You want a great housing market? Try Seattle, suggests a national ranking released Monday.
Nashville’s pretty hot, too.
But among the nation's large cities, Atlanta also doesn't do that badly – and Roswell scores even better, according to a calculation by WalletHub, a Washington, D.C.-based consumer credit and research company.
Roswell is the 31st best real estate market overall and the 15th best among cities of fewer than 150,000 people, says Wallet Hub.
Among cities with more than 300,000 people, Atlanta ranks 17th. Among cities of any size, Atlanta slips to 79th.
Among metrics used to calculate the rankings are housing data like home price appreciation and average days before sale, as well as negative measures like the share of homes still ‘underwater’ and the number of mortgages that are delinquent.
The company also used economic data like home affordability, unemployment rates and consumer credit scores.
Metro Atlanta has seen higher prices and limited supply of homes for sale, but construction has been picking up, according to Metrostudy.
The region had 6,439 construction starts in the second quarter of this year, up 9 percent from a year earlier, said Eugene James, senior regional director for the provider of housing market information.
The overall economy is pulling along the housing market, he said.
“If job growth continues, look for housing starts to rise 8 percent to 10 percent annually for the next few years.”
Gwinnett has been the top county for construction, he said.
Top 15 housing markets: Cities larger than 300,000/smaller than 150,000
1. Seattle/Frisco, Texas
2. Nashville/Allen, Texas
3. Denver/Richardson, Texas
4. Aurora, Colo./Bellevue, Wash.
5. Colorado Springs, Colo./Carrollton, Texas
6. Lexington, Ky./Thornton, Colo.
7. Portland, Ore./Arvada, Colo.
8. Omaha, Neb./Murfreesboro, Tenn.
9. Raleigh, N.C./Centennial, Colo.
10. Charlotte/Longmont, Colo.
11. Dallas/Roseville, Calif.
12. Minneapolis/Greeley, Colo.
13. Wichita, Kan./Westminster, Colo.
14. Arlington, Texas/Hillsboro, Ore.
15. Austin, Texas/Roswell, Ga.
Source: WalletHub
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