Columbus, Ohio, had the nation's second-hottest real estate market during June, topped only by Midland, Texas, according to Realtor.com's monthly "hotness index."
Columbus has routinely landed in the Top 10 in the index, but this is the city's highest ranking. The index is based on the number of times online listings are viewed and on how quickly homes sell in each market.
Columbus' high ranking reflects the decline of California cities on the list in favor of more geographic diversity. Only five of the Top 20 cities in the lineup are in California, and none landed in the Top 5 for the first time in the six years Realtor.com has published the list.
Every region of the nation except the South is represented on the list of 20, including the Midwest with five cities.
Following Midland and Columbus in the Top 10 are Boston; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Boise, Idaho; San Francisco; Vallejo, Calif.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Detroit.
The next 10 are Racine, Wis.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Sacramento, Calif.; Rochester, N.Y.; Kennewick, Wash.; Stockton, Calif.; Dallas; Worcester, Mass.; Spokane, Wash.; and Santa Cruz, Calif.
The median list price in eight of the 20 cities is below the U.S. median of $299,000, reflecting a move toward more affordable markets.
"As the record pace of sales continues to challenge would-be homebuyers, the hottest-market rankings show that buyers are looking for markets that offer relative affordability," said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com.
"In the three cities that were on Amazon's list of possible HQ2 contenders — Columbus, Boston and Dallas — affordability isn't taking as big a hit as in other hot markets despite properties selling faster than just about everywhere else. This would change if Amazon were to come to town."
