called 'Hot Market Insights', will assist buyers in understanding local markets and competition. Factors driving demand include affordability and proximity to major cities. The average asking price in the hottest ZIPs is 4% lower than the U.S. median, reflecting buyer preferences for value amidst rising costs.

Positive

• Nashua, NH, saw listings receive 4.6 times more views, selling 23 days faster than the typical U.S. home.
• Millennial buyers in Hottest ZIPs boast higher incomes, better credit scores, and larger down payments, aiding homeownership.
• Average asking price in the top 10 ZIPs is 4% lower than the national median, enhancing affordability.

Negative

• Rising inflation and mortgage rates have created affordability challenges for many buyers.
• Competition for homes has intensified, potentially leading to bidding wars and financial strain for buyers.

Realtor.com^® now provides "Hot Market Insights" on listings in areas with fast-selling homes and high buyer demand

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- One of America's most historic regions is its newest homebuying hotspot, with New England ZIPs representing over half of 2022's top 10 list in the eighth annual Realtor.com^® Hottest ZIP Codes Report released today. In these ZIPs, homes sold in just over a week (8 days) and received nearly four times (3.7) more buyer views than a typical U.S. listing¹. To help buyers better understand if they're shopping in a hot market, Realtor.com^® now provides "Hot Market Insights" on listings that show how fast homes in that neighborhood are selling and how popular they are compared to other properties in the area and across the country.

A key theme of this year's wicked-hot ranking is demand from out-of-ZIP home shoppers, driven by factors including relative affordability and convenient travel to big East Coast cities. The 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes in America, in rank order, are:

1. 14618 Brighton, N.Y.
2. 03062 Nashua, N.H.
3. 43085 Worthington, Ohio
4. 03038 Derry, N.H.
5. 04062 Windham, Maine
6. 18017 Bethlehem, Penn.
7. 37604 Johnson City, Tenn.
8. 03106 Hooksett, N.H.
9. 02760 North Attleboro, Mass.
10. 04210 Auburn, Maine

"With rising inflation and mortgage rates squeezing monthly housing budgets, this year's determined buyers are breathing new life into competition for homes in historic areas like New England. Our 2022 Hottest ZIPs ranking illustrates how many Americans are redefining their priorities to achieve homeownership while building their careers, by trading downtown life for relatively affordable areas with reasonable part-time commutes to big cities," said Danielle Hale, Chief Economist for Realtor.com^®. "Even as the housing market resets, home shoppers in the competitive Hottest ZIPs may need to take extra measures to win. It all starts with understanding the local market, and buyers can use Realtor.com^®'s Hot Market Insights to arm themselves with knowledge that will be key to success when deciding where, when and how to make an offer."

With the launch of Realtor.com^®'s "Hot Market Insights" announced today, the "neighborhood" section of property listings on Realtor.com^® will now show homebuyers if they are shopping in a hot market. Home shoppers can click the button to learn more about the local housing market, including how fast homes are selling and how many more views they get compared to others in the area and in the U.S. These insights are updated each month, to provide buyers with a timely view of the competition they're likely to face.

Key trends driving homebuying demand in the 2022 Hottest ZIPs

Many Americans are feeling the strain on their finances due to the whirlwind of economic shifts that have occurred so far in 2022, including mortgage rate hikes. Combined with record-high home prices, rising affordability challenges are forcing many buyers to get creative if they want to beat the competition without breaking their budgets.

Home shoppers are doing just that in the 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes, with nine of the top 10 making the list for the first time in the ranking's eight-year history, including eight northeastern ZIPs making their debut. Six of these newcomers are located in New England, offering buyers a balance of new opportunities with historic charm. On average across the top 10, 13.4% of homes were built before 1939, compared to just 11.6% nationwide.

New England is a hot new homebuying destination for big city transplants

Many of the top 10's new entries are attracting home shoppers looking to relocate from high-priced big cities on the East Coast, based on migration patterns among prospective buyers viewing Realtor.com^® listings. In the first half of the year, at least one big East Coast city – Boston, New York and D.C. – was among the top five sources of buyers viewing listings in all 10 of the hottest ZIPs.

Buyers in these major metros are exploring ZIPs further away than in prior years, enabled by more widespread adoption of remote work. Even for those with hybrid schedules, many of this year's hottest ZIPs provide the perfect combination of relative housing affordability and a reasonable part-time commute to big city business hubs. From all six New England ZIPs on the list, Boston can be reached in 2.5 hours or less.

