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Realtor.com® Forecasts the 10 Best Markets for First-Time Homebuyers in 2025
Homeowner Newbies Should Put Harrisburg, Penn., at the Top of their Search List SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- For first-time homebuyers,
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[{"type":"text","content":"Homeowner Newbies Should Put Harrisburg, Penn., at the Top of their Search List \nSANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- For first-time homebuyers, the Mid-Atlantic and Florida are the best places to kickstart their home ownership journey in 2025. That's according to the 2025 Realtor.com® Best Markets for First-Time Homebuyers report, which ranked Harrisburg, Penn., as No. 1 followed by Rochester, N.Y., Villas, Fla., Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., Altamonte Springs, Fla., Lansing, Mich., North Little Rock, Ark., Baltimore, Tonawanda, N.Y., and Wilmington, Del.\n\n\"Last year saw historically low activity for first-timers, with the group accounting for only 24% of successful homebuyers. While home prices remain high and mortgage rates are forecasted to stay above 6% throughout 2025, the year is expected to see more inventory hit the market – a silver lining for shoppers who will see more or less choice depending on where they are,\" said Danielle Hale, Chief Economist, Realtor.com®. \"The places highlighted offer opportunities for first timers in terms of the cost of housing, availability of homes for sale, and quality of the location. Even in these high-opportunity areas, tradeoffs likely need to be considered for buyers to get to the closing table. Choosing the best place will come down to what's most important to each buyer and their family, and our list of places, and their qualities, is a good guide.\"\nThe Best Markets for First-Time Homebuyers in 2025\nRank\nPlace Name\nRegion\n2025 Forecasted25-34 Year OldHomeowner Shareof Households\n12 Month EndingNovember 2024Inventory per 1000 Household\n12 Month EndingNovember 2024Median ListingPrice\n12 Month EndingNovember 2024Price to IncomeRatio\n2025 ForecastedAverage TravelTime to Work(Minutes)\n2024 First-TimeHomebuyerLocation Score(out of 10)\n1\nHarrisburg, Penn.\nNortheast\n20.6 %\n34.8\n$140,000\n2.6\n22\n9.2\n2\nRochester, N.Y.\nNortheast\n22.3 %\n21.2\n$129,900\n2.5\n21\n9.2\n3\nVillas, Fla.\nSouth\n14.1 %\n85.6\n$236,950\n3.4\n26\n8.0\n4\nLauderdale Lakes, Fla.\nSouth\n11.2 %\n72.4\n$154,850\n2.7\n32\n7.7\n5\nAltamonte Springs, Fla.\nSouth\n19.4 %\n46.8\n$229,400\n3.6\n28\n7.2\n6\nLansing, Mich.\nMidwest\n21.4 %\n42.3\n$135,000\n2.6\n21\n6.8\n7\nNorth Little Rock, Ark.\nSouth\n17.6 %\n38.5\n$160,000\n3.3\n22\n5.7\n8\nBaltimore, Md.\nSouth\n19.9 %\n51.6\n$210,000\n3....