For many Americans, buying your first home feels like a rite of passage. And while rising home prices and high mortgage rates may make it more difficult to put down roots, there are still lucrative markets for first-time buyers near major metropolitan areas like Washington, D.C. and Cleveland, Ohio.
A recent report from Realtor.com ranks the best markets for first-time homebuyers. To determine the top markets, the report analyzed more than 10,000 locations within the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States and gave each location a score out of 10 based on the following factors:
Affordability (25%) Neighborhood Amenities (25%) Housing Availability (10%) Younger Colleagues (10%) Quality of Commute (10%) Financial Health (10%) Housing Prospects (10%)
Realtor.com then determined the top 10 markets with at least 500 active sales properties from December 2024 to November 2025.
Many of the markets in last year’s ranking are doing well this year, and remain good options for first-time buyers, including Granite City, Illinois and Birmingham, Alabama, Realtor.com senior economist Joel Berner told CNBC Make It.
“Affordability is still good, city amenities are good, and the fact that this price is still achievable for young owners and prospective owners is really impressive,” Barner says.
Meanwhile, in this year’s rankings, all Florida markets fell outside the top 10 best places for first-time homebuyers. Berner said Realtor.com’s overall forecast for 2026 is weak for the Florida market from a price and sales growth standpoint.
“We expect 2026 to be a pretty slow year in the state of Florida,” Varner said. “Even if there are good options, we don’t recommend them this year because we expect the value of those homes to actually decline.”
The report says the decline in Florida home values is due to softening prices and home sales forecasts.
“The primary driver of price softening in Florida over the past several years has been an increase in the supply of homes for sale, while at the same time demand for housing has weakened somewhat,” Varner said in his 2025 report.
Rochester, New York is the number one market for first-time home buyers
Rochester, New York.
Copyright Matt Kazmierski | Moments | Getty Images
Rochester, New York ranked as the top market for first-time homebuyers with a score of 9.3. According to Realtor.com, the median listing price for homes in New York City is $139,900, lower than the national median price of $399,950.
Realtor.com predicts that by 2026, 21.3% of Rochester homeowners will be between the ages of 25 and 34.
“Rochester has a significant share of the market, so buyers have a lot of options,” Barner said. “It’s a wonderful city that’s suitable for raising children.”
The perfect market for first-time home buyers
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ranked second among the top markets for first-time homebuyers in 2026 with a score of 9.3. The median list price of homes in Harrisburg is $151,999.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Richard T. Novitz | Image Bank | Getty Images
Like Rochester, Varner said Harrisburg is also experiencing significant growth, providing buyers with options.
“They have more inventory than most places in that part of the country,” he added.
The presence of so many mid-sized markets in the top 10 points to the fact that while these markets are becoming more popular than actual metropolitan areas, they are not necessarily completely rural.
“There is a lot of opportunity for young homebuyers to join that trend and further develop parts of these cities with their young families,” he says.
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