Based on affordability, appeal to remote workers, and economic vitality, among other factors, several smaller cities in the West and South have emerged as home-buying boom towns, according to a just-released index compiled in part by the Wall Street Journal.
The Emerging Housing Markets Index places Billings, Montana, with a population of 182,000 at the top of its top fifty list for home sales activity.
Of the remaining 49 slots on the list, 27 were located in either the West or South, including Colorado Springs, Colorado, with a population of just under 750,000 people.
Yuma, Arizona, with a population of just under 100,000 came in at 23rd; followed by Prescott, Arizona, with a population of just under 40,000 at 43rd.
Boulder, Colorado, with just over 105,000 people, was listed at number 46.
The index, done in conjunction with the site realtor.com, underlines decisions being made by homebuyers that are particular to 2021.
“As the U.S. continues to move past the disruption of the pandemic,” an analysis of the study released by realtor.com contends, “households and businesses alike are searching for a new normal.”
This means that while many people today have returned their previous Covid-19 worksites, “some continue to have more flexibility around where they will work, making moves from one part of the country to another a possibility for more and more home searchers.”
By Garry Boulard
