Realtor.com’s best markets for first-time homebuyers in 2026
For many Americans, buying your first home feels like a rite of passage. Although rising home prices and high mortgage rates are making it more difficult to put down roots, there are still favorable markets for first-time buyers near major metropolitan areas like Washington, D.C. and Cleveland, Ohio.
A report recently published by realtor.com It lists the best markets for first-time home buyers. The report analyzed more than 10,000 locations in the 100 largest U.S. metro areas to identify the top markets and gave each a score out of 10 based on the following components:
- Affordable Price (25%)
- Local amenities (25%)
- Housing availability (10%)
- Young peers (10%)
- Commuting quality (10%)
- Economic health (10%)
- Housing view (10%)
Realtor.com then identified the 10 highest-ranking markets with at least 500 active for-sale listings from December 2024 through November 2025.
Many markets included in last year’s rankings are performing well this year and remain good options for first-time buyers, including Granite City, Illinois, and Birmingham, Alabama, Realtor.com senior economist Joel Berner told CNBC Make It.
“Affordability remains good, amenities in cities remain good, and the fact that these prices are still achievable for young property owners or would-be owners is really impressive,” says Berner.
However, this year’s rankings found that not all Florida markets were among the top 10 places for first-time homebuyers. Berner says Realtor.com’s overall 2026 forecast for price and sales growth is weak in Florida markets.
“We expect a pretty slow year in Florida in 2026,” Berner says. “Even though there are good options out there, we’re not recommending them this year because we predict these homes will actually drop in value.”
The report notes that the decline in Florida home values is due to softer prices and home sales forecasts.
“The main reason for the price softness in Florida over the last few years is that the supply of homes for sale has increased and at the same time the demand for those homes has weakened a little bit,” Berner said. 2025 report.
Rochester, NY is the #1 market for first-time homebuyers
Rochester, New York.
Copyright Matt Kazmierski | An | Getty Images
Rochester, New York, was the top market for first-time homebuyers with a score of 9.3. The average list price of a home in New York is $139,900, which is below the national average of $399,950. realtor.com.
Realtor.com predicts that by 2026, 21.3% of homeowners in Rochester will be in the 25-34 age group.
“Rochester has a pretty large share of listings in the market, so there are a lot of options for buyers,” Berner says. “This is a beautiful town that is also a good place to raise a family.”
The best markets for first-time home buyers
- Rochester, N.Y.
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
- Granite City, Illinois.
- Birmingham, Ala.
- North Little Rock, Ark.
- Syracuse, N.Y.
- Baltimore, MD.
- St. Louis Park, Minn.
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Garfield Heights, Ohio
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, ranked second among the best markets for first-time homebuyers in 2026, with a score of 9.3. The average list price of a home in Harrisburg is $151,999.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Richard T. Nowitz | Image Bank | Getty Images
Similar to Rochester, Harrisburg is experiencing significant growth and providing buyers with options, Berner says.
“They have more inventory than most places in that part of the country,” he adds.
Stating that there are many medium-sized markets in the top 10, Berner points out that these markets have become more popular than big cities, but they are not completely rural areas.
“There’s a lot of opportunity for young homebuyers to be a part of this trend and move some of these cities forward with young families,” he says.
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