ZIP Spotlight – No. 2 03681 Nashua, N.H.: At No. 2 on the 2022 list, Nashua is located just 42 miles from Boston, or within a 1.5 hour commute. In the first six months of 2022, listings in the ZIP attracted more viewers from Boston (38%) than from local buyers (32%). The influx of demand is fueling competition for homes in Nashua, where listings received 4.6 times more views and sold 23 days faster than the typical U.S. home (7 vs. 40 days) in the first half of this year. As a result, the ZIP's supply of active listings was down 26.9% year-over-year by June.

Affordability challenges drive demand in relatively small ZIPs offering high-value homes

As a result of rising inflation and higher costs for housing and everyday expenses, homebuyers have set their sights on areas that offer good bang for their buck, making value a key theme among this year's hottest ZIPs. Controlling for home size, the average price per square foot in the top 10 was 8.7% lower than in their surrounding metro areas in June. 

Among the ZIPs on this year's list, the average asking price ($432,000) was 4.0% lower than the U.S. median listing price in June ($450,000). At the same time, driven by the rise in demand, home prices across the hottest ZIPs grew at a faster year-over-year pace (+18.6%) than listing prices nationwide (16.9%).

ZIP Spotlight – No. 8 03106 Hooksett, N.H.: Coming in at No. 8 on this year's list is Hooksett, N.H., located just 59 miles away from Boston. While Hooksett's median listing price ($482,000) was higher than the U.S. median as of June, it is considerably more affordable than in the Boston metro area ($759,000). Additionally, Hooksett homes tend to have more square footage (2,008, on average) than the typical U.S. listing (1,887). These price trends are likely attracting East Coast urbanites looking for value, with 26.5% of Hooksett's listings viewers coming from Boston in the first half of 2022.

Aspiring millennial homeowners are financially prepared for success in the hottest ZIPs

Now aged between 25 and 44 years-old, millennials are a key cohort of aspiring homeowners, whether first-time or repeat buyers. This generation is ready and willing to pursue homebuying opportunities in the hottest ZIPs, where they have the advantage of strong financial qualifications. Millennials are entering the top 10 with incomes that are higher than the national averages among those aged 25-34 ($83,782 vs. $70,510) and aged 34-45 ($100,966 vs. $89,365). On average, buyers in the hottest ZIPs are well-qualified with higher credit scores (742 vs. 728) and larger down payments (15.0% vs. 14.2%) compared to the typical U.S. home shopper.

Millennials' strong financial footing is paying off when it comes to achieving homeownership in the top 10. In fact, a higher share of millennials have successfully become homeowners in these ZIPs (57.1%), on average, than in the U.S. overall (51.3%).

ZIP Spotlight – No. 1 14618 Brighton, N.Y.: Topping this year's ranking with its debut is ZIP 14618 located in the Rochester metro area., which has now been represented on the list by other ZIPs for three years in a row. The rising popularity of Rochester ZIPs like 14618 may be partly due to buyers' success in the area. Compared to the U.S. averages, ZIP 14618's homeownership rates are higher among millennials (56.9% vs. 51.3%) and overall (70.8% vs. 65.2%). Local buyers also have strong qualifications, with a typical down payment of 15.7% and credit score of 745, as well as a higher median income than the U.S. average ($106,150 vs. $72,465).

2022 Hottest ZIP Codes in America – Top 50 Housing Metrics

Rank	ZIP Code	ZIP Name	Viewers per Property vs. U.S. (Jan.-June 2022 avg.)	Median Days on Market (Jan.-June 2022 avg.)	Median Listing Price (June 2022)
1	14618	Brighton, N.Y.	4.2	6	$275,000
2	03062	Nashua, N.H.	4.6	7	$536,000
3	43085	Worthington, Ohio	3.9	7	$467,000
4	03038	Derry, N.H.	3.6	7	$447,000
5	04062	Windham, Maine	4.2	10	$505,000
6	18017	Bethlehem, Penn.	3.7	8	$424,000
7	37604	Johnson City, Tenn.	3.7	10	$329,000
8	03106	Hooksett, N.H.	3.3	10	$482,000
9	02760	North Attleboro, Mass.	2.7	5	$587,000
10	04210	Auburn, Maine	3.4	12	$267,000
11	27511	Cary, N.C.	2.7	8	$442,000
12	46814	Fort Wayne, Ind.	3.1	11	$525,000
13	40223	Louisville, Ky.	3.1	12	$395,000
14	48375	Novi, Mich.	2.8	7	$440,000
15	06107	West Hartford, Conn.	3.1	10	$412,000
16	29212	Columbia, S.C.	3.4	13	$280,000
17	10757	Milford, Mass.	2.6	8	$462,000
18	05403	South Burlington, Vt.	2.5	8	$502,000
19	01028	East Longmeadow, Mass.	2.7	11	$395,000
20	66604	Topeka, Kan.	2.9	13	$143,000
21	03743	Claremont, N.H.	2.7	13	$230,000
22	54914	Appleton, Wis.	3.4	16	$245,000
23	45459	Dayton, Ohio	3.1	13	$372,000
24	02631	Brewster, Mass.	2.8	11	$668,000
25	45068	Waynesville, Ohio	2.8	14	$320,000
26	08090	Wenonah, N.J.	3.8	18	$285,000
27	29414	Charleston, S.C.	2.7	14	$504,000
28	95501	Eureka, Calif.	2.7	12	$484,000
29	37214	Nashville, Tenn.	2.3	8	$406,000
30	27712	Durham, N.C.	2.3	13	$470,000
31	65109	Jefferson City, Mo.	2.3	11	$247,000
32	04901	Waterville, Maine	2.4	13	$239,000
33	28277	Charlotte, N.C.	2.6	14	$560,000
34	18707	Mountain Top, Penn.	4.2	18	$275,000
35	32514	Pensacola, Fla.	2.5	17	$315,000
36	44281	Wadsworth, Ohio	3.0	18	$354,000
37	43050	Mount Vernon, Ohio	2.5	17	$230,000
38	80920	Colorado Springs, Co.	2.4	11	$570,000
39	03431	Keene, N.H.	3.7	19	$250,000
40	06492	Wallingford, Conn.	2.4	18	$358,000
41	46526	Goshen, Ind.	2.2	14	$250,000
42	23227	Richmond, Va.	2.7	19	$368,000
43	27217	Burlington, N.C.	2.5	19	$225,000
44	75060	Irving, Texas	2.5	18	$339,000
45	14223	Buffalo, N.Y.	2.0	12	$220,000
46	06385	Waterford, Conn.	2.2	14	$370,000
47	37664	Kingsport, Tenn.	3.0	24	$265,000
48	33626	Tampa, Fla.	3.3	19	$598,000
49	35810	Huntsville, Ala.	2.3	15	$171,000
50	79934	El Paso, Tex.	2.0	9	$222,000

Methodology

Realtor.com^® analyzed listings data on over 29,000 ZIP codes to determine its Hottest ZIP Code rankings, which are based on January-June 2022 averages of: 1) demand, as measured by unique viewers per property on Realtor.com^®; 2) the pace of the market as measured by the number of days a listing remains active on Realtor.com^®; limited to one ZIP Code per metropolitan area and ZIP Codes with at least 15 active listings each month. Time frames for metrics not factored into the ranking as noted, e.g. listing price trends based on June 2022 data.

Note: The markets where Realtor.com^®'s "Hot Market Insights" are featured on listings and neighborhoods on its website may vary from the 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes, due to methodology differences such as time frames (monthly data updated each month vs. Jan.-June 2022 data).

About Realtor.com^®

Realtor.com^® makes buying, selling, renting and living in homes easier and more rewarding for everyone. Realtor.com^® pioneered the world of digital real estate more than 25 years ago, and today through its website and mobile apps offers a marketplace where people can learn about their options, trust in the transparency of information provided to them, and get services and resources that are personalized to their needs. Using proprietary data science and machine learning technology, Realtor.com^® pairs buyers and sellers with local agents in their market, helping take the guesswork out of buying and selling a home. For professionals, Realtor.com^® is a trusted provider of consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com^® is operated by News Corp (Nasdaq: NWS) (Nasdaq: NWSA) (ASX: NWS) (ASX: NWSLV) subsidiary Move, Inc. For more information, visit Realtor.com^®.

Media Contact
rachel.conner@move.com 

¹ In the first half of 2022 (Jan.-June), on average. See methodology below for additional details.

 

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SOURCE Realtor.com

FAQ

What are the top Hottest ZIP Codes in 2022 according to Realtor.com®?

The top Hottest ZIP Codes in 2022 include Brighton, NY; Nashua, NH; and Worthington, OH, among others.

How does Realtor.com®'s 'Hot Market Insights' benefit homebuyers?

'Hot Market Insights' helps buyers understand local market dynamics, including home sales speed and property popularity.

What factors are driving demand in the 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes?

Demand is driven by rising affordability challenges, remote work options, and migration from high-cost urban areas.

What is the average selling time for homes in the Hottest ZIPs?

Homes in the top Hottest ZIPs sold in just over 8 days on average.

How much lower is the average asking price in the Hottest ZIPs compared to the U.S. median?

The average asking price in the Hottest ZIPs is approximately 4% lower than the U.S. median listing price.