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Whether or not you’re ready to make the leap right this moment, most homeowners-to-be will probably be looking for a city or town to settle down which offers some combination of the following:
- An area where you can get the most bang for your buck
- The opportunity to resell in the future without having to spend a lot of money on renovations
- A neighborhood where home values are expected to appreciate due to good schools, jobs, and low crime
After a slew of research and a few whirls of the data machine, we here at Movoto Real Estate have found the very best places for a first-time home buyer. We ranked these cities based on where the optimal home buying climate exists in today’s market.
Who’s the winner? After looking at all of the most important factors, which we outline below, we found that the very best city in America for first-time home buyers is Virginia Beach, VA.
The top 10 cities for first-time homebuyers played out as follows:
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Lexington, KY
- Chesapeake, VA
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Lincoln, NE
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Henderson, NV
- Lubbock, TX
- Raleigh, NC
- Charlotte, NC
We’ll tell you all about why these cities made our top 10, but first, let us explain our methodology. We know you’re all itching to know what makes a good city for first-time home buyers in the first place, right?
How We Did It
We started out by gathering a list of the 100 most populous cities in America for the basis of our ranking, using the 2010 U.S. Census. Then, we decided on several bits of criteria that we deemed most important for first-time home buyers, and we stacked them up against each individual city.
These included factors revolving around both quality of life for the buyer and supply and demand levels:
Total Homes For Sale Per Capita
While it’s true that the more homes there are for sale per person, the bigger the pot the choose from, it’s also important to note that a market with less people per property available will generally be less competitive. You’d rather have 10 people be looking at your dream home than 100, right?
Median Days On Market
If homes in the area you’re looking tend to stay on the market for a long time, you’ll have a better chance of getting the one you want. It’s also important to note that sellers are typically more willing to negotiate the price if their home has been listed for a while.
Median Income To Median Home Price Ratio (Affordability)
The closer median household income in an area is to the median home price, the more affordable it becomes.
Crime Rate
Most homebuyers-to-be consider the safety of an area to be one of the most important factors that come with buying. Areas with a low crime rates help keep property values up, since safety is on everyone’s radar. We gathered data from the FBI to use in our research to determine which cities have the least crime.
School Grade
Areas with higher quality schools will also keep property values up. Since many first-time home buyers are looking to start a family, good schools become a personal plus. We gave each top 100 city a school grade ranging from one through 10 using average rankings from greatschools.org.
Low Unemployment Rate
Although it’s true that fewer people capable of purchasing homes means less competition for buyers, we think a lower unemployment rate is actually better in the long run. Not only do areas with low unemployment rates positively affect resale value, but it’s best for first-time home buyers to move to a city where there are jobs for them. We used an average of the unemployment rates from 2009-2013 from the American Community Survey for each city.
The Winners In Detail
After researching each city, we ranked them in each individual criterion on a scale of 1 to 100, with lower being better for home buyers. We then averaged their scores across all the criteria together to end up with a final score. The lower it was, the better.
Now that you know how we made our ranking, let’s take a more in-depth look at the top 10 cities and why they’re such good ones for potential home buyers.
1. Virginia Beach, VA
Virginia is for lovers—home lovers, that is. Taking the cake for the number one ideal city for first-time home buyers, Virginia Beach is the place to be.
Coming in fourth overall in our top 100 ranking for employment, the city ranked first for this category among just the top 10. When it comes to schools, it placed in the middle of the pack with a school grade of six out of ten.
Virginia Beach shines when it comes to crime (or lack of, that is), with only 0.02730 crimes per year per resident putting it at second place on our top 10.
2. Lexington, KY
Kentucky’s second-largest city is also second in our ranking, in part by its school quality (it scored a seven out of 10) and number of available homes per person (there’s one for every 130 residents).
Ranking sixth overall in terms of median days on market (130), prospective home buyers should have less competition with others and have more luck when it comes to negotiating sale price. Lexington was also middle-of-the-road for crime, with 0.04528 per year per resident.
3. Chesapeake, VA
Even more proof that Virginia is for home lovers, the state makes its second appearance on this list with the city of Chesapeake, and there are some good reasons this Virginian metro placed where it did.
First of all, it’s got good schools (it scored a seven out of 10 on greatschool.org). Secondly, its available inventory per capita isn’t too shabby either; it placed second in the top 10 (and 15th overall) in that respect with one available home for every 98 people.
4. Scottsdale, AZ
With an unemployment rate of only 6.5 percent, Scottsdale is fifth in our overall findings in that regard, meaning that prospective buyers will have their pickings when it comes to jobs.
The “West’s Most Western Town” isn’t so wild after all, boasting third place in the top 10 and 12th overall when it comes to crimes. And finally, taking first place in the top 10 and fourth overall for listings per capita, Scottsdale has less competition among buyers with only 51 people per each listing.
5. Lincoln, NE
Although Lincoln didn’t do so swell when it came to competition (with a swarm of 232 people for every listing), The Star City is a haven for negotiation—taking first place overall for time on market with a whopping 350 days.
Trailing closely behind Scottsdale when it comes to low unemployment, Lincoln came in at sixth overall in this category.
6. Pittsburgh, PA
When it comes to affordability, Pittsburgh made its way right to the top.
The city placed first in our top ten when it comes to the median household income to median home price ratio. The former is $53,962 per year, while the latter is $130,000. Pittsburgh also fared well for school rank (it scored a six out of 10) and median days on market, where it was in the top 20 percent at 91 days.
7. Henderson, NV
Located less than 20 miles from the hustle and bustle of Sin City, Henderson came in third best in terms of inventory, with one available home for every 105 residents.
The city also placed highly in terms of safety, with 22 crimes per year per 1,000 residents—the lowest in our top 10 and third overall. As for schools, it came in second place, earning an eight out of 10 rating from greatschools.org. Unemployment and days on market were both in the top 50 percent.
8. Lubbock, TX
Another great place for homebuyers to take their time picking and choosing, Lubbock ranked second overall for days on market with the median home being listed for 275 days.
Coming in at ninth overall for low unemployment (7 percent), Lubbock has its fill of employed residents. The city was also in the top 50 percent for school ranking and affordability.
9. Raleigh, NC
At the higher end of our list when it comes to school grade, Raleigh earned a proud seven out of 10.
Better than 75 percent of the top 100 list when it comes to jobs, Raleigh’s unemployment rate is 8.8 percent. Days on market and crimes per person were both in the top 30 percent.
10. Charlotte, NC
North Carolina wanted to squeeze another one of its own into our top 10 list with the city of Charlotte.
The Queen City placed near the middle of the ranking across its individual criteria, with a couple of exceptions. In terms of school quality, Charlotte placed 13th, with a school grade of six out of 10.
It also placed respectably in terms of affordability, taking the cake for second most affordable in our top 10, with a median household income of $65,219 and a median home price of $183,000.
Ready To Buy?
After combing through the numbers of the top 100 most populous American cities, we found you’ll have the best luck as a first-time home buyer in the markets we just covered, in terms of least competition and best financial outcome. But if you’re curious for more, feast your eyes upon the top 50 in the chart below.
