Demand for homes has grown considerably throughout 2020 and shows no sign of stopping in 2021. Some cities in particular are seeing unprecedented levels of interest in real estate.
Aside from a few fluctuations, the housing market has remained resilient throughout the pandemic. In fact, homes across the country have been selling at healthy rates over the past year and into 2021. As for this year, experts predict that the housing market will maintain a stable growth rate, with housing shortages in some areas even resolving themselves.
There certainly hasn’t been stable growth across the board, however. Some cities have garnered significant interest from homebuyers recently, particularly in the Midwestern and Western regions of the United States. As a result, homes are practically flying off the market in these areas. It’s no understatement to say that real estate in these cities is a hot commodity, with the average home lasting less than two months on the market before being sold.
To further understand which cities are the most popular among homebuyers this year, the data science team at Insurify referred to national real estate data and identified the cities with the hottest home markets in 2021.

Methodology
The data scientists at Insurify, a site to compare homeowners insurance quotes, referred to housing market data from Realtor.com to determine the cities with the hottest home markets. Specifically, they evaluated cities based on Realtor.com’s Market Hotness Index, which scores each city based on days on market and Realtor.com views per property. Cities received a Market Hotness Score from 1 to 100. Cities whose homes had fewer days on the market and higher views per property, indicative of higher demand, received a higher Market Hotness Score. On the other hand, cities whose homes had more days on the market and fewer views per property, indicative of a lower demand received a lower Market Hotness Score.
Realtor.com compiles monthly data on these measures. In order to account for fluctuations month to month, the data scientists at Insurify took the average Market Hotness Score for each city over the past three months, then used these to identify the top 20 cities with the hottest home markets. Median home price data, median days on market, and year over year percent change for both were gathered from Realtor.com.
In this study, cities were defined based on the United States Census Bureau’s classification of an “urbanized area,” an urban area with a population over 50,000.
20 Cities with the Hottest Home Markets in 2021
20. Visalia-Porterville, California
Home market hotness score: 84.8
Median home listing price: $332,525 (2.2% below the national average)
Median days on market: 49 (35.5% below the national average)
19. Akron, Ohio
Home market hotness score: 85.2
Median home listing price: $159,750 (53.0% lower than the national average)
Median days on market: 48 (36.8% lower than the national average)
18. Spokane, Washington
Home market hotness score: 85.8
Median home listing price: $367,050 (7.9% higher than the national average)
Median days on market: 46 (39.5% lower than the national average)
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17. Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Home market hotness score: 86.0
Median home listing price: $725,050 (113.2% higher than the national average)
Median days on market: 53 (30.3% lower than the national average)
16. Columbus, Ohio
Home market hotness score: 88.4
Median home listing price: $306,250 (9.9% lower than the national average)
Median days on market: 47 (38.2% lower than the national average)
15. Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, California
Home market hotness score: 89.1
Median home listing price: $549,050 (61.5% higher than the national average)
Median days on market: 39 (48.7% lower than the national average)
14. Fresno, California
Home market hotness score: 89.8
Median home listing price: $337,050 (0.9% lower than the national average)
Median days on market: 37 (51.3% lower than the national average)
13. Springfield, Ohio
Home market hotness score: 89.9
Median home listing price: $139,950 (58.9% lower than the national average)
Median days on market: 49 (35.5% lower than the national average)
12. Janesville-Beloit, Wisconsin
Home market hotness score: 90.0
Median home listing price: $219,500 (35.5% lower than the national average)
Median days on market: 49 (35.5% lower than the national average)
11. Manchester-Nashua, New Hampshire
Home market hotness score: 90.3
Median home listing price: $397,950 (17.0% higher than the national average)
Median days on market: 49 (35.5% lower than the national average)
10. Pueblo, Colorado
Home market hotness score: 90.5
Median home listing price: $299,950 (11.8% lower than the national average)
Median days on market: 40 (47.4% lower than the national average)
9. Modesto, California
Home market hotness score: 91.0
Median home listing price: $439,999.5 (29.4% higher than the national average)
Median days on market: 40 (47.4% lower than the national average)
8. Rapid City, South Dakota
Home market hotness score: 91.6
Median home listing price: $314,500 (7.5% lower than the national average)
Median days on market: 37 (51.3% lower than the national average)
7. Lafayette-West Lafayette, Indiana
Home market hotness score: 91.9
Median home listing price: $269,050 (20.9% lower than the national average)
Median days on market: 46 (39.5% lower than the national average)
6. Topeka, Kansas
Home market hotness score: 92.6
Median home listing price: $147,550 (56.6% lower than the national average)
Median days on market: 36 (52.6% lower than the national average)
5. Stockton-Lodi, California
Home market hotness score: 94.0
Median home listing price: $467,525 (37.5% higher than the national average)
Median days on market: 41 (46.1% lower than the national average)
4. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Home market hotness score: 95.1
Median home listing price: $470,322 (38.3% higher than the national average)
Median days on market: 39 (48.7% lower than the national average)
3. Fort Wayne, Indiana
Home market hotness score: 95.3
Median home listing price: $219,420 (35.5% lower than the national average)
Median days on market: 39 (48.7% lower than the national average)
2. Burlington, North Carolina
Home market hotness score: 96.3
Median home listing price: $286,800 (15.7% lower than the national average)
Median days on market: 40 (47.4% lower than the national average)
1. Vallejo-Fairfield, California
Home market hotness score: 96.9
Median home listing price: $496,750 (46.1% higher than the national average)
Median days on market: 32 (57.9% lower than the national average)
Data Attribution
The information, statistics, and data visualizations on this page are free to use, we just ask that you attribute any full or partial use to Insurify with a link to this page. Thank you!
If you have any questions or comments about this article or would like to request the data, please contact insights@insurify.com.