Overview
- NAR’s 2026 hot-spot list features Charleston, Charlotte, Columbus, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Raleigh, Richmond, Salt Lake City, and Spokane.
- NAR projects existing-home sales to rise about 14% in 2026, with home prices up roughly 4%, mortgage rates easing toward 6%, and job gains near 1.3 million.
- NAR says a move to 6% mortgage rates could add an estimated 5.5 million qualified buyers, including about 1.6 million renters newly able to purchase.
- Realtor.com ranks Hartford, Rochester, and Worcester as top markets for combined sales and price growth, noting median list prices below the national level but supply in some metros still 60% or more under prepandemic norms.
- NAR’s selections require metros to beat the U.S. average on at least five of ten indicators and meet a population threshold, underscoring that affordability, inventory, and migration will drive uneven local outcomes.