Editor’s note: This story was originally published here construction coverage.
After a few turbulent years of price increases, rapid declines, and fluctuating mortgage rates, the US housing market has a new set of dynamics in 2026.
Despite home prices remaining high in many areas, demand has rebounded in major markets due to factors such as an improvement in wage growth, an increase in housing inventory and mortgage rates declining somewhat from their peak levels.
In 2026, some metro areas are emerging as particularly hot markets due to strong job growth, demographic shifts and continued demand for housing.
To determine the most popular housing markets in America, Construction Coverage’s researchers analyzed data from Redfin. For more details, see the methodology at the end.
Here are the major cities with the hottest real estate markets in America.
20. Detroit, MI
- composite score: 49.8
- Average selling price (January 2026): $93,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +8.4%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 24.5%
- Average number of days on market: 50.1
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 95.2%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 23.5%
19. Bakersfield, CA
- composite score: 52.0
- Average selling price (January 2026): $400,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +1.6%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 29.7%
- Average number of days on market: 38.8
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 98.9%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 26.6%
18. Sacramento, CA
- composite score: 52.1
- Average selling price (January 2026): $465,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): -1.0%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 39.1%
- Average number of days on market: 25.7
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 99.5%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 32.0%
17. Cleveland, OH
- composite score: 57.5
- Average selling price (January 2026): $125,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +7.3%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 31.0%
- Average number of days on market: 35.3
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 97.0%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 25.0%
16. Long Beach, CA
- composite score: 59.5
- Average selling price (January 2026): $914,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +1.5%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 38.4%
- Average number of days on market: 49.4
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 99.5%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 21.4%
15. Fresno, CA
- composite score: 59.7
- Average selling price (January 2026): $400,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +2.9%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 35.2%
- Average number of days on market: 37.5
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 99.2%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 25.9%
14.Portland, OR
- composite score: 60.1
- Average selling price (January 2026): $455,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +2.9%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 35.7%
- Average number of days on market: 27.1
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 99.9%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 32.7%
13. Los Angeles, CA
- composite score: 60.3
- Average selling price (January 2026): $975,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +3.9%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 34.9%
- Average number of days on market: 57.7
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 99.3%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 19.0%
12. Wichita, KS
- composite score: 62.1
- Average selling price (January 2026): $208,500
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +6.2%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 25.4%
- Average number of days on market: 23.6
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 99.0%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 28.4%
11. Boston, MA
- composite score: 65.1
- Average selling price (January 2026): $825,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +3.8%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 29.8%
- Average number of days on market: 30.5
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 99.1%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 21.9%
10. Seattle, WA
- composite score: 65.3
- Average selling price (January 2026): $790,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +1.9%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 25.9%
- Average number of days on market: 18.1
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 100.3%
- Part of the listings with falling prices: 26.6%
9.Baltimore, MD
- composite score: 65.8
- Average selling price (January 2026): $216,500
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +7.6%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 32.0%
- Average number of days on market: 46.1
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 101.1%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 27.6%
8. Omaha, NE
- composite score: 68.4
- Average selling price (January 2026): $260,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +3.5%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 42.7%
- Average number of days on market: 19.6
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 99.7%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 29.7%
7. Chicago, IL
- composite score: 68.6
- Average selling price (January 2026): $355,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +5.8%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 38.9%
- Average number of days on market: 56.7
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 99.6%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 15.0%
6. Oakland, CA
- composite score: 69.6
- Average selling price (January 2026): $665,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): -4.9%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 59.4%
- Average number of days on market: 27.6
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 106.5%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 23.3%
5.Milwaukee, WI
- composite score: 71.3
- Average selling price (January 2026): $229,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +8.9%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 42.5%
- Average number of days on market: 43.5
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 99.4%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 22.5%
4. Virginia Beach, VA
- composite score: 72.2
- Average selling price (January 2026): $399,990
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +3.4%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 36.2%
- Average number of days on market: 26.8
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 99.8%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 21.7%
3. Minneapolis, MN
- composite score: 73.5
- Average selling price (January 2026): $315,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +4.9%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 41.1%
- Average number of days on market: 26.5
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 100.4%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 27.1%
2. San Jose, CA
- composite score: 77.3
- Average selling price (January 2026): $1,255,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +1.8%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 57.0%
- Average number of days on market: 17.6
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 103.0%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 27.0%
1. San Francisco, CA
- composite score: 83.0
- Average selling price (January 2026): $1,300,000
- 1 Year Change in Average Selling Price (2024-2025): +1.5%
- Share of homes sold above asking: 54.4%
- Average number of days on market: 25.5
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage: 106.6%
- Share of listings with falling prices: 16.2%
Methodology
The data used in this analysis is from Redfin data center. To determine the locations with the hottest real estate markets in 2026, Construction Coverage’s researchers created an overall score that gave equal weight to the following metrics:
- One-year change in average selling price (2024-2025)
- Share of homes sold above demand (2025)
- Average number of days on market (2025)
- Average sales-to-inventory percentage (2025)
- Share of listings with falling prices (2025)
In the event of a tie, the location with the greater one-year change in average sales price was ranked higher. The researchers also reported the average home sale price through January 2026. Cities were divided into groups based on population size, with large being defined as 350,000 or more.
Note, locations with insufficient data were excluded for quality purposes.