Robyn Seymour - 10 Most Affordable & Livable Metro Areas in the US

According to the survey of House Hunt, the 10 most cheap and habitable affordable real estate metro areas in the US have more number of constructive characteristics in common. New House Hunt “Current Real Estate Market Conditions” is a survey conducted by House Hunt, Inc., a consumer-oriented Internet firm that provides free information to thousands of homeowners, home buyers and home sellers across the nation. The survey shows median home prices range from $130,100 to $194,400 for existing homes for sale and also found:

The majority of the 10 metro areas report balanced, good-to-active housing markets with sellers usually getting 95% or more of their asking prices. Inventories of unsold homes are mostly limited; the majority of the 10 metro areas are experiencing strong job and population growth and good economic news. They offer quality lifestyles, good schools and solid family recreation along with other amenities. Sales data shows that many recent home buyers are relocating from other, often more costly areas, All 10 metro markets are attracting both first-time and move-up buyers because of affordable prices, low mortgage interest rates and multiple financing options, Median real estate prices for existing single-family homes in the 10 metro areas range between $130,100 and $194,400, compared to the national median real estate price of $188,800. Four of the 10 areas reported double-digit price appreciation in the past 12 months, All 10 metro areas have major universities located there.

Five of the 10 metro areas are popular tourism destinations. Nine of the 10 metro areas are located in warm to moderate climates. As per the criteria developed by “Places Rated Almanac” (David Savageau) and the latest quarterly median sales prices collected by the National Association of Realtors are:

Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT $157,000; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $172,800; Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC $175,600; Houston, TX $138,100; Phoenix, AZ $193,800; Cincinnati OH, $139,600; Louisville, KY $130,100; Austin-San Marcos, TX $154,100; Orlando, FL $194,400 and Nashville, TN $152,100