March 2020 Hottest Housing Markets
Colorado Springs maintains hottest housing market status as national market shifts in response to COVID-19 pressure.
- Colorado Springs reclaims the number 1 rank of hottest housing market for the second consecutive month.
- California metros continue to dominate with ten markets appearing in the top 20 this month.
- The Columbus, OH metro area has seen the largest increase in its hotness ranking among larger metros over the past year.
With the spring home buying season ready to jump into full swing, the entire housing market seemed to pivot in response to COVID-19 in March. While in-person behaviors may have affected buyers’ willingness to visit homes in person, the hottest housing markets were still garnering listing views and closing sales throughout March. Going forward, however, it’s worthwhile to keep an eye on which markets are retaining the attention of homeowner hopefuls as the uncertainty subsidies and the housing market regains its pace.
In March, Colorado Springs, CO retained the title of hottest housing market in the country for the second consecutive month. Originally garnering attention as a spillover market from Denver, this metro has frequently appeared on our list of hottest housing markets, and this represents the third time on record that it has reached number one. Half of all homes in Colorado Springs were selling in under 28 days — nine days faster than last year, and 32 days faster than the rest of the country. Properties in the metro garnered 2.4 times as many views than the average property around the United States. Colorado Springs was the only metro from Colorado on the list of hottest markets.
As a group, Realtor.com’s 20 Hottest Housing Markets received 1.8 to 3.0 times the number of views per home for sale compared to the national rate. These markets are seeing homes for sale move 28 to 47 days more quickly than the typical property in the United States overall.
Ten states were represented in the top 20 list, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Washington, and Wisconsin. California dominated the hotness list, with seven markets represented, followed by New Hampshire, with three markets represented.
March’s Top 20 Hottest Housing Markets
| Metro | Rank (March 2020) | Rank (March 2019) | Views Per Property YoY | Days on Market | Days on Market YoY | Median Listing Price | Median Listing Price YoY |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 1 | 3 | 18% | 28 | -13 | 465,273 | 13% |
| Modesto, CA | 2 | 8 | 26% | 33 | -9 | 392,450 | 10% |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | 3 | 7 | 0% | 38 | -13 | 387,450 | 6% |
| Rochester, NY | 4 | 6 | 3% | 37 | -10 | 235,645 | 9% |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 5 | 11 | 1% | 37 | -14 | 286,450 | 27% |
| Fort Wayne, IN | 6 | 38 | -13% | 39 | -25 | 246,500 | 14% |
| Columbus, OH | 7 | 61 | -3% | 40 | -28 | 307,244 | 9% |
| Topeka, KS | 8 | 40 | 29% | 38 | -19 | 152,450 | 15% |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | 9 | 10 | 16% | 33 | -3 | 480,050 | 2% |
| Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA | 10 | 5 | -2% | 35 | -9 | 507,159 | 7% |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 11 | 4 | -11% | 32 | -11 | 630,050 | 10% |
| Fresno, CA | 12 | 20 | 25% | 40 | -4 | 334,025 | 9% |
| Yuba City, CA | 13 | 18 | -12% | 42 | -14 | 369,950 | 13% |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 14 | 21 | -3% | 40 | -16 | 377,050 | 10% |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 15 | 9 | 10% | 38 | -3 | 437,800 | 8% |
| Dayton, OH | 16 | 22 | 14% | 43 | -10 | 184,995 | 23% |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | 17 | 25 | 15% | 44 | -9 | 327,500 | 2% |
| Concord, NH | 18 | 75 | 22% | 47 | -22 | 330,000 | 2% |
| Bakersfield, CA | 19 | 27 | 15% | 42 | -6 | 275,000 | 9% |
| Worcester, MA-CT | 20 | 55 | -3% | 42 | -22 | 358,550 | 8% |
Columbus leads most improved large markets
Larger urban markets continue to cool down in the rankings, with the largest 40 markets across the country dropping by 9 spots, on average, since last year. Western markets collectively improved 3 spots on average over the past year, compared to a decline of 8 spots for midwestern markets, a decline of 23 spots for southern markets, and a decline of 5 spots for northeastern markets Western markets collectively improved 3 spots on average over the past year, an improvement compared to last month’s drop of 1 spot on average. Midwestern markets saw an average decline of 8 spots, although an improvement compared to the drop of 12 spots last month.