New England cities dominate top 10 Zillow searches of 2023

The "West Coast ruled in 2021." Last year, it was the Midwest.

Manchester, N.H., ranked third on the list. Adobe Stock

December 21, 2023 | 11:59 AM

Whether their just browsing or serious about finding a home, Zillow users were drawn to listings in the Northeast more than other regions of the country, and New England dominated the top 10.

“Affordability was the word on home shoppers’ minds this year, and it shows in the most popular cities that buyers on Zillow gravitated toward,” Skylar Olsen, chief economist for the rental marketplace, said in a Dec. 19 press release.

The top 10 most popular markets in 2023 were:

West Chester, Pa.
Nashua
Manchester, N.H.
Wethersfield, Conn.
West Hartford, Conn.
Stow, Ohio
Middletown, Conn.
Twinsburg, Ohio
Newington, Conn.
Concord, N.H.

Three New Hampshire markets landed on the list because of the state’s affordability and peaceful living environment, said Joanie McIntire, president-elect of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors.

“The closer you get to Boston, the prices just get higher and higher,” McIntire said. “If you sell down there then move up here, you will probably get a bigger property, maybe newer, maybe nicer. The other thing is that it’s quieter.”

New Hampshire residents have easy access to both the ocean and mountains.

“When we want to ski, we can get to a mountain in an hour. If we want to go to the ocean, it’s an hour away. The lakes are an hour away,” McIntire said.

The median home value in the Granite State is $447,215, according to Zillow. This represents a 7.7% year-over-year increase. Listings have accepted offers in nine days on average.

McIntire also noted a significant decrease in inventory that has only become worse with the area’s increasing popularity, especially with people from other states. With these nearby attractions and lower housing costs, many people from Massachusetts have decided to move north. However, this isn’t the only state of origin.

“We do see them from all over the country. We went through a phase where we saw a lot of people from California and New York,” McIntire said. “Especially those folks who can work remotely.”

Here are the median home values in those states, according to Zillow:

State	Median Home Value	% Change Year Over Year	Ave. Days on Market
Mass.	$588,621	6.7%	10
N.Y.	$729,936	-5.3%	71
Calif.	$746,055	2.3%	16

Source: Zillow.com

To build these rankings Zillow evaluated 2,300 cities based on housing metrics such as page-view traffic, home value growth and the number of days listings stayed on the market.

“Chula Vista, California, won out for most popular large city,” according to the release. “South Portland, Maine, was the most popular seaside town, while Vermilion, Ohio, took the top spot among vacation towns. North Carolina’s Pinehurst edged out Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, for the top retirement town. West Chester also ranked first among college towns, with Kent, Ohio, coming in just behind it.”