The 60 strongest housing markets heading into 2025

National home prices are up +2.3% year-over-year, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. Historically, that reflects slightly softer growth compared to the average year-over-year increase of +4.7% since 2000. 

That said, several regional housing markets still boast home price growth exceeding the historical average. Heading into 2025, these are the nation’s strongest housing markets, where sellers hold the most power.

Among the 250 largest metro-area housing markets, 60 are still experiencing local home prices rising year-over-year by +4.7% or more.

While home prices have softened in Gulf markets like Texas, Florida, and Louisiana where inventory has spiked back above pre-pandemic levels, most of the housing markets in the  Northeast and Midwest still have inventory levels far below pre-pandemic levels, and still have elevated home price growth.

That includes major metros like New York-Newark, NY-NJ (+7.0%); Providence, RI (+6.7%); Hartford, CT (+6.7%); Cleveland, OH (+5.9%); Buffalo, NY (+5.2%); and Chicago, IL (+5.0%).

Many pandemic boomtowns in the Sunbelt are experiencing greater affordability strain, facing significant home insurance shocks and higher levels of new home inventory. In some Sun Belt areas, this new home inventory requires discounts to sell in the current environment of reduced pandemic-era migration and strained affordability, thus increasing the cooling effect on the resale market.

In contrast, many Northeast and Midwest markets were less reliant on pandemic migration and have less new home construction in progress. With lower exposure to a migration slowdown demand shock and new-home supply, active inventory in these Midwest and Northeast regions has remained relatively tight, keeping the advantage in the hands of home sellers.

Click here to view an interactive version of the map below

Will these 60 tight housing markets remain seller’s markets in 2025?

Unless those 60 markets quickly cool off and see active inventory spike, home sellers in those pockets would likely retain their power grip on their local housing markets in spring 2025.

Tomorrow, we’ll send ResiClub readers the inverse of this article, looking at where home prices are falling.

ResiClub PRO members (paid tier) can access our latest local home price analysis here—which we do monthly for +800 metros and +3,000 counties.