Realtor.com names Columbus most popular housing market in the U.S.

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) – A report has named Columbus as the most popular housing market in the country.

Realtor.com ranked Columbus No. 1 in its list of the most popular housing markets in 2024. Looking at the 300 largest metropolitan cities in the country, the real estate listing website largely based its rankings on the number of views per listed property, adjusting for market size.

Columbus was followed by Knoxville, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; Detroit; Pittsburgh; Portland, Maine; Tampa, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Hartford, Connecticut; and Asheville, North Carolina.

The real estate website states Columbus is a “bustling college city” that earned high marks for its relatively low cost of living and low unemployment rate. However, the website noted that there is a lot of competition for affordable housing in Columbus. Midsize cities, such as Columbus, Knoxville, Louisville and Pittsburgh are highly popular among those looking for a home, the analysis says.

“It is interesting to find that none of these top markets are traditional big cities such as New York and Los Angeles. Instead, many are midsize markets with relatively high affordability.” said Realtor.com economist Jiayu Xu. “In addition, warmer weather is also a major draw as five out of 10 markets are located in the warm South.”

The report stated investments from companies like Google, Intel and Amazon have driven people to the city, as well as one of the largest universities in the country, Ohio State.

The study also looked at where shoppers for homes came from. The majority of people who view homes in Columbus come from the Midwest (67.9%), followed by the South (15.4%), the Northeast (13.7%) and the West (4.6%), according to Realtor.com. The most out-of-state shoppers interested in Columbus homes came from New York, Virginia and California.

Realtor.com stated the median home price in Columbus is $309,000 and the average number of views per property is 2.4. The average number of views drops to 1.7 per property in Knoxville, the second-most popular housing market.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.