Lakeland ranks No. 7 best city for first-time home buyers

Lakeland’s housing market has come out on top once again, ranking No. 7 on WalletHub’s list of top US cities for first-time home buyers. When it came to small cities of fewer than 150,000 residents, it ranked even higher, coming in as the No. 3 best city.

Cities in this study received up to 100 points based on metrics across three key factors:

• Affordability — Ratio of median house prices to median annual income, cost of living, and cost per square foot
• Real estate market — Rent-to-price ratio, median days on market, and median home price appreciation
• Quality of life — Weather, school system ratings, and crime rate

Lakeland earned a score of 63.21, just over five points behind the top-ranked city, Palm Bay, FL, which received 68.91 points. When it came to rankings for the key factors, Lakeland’s highest ranking was for quality of life, where it took the No. 9 spot.

Photo via 3D Team, RE/MAX Experts

If you’re looking to put down roots and buy your first home in Swan City — or know someone who’s house hunting — check out these listings. Each one is priced below the city’s median listing price of $350,000 + located in some of Lakeland’s safest neighborhoods or near its top-rated schools .


3107 Huntington Ln.

$299,000 | Huntington Hills neighborhood | Listed by David Fridovich, 3D Team, RE/MAX Experts


509 Villa Vista Blvd.
$274,900 | Southwest Harden neighborhood | Listed by Debbie Grogan + Ginger Quirk, Coldwell Banker Realty

523 Bartow Rd.
$335,000 | Historic Biltmore neighborhood | Listed by David Small, Keller Williams Realty Winter Haven