Business
Indianapolis leads Zillow's list of the best markets to buy a home in 2026
Home shoppers looking for an advantage will find it in Zillow's newly released list of the most buyer-friendly housing markets of 2026. Indianapolis, Atlanta and Charlotte top the list of metros where buyers will find room to negotiate for relatively budget-friendly homes that have a combination of cooling prices now with expected appreciation ahead.
About this update from Zillow Group, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Home buyers can expect a less stressful shopping experience in Indianapolis, Atlanta and Charlotte this year","length":108,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"list","items":[{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"Zillow has identified the most buyer-friendly housing markets of 2026 among the 50 largest U.S. metros. Indianapolis, Atlanta and Charlotte lead the 10 markets where buyers will see the friendliest conditions.","length":209,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"Top-ranked markets stand out for affordability, lower competition, and a combination of cooling home value growth now and forecasted appreciation ahead, signaling a more favorable entry point for buyers.","length":203,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"Zillow previously named Hartford the hottest market of 2026, where competition remains more intense, edging out Buffalo and the New York metro area.","length":148,"tagName":"p"}]}],"tagName":"ul","bulletedList":true,"length":560,"olType":false},{"type":"text","content":"SEATTLE, Jan. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Home shoppers looking for an advantage will find it in Zillow's newly released list of the most buyer-friendly housing markets of 2026. Indianapolis, Atlanta and Charlotte top the list of metros where buyers will find room to negotiate for relatively budget-friendly homes that have a combination of cooling prices now with expected appreciation ahead.","length":395,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"Zillow's most buyer-friendly markets of 2026 are Indianapolis, Atlanta, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Detroit, Miami, Tampa and Pittsburgh.","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"Zillow's most buyer-friendly markets of 2026 are Indianapolis, Atlanta, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Detroit, Miami, Tampa and Pittsburgh.","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":400,"height":225,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/5fcf41ba5fbd2721db55ff9e4d9e2310"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/dNDLsNyJp.HNuIgUJvcviw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTM5NztjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/5fcf41ba5fbd2721db55ff9e4d9e2310","width":400,"height":225}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2868515/ZILLOW_2026_Most_Buyer_Friendly_Markets_Map.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nof...