10 Housing Markets That Are Giving Buyers More Options

Homebuyers frustrated by a dearth of properties for sale finally are seeing the tide shift.

Recently, Realtor.com studied December 2023 home listings in the 150 biggest U.S. housing markets. It then compared the number of listings with what was available one year earlier.

Overall, listings were up 4.9% nationwide year-over-year. The number of new home sellers entering the market also rose by 9.1% in that period, a figure Realtor.com characterizes as “astonishing.”

Realtor.com identified the specific markets with the most home inventory growth as of December. To ensure some geographic diversity, the rankings included just one metro area per state.

Here are the housing markets that are giving buyers more options today.

1. Cape Coral, Florida

Year-over-year home inventory increase in December: 99.3%

Median price of home listings in December: $475,414

Number of active home listings in December: 8,449

Cape Coral has earned its nickname as the “Waterfront Wonderland.” There are more than 400 miles of navigable waterways in the city on Florida’s Gulf coast. The number of canals here tops any other location in the world, including Venice, Italy.

Cape Coral is also one of “The 25 Best Places To Retire in America in 2023.”

2. Eugene, Oregon

Year-over-year home inventory increase: 46.7%

Median price on home listings: $522,450

Number of active home listings: 644

Eugene is known as TrackTown USA, which reflects its commitment to both running and fitness overall. The city regularly hosts marathons, U.S. Olympic trials and other athletic events.

Running shoe and athletic apparel giant Nike got its start in Eugene before opening its headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, in 1990.

3. Fayetteville, North Carolina

Year-over-year home inventory increase: 42.2%

Median price on home listings: $309,706

Number of active home listings: 960

Originally settled by Scottish immigrants in 1739, Fayetteville was chartered as Campbellton in the 1760s and later renamed for a French major general who served during the Revolutionary War, Marquis de Lafayette.

Today, Fayetteville is perhaps best known for its proximity to Fort Liberty (formerly known as Fort Bragg), among the largest military bases in the world.

The rest of the top 10

Here are the rest of the top 10 markets giving home shoppers more options, with the percentage increase of each in annual home inventory over the past year:

• Gulfport, Mississippi: 35.7%
• Corpus Christi, Texas: 34.1%
• Lafayette, Louisiana: 32.1%
• Little Rock, Arkansas: 30.7%
• Mobile, Alabama: 30.3%
• Memphis, Tennessee: 28.5%
• Fort Wayne, Indiana: 27.0%