People are flocking to these 4 desirable cities as homeowners sale prices skyrocket

While some segments of the US housing market are still struggling to recover from a sluggish year of buying and selling marked by high mortgage rates and lagging inventory, four markets in the South and the West are going full steam ahead. Atlanta, Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, and Dallas are all experiencing surging home sale prices and demand, according to a new data analysis from John Burns Research & Consulting.The common thread that runs through these four distinct Sun Belt real estate markets is that they all saw home sale prices skyrocket during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have been going strong ever since, according to Realtor.com senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones.“Home shoppers looking for more bang for their buck, without sacrificing access to amenities and job opportunities, homed in on these markets,” says Jones.“An influx of demand led to dwindling home supply and climbing prices as buyers faced stiff competition.”In 2022, this foursome of markets saw home inventory levels plunge between 48% and 76% compared with pre-pandemic levels amid escalating demand for housing.“These incredibly tight inventory conditions paved the way for sharp price growth,” explains Jones.he latest available figures from Realtor.com show that the median home sale price in Atlanta in November 2024 reached $415,000, up 7% year over year and up 35.7% compared with 2019.It is noteworthy that the median US home sale price stood at $360,000 in November.“Home prices jumped significantly in Atlanta in 2018, and continued to climb through the pandemic and post-pandemic periods,” Jones says.There are plenty of reasons why people are flocking to “The Big Peach,” as Atlanta is affectionately known.

The city of a half-million people is a bustling economic hub offering plentiful job opportunities in a variety of industries, from technology to health care to film production, earning it the nickname “the Hollywood of the South.”On top o...