Best Bets for Housing in 2015

Best Bets for Housing in 2015

Best Bets for Housing in 2015.  Image courtesy of hywards / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Best Bets for Housing in 2015. Image courtesy of hywards / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Forbes recently spotlighted the top places to invest in the new year, whether for investors looking for rental properties or young professionals looking to make their first home purchase.

“The key is to buy in cities with strong job growth that people are moving to, so that the stock of potential tenants for would-be landlords is abundant,” the Forbes.com article notes. The cities in its top 20 list all have strong job markets and population growth, relatively low home prices, and many are still considered undervalued.

Using Local Market Monitor data of housing prices and economic data from more than 300 housing markets with populations of at least 550,000, Forbes.com crowned the following 10 housing markets as 2015’s Best Buy Cities:

1. Austin, Texas

  • Average home price: $261,923
  • Annual price growth: 12%
  • Population growth (2010-2013): 8.9%
  • Annual job growth: 3.6%

2. Provo, Utah

  • Average home price: $211,273
  • Annual price growth: 6%
  • Population growth (2010-2013): 6.2%
  • Annual job growth: 3%

3. Houston, Texas

  • Average home price: $214,049
  • Annual price growth: 12%
  • Population growth (2010-2013): 6.2%
  • Annual job growth: 4.1%

4. Orlando, Fla.

  • Average home price: $187,568
  • Annual price growth: 9%
  • Population growth (2010-2013): 6%
  • Annual job growth: 9%

5. Dallas, Texas

  • Average home price: $197,159
  • Annual price growth: 10%
  • Population growth (2010-2013): 5.9%
  • Annual job growth: 3.8%

6. San Antonio, Texas

  • Average home price: $189,080
  • Annual price growth: 8%
  • Population growth (2010-2013): 5.8%
  • Annual job growth: 2.5%

7. Denver, Colo.

  • Average home price: $278,130
  • Annual price growth: 10%
  • Population growth (2010-2013): 5.6%
  • Annual job growth: 2.6%

8. Boise, Idaho

  • Average home price: $183,649
  • Annual price growth: 9%
  • Population growth (2010-2013): 5.3%
  • Annual job growth: 2.2%

9. Oklahoma City, Okla.

  • Average home price: $166,044
  • Annual price growth: 4%
  • Population growth (2010-2013): 4.8%
  • Annual job growth: 3.3%

10. Fort Worth, Texas

  • Average home price: $180,312
  • Annual price growth: 7%
  • Population growth (2010-2013): 4.8%
  • Annual job growth: 2.6%

Source: “Best Buy Cities: Where to Invest in Housing in 2015,” Forbes.com (Jan. 9, 2015)