The most popular housing market in America is in a downtrodden Northeast metropolis that folks have been fleeing for the final 75 years, in accordance with a surprising new report.
Hartford, Connecticut, has seen a outstanding restoration — with Nutmeggers competing furiously for the surprisingly reasonably priced properties that go up on the market, in accordance with Zillow’s 2026 scorching housing market report.
Typical residence values in “The Insurance coverage Metropolis” had been $382,000 in October 2025.
Two-thirds of properties in Hartford offered above their asking worth, and there have been 63% fewer properties on the market than there have been pre-pandemic, pushing up demand, in accordance with Zillow.
Solely 16.5% of Hartford listings noticed worth cuts in 2025, whereas residence values grew by 4.3% in the identical time and are forecast to develop 3.9% in 2026.
It’s certainly one of a number of stunning cities with sturdy housing markets, the place demand is way outstripping provide.
The second-hottest metropolis is Buffalo, New York — the place properties averaged $277,000 and 65% of gross sales closed over asking.
The New York Metropolis space clocked in at no. 3 — with practically half of properties going for over asking, and residential values rising 2.9% final 12 months. The common sale worth was $704,000.
Solely 13.5% of listings noticed worth cuts in 2025 whereas New York metro residence values are forecast to rise by 1.5% this 12 months.
Whereas Texas, Florida and the Carolinas have seen seen the quickest inhabitants progress, they’ve additionally been constructing homes. A lot of the Northeast remains to be scuffling with a determined scarcity of appropriate properties, in accordance with Zillow.
Every of the cities on Zillow’s checklist have far fewer properties in the marketplace now than earlier than the Covid pandemic,
Hartford has 63% fewer properties on the market, whereas New York’s out there housing was about half what it was 5 years in the past.
Hartford could also be notably stunning as a result of it’s famously a hard-luck case. One-hundred and fifty years in the past, it was labeled the richest metropolis in America — with larger per capita wealth than New York or Boston because of the vastly profitable insurance coverage business primarily based there.
However the latter half of the twentieth century was not variety to the Connecticut capital.
The inhabitants peaked in 1950; its present inhabitants of 122,000 is 50,000 residents lower than it was 75 years in the past.
Main insurers like Vacationers, Aetna and Cigna shifted their company headquarters out of the town — with some shifting 100 miles south to New York.
Of the remaining cities that make up the highest 10 hottest housing markets within the US, three are within the Northeast, two are in California, one is within the South and one within the Midwest.
Listed here are the ten best housing markets within the US:
1. Hartford, CT
- Typical residence worth: $381,760
- 66% of Hartford properties offered above their asking worth in 2025
- There are 63% fewer properties on the market than there have been pre-pandemic
- Solely 16.5% of Hartford listings had worth cuts
- Hartford residence values grew 4.3% in 2025
- House values are forecast to rise by 3.9% in 2026
2. Buffalo, NY
- Typical residence worth: $277,499
- 65% of Buffalo properties offered above their asking worth in 2025
- There are 39.1% fewer properties on the market than there have been pre-pandemic
- Solely 17% of listings had worth cuts
- Buffalo residence values grew 3.7% in 2025
- House values are forecast to rise by 2.5% in 2026
3. New York, NY
- Typical residence worth: $704,284
- 49% of New York metro properties offered above their asking worth in 2025
- There are 48% fewer properties on the market than there have been pre-pandemic
- Solely 13.5% of listings had worth cuts
- New York metro residence values grew 2.9% in 2025
- House values are forecast to rise by 1.5% in 2026
4. Windfall, RI
- Typical residence worth: $503,409
- 50% of Windfall properties offered above their asking worth in 2025
- There are 55% fewer properties on the market than there have been pre-pandemic
- 20% of listings had worth cuts
- Windfall residence values grew 2.5% in 2025
- House values are forecast to rise by 3% in 2026
5. San Jose, CA
- Typical residence worth: $1.56 million
- 62% of San Jose properties offered above their asking worth in 2025
- There are 27% fewer properties on the market than there have been pre-pandemic
- Solely 17% of listings had worth cuts
- San Jose residence values declined 2.1% in 2025
- House values are forecast to rise by 1.2% in 2026
6. Philadelphia, PA
- Typical residence worth: $378,054
- 41% of Philadelphia properties offered above their asking worth in 2025
- There are 39% fewer properties on the market than there have been pre-pandemic
- Solely 22% of listings had worth cuts
- Philadelphia residence values grew 3% in 2025
- House values are forecast to rise by 1.7% in 2026
7. Boston, MA
- Typical residence worth: $717,711
- 51% of Boston properties offered above their asking worth in 2025
- There are 30% fewer properties on the market than there have been pre-pandemic
- 19% of listings had worth cuts
- Boston residence values grew 1.2% in 2025
- House values are forecast to rise by 1.5% in 2026
8. Los Angeles, CA
- Typical residence worth: $941,869
- 42% of Los Angeles properties offered above their asking worth in 2025
- There are 18.5% fewer properties on the market than there have been pre-pandemic
- 21% of listings had worth cuts
- Los Angeles residence values declined 1.2% in 2025
- House values are forecast to rise by 1.1% in 2026
9. Richmond, VA
- Typical residence worth: $383,275
- 40.5% of New York metro properties offered above their asking worth in 2025
- There are 34% fewer properties on the market than there have been pre-pandemic
- 24% of listings had worth cuts
- House values grew 1.3% in 2025
- House values are forecast to rise by 2.1% in 2026
10. Milwaukee, WI
- Typical residence worth: $369,303
- 50% of Milwaukee properties offered above their asking worth in 2025
- There are 26% fewer properties on the market than there have been pre-pandemic
- Solely 17% of listings had worth cuts
- Milwaukee residence values grew 3.7% in 2025
- House values are forecast to rise by 2.1% in 2026
