America’s 15 Fastest-Growing New-Home Markets

Where are the top markets for end-user demand?

1 MIN READ

Metrostudy does a 100% count within markets across the country of move-ins into newly-built homes. This is a powerful and reliable measure of end-user demand. The top two markets have outsized percentage changes because they are starting from a low base number. In terms of the large markets, Central Florida has seen a 24.3% increase in new home demand in the past year, and Charlotte, NC, has seen a 23.4%. Atlanta, which was savaged by the downturn, has seen a 22.9% increase. New home construction is picking up in all of these markets, as builders scramble to meet increased demand.

Here are the top 15 markets by change in move-ins:

Rank

Market

2Q13 Move-Ins

2Q14 Move-Ins

% Change

1

Reno

233

464

99.1%

2

Rio Grande Valley

336

466

38.7%

3

Central Florida

3,104

3,859

24.3%

4

Charlotte

1,643

2,027

23.4%

5

Atlanta

2,508

3,082

22.9%

6

Northern Virginia

865

1,037

19.9%

7

Jacksonville

1,119

1,303

16.4%

8

Sarasota/Bradenton

647

739

14.2%

9

St.George/Mesquite

296

336

13.5%

10

Austin

2,216

2,497

12.7%

11

Houston

6,072

6,797

11.9%

12

Nashville

1,101

1,217

10.5%

13

Dallas/Ft.Worth

4,775

5,249

9.9%

14

Central California

1,496

1,627

8.8%

15

South Florida

938

1,020

8.7%

About the Author

Brad Hunter

Brad Hunter is Metrostudy’s chief economist and director of strategic consulting. Hunter directs Metrostudy’s consulting work nationwide and spearheads Metrostudy’s current work with the national development community as well as investment firms. Metrostudy is the nation’s premier advisor on local and regional housing market conditions. The firm’s unmatched database provides the quantitative foundation for its consulting and advisory work, and backs up Hunter’s forecasts of the housing market, which have been consistently more accurate than those of most other economists. Hunter also supervises the bulk of the company’s multi-market studies, and has orchestrated hundreds of site-specific or area-specific housing market studies over the past twenty-five years of his career. He oversees the company’s work for investment funds who are investing a combined $1 billion in residential property nationwide. With 25 years’ experience in real estate analysis and local market economics, Hunter is a full member of the Urban Land Institute, has authored numerous articles and chapters in ULI-published books, including Market Profiles, chairs various committees, and is an active member of the national Community Development Council. He is regularly cited in local and national journals including recent interviews by the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and on CNBC and Bloomberg News. His analysis is also featured in the book Foreclosure Nation. Hunter graduated in 1985 from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics and has been a guest lecturer at Harvard University. Hunter is a speaker at conferences on real estate opportunities and investing, as well as at real estate think tanks, and is frequently called upon by key regulatory agencies of the U.S. government for his insights on the housing sector.

Upcoming Events

  • Happier Homebuyers, Higher Profits: Specifying Fireplaces for Today’s Homes

    Webinar

    Register for Free
  • Sales is a Sport: These Tactics Are the Winning Play

    Webinar

    Register for Free
  • Dispelling Myths and Maximizing Value: Unlock the Potential of Open Web Floor Trusses

    Webinar

    Register for Free
All Events