The most popular market among Zillow (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) surfers this year was West Chester, Pennsylvania.
After the West Coast ruled in 2021 and the Midwest took the top spot last year, the Northeast dominated this year’s list.
Smaller Northeast towns dominated Zillow’s “most popular” markets in 2023.
Zillow surfers generally “gravitated toward smaller cities in 2023. Of the 10 most popular markets, only one — Manchester, New Hampshire — has a population of more than 100,000, and most have less than half that number.”
The top 10 most popular markets of 2023 on Zillow:
- West Chester, Pennsylvania
- Nashua, New Hampshire
- Manchester, New Hampshire
- Wethersfield, Connecticut
- West Hartford, Connecticut
- Stow, Ohio
- Middletown, Connecticut
- Twinsburg, Ohio
- Newington, Connecticut
