Press release
Realtor.com® Names the Best Markets for First-Time Homebuyers in 2026
Affordable prices, strong local amenities, and steady economic backdrops put Rochester, Harrisburg and Granite City at the top of this year's listAUSTIN,
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[{"type":"text","content":"Affordable prices, strong local amenities, and steady economic backdrops put Rochester, Harrisburg and Granite City at the top of this year's listAUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Realtor.com® today released The Best Markets for First-Time Homebuyers in 2026, identifying the top places where young Americans can put down roots with a mix of affordability, abundant for-sale inventory, local amenities and solid metro-level housing forecasts and economic outlooks. This year's ranking highlights a truth for many first-time buyers: the best opportunities are often found in markets that balance attainable home prices with everyday livability. In 2026 that balance is concentrated in the eastern half of the country.\nThe top 10 markets for first-time homebuyers in 2026, in rank order, are: 1) Rochester, N.Y. 2) Harrisburg, Pa. 3) Granite City, Ill. 4) Birmingham, Ala. 5) North Little Rock, Ark. 6) Syracuse, N.Y. 7) Baltimore, Md. 8) St. Louis Park, Minn. 9) Pittsburgh, Pa. 10) Garfield Heights, Ohio.\"Buying your first home is one of the biggest financial and lifestyle decisions you'll make, and where you buy can not only influence how soon you can take that step, it can shape the tradeoffs that homebuying requires,\" said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com®. \"The markets that rise to the top in 2026 pair comparatively attainable forecasted home prices with strong local amenities and a supportive economic backdrop. For first-time buyers, that combination can mean a more manageable path to homeownership. All without giving up the neighborhood features that make a place feel like home.\"First-time buyers can still find affordability, but it's the exception, not the normWhile renting has become more affordable in many markets and the path to homeownership remains challenging amid elevated home prices and mortgage rates, the places that rank highest in this year's analysis tend to offer a rare affordability advantage: in all 10 featured markets, the median-priced listed home is affordable to the median-earning 25- to 34-year-old under the 30% \"payment share of income\" rule, assuming a 6.25% mortgage rate, a 30-year fixed mortgage and a 10% down payment.Across the broader universe of more than ten thousand places evaluated, affordability is harder to come by. Only 35.2% of places in the analysis meet that 30% affordabi...