Northeast and Midwest Zip Codes Lead 2026 Housing Heat Map

A new zip-code level study released by Realtor.com identifies the top ten U.S. housing markets for 2026, all located in the Northeast or Midwest. Hannah Jones, senior economist at Realtor.com, explained that many of these zip codes sit on the outer edges of major metros such as Boston, New York and Philadelphia, offering commuters larger homes at lower relative cost. Inventory in these hotspots is roughly 60% below pre-pandemic levels, starkly tighter than the 11% shortfall seen nationwide.

The scarcity is pushing sales above list price in nine of the ten markets, yielding an average sale-to-list ratio of 103.8%, while the national market saw prices about 2.3% below list. Buyers in the top zip codes are also making larger down payments—about 17% versus 13% across the country—and tend to have higher credit scores, reflecting greater financial readiness amid mortgage rates in the mid-to-high 6% range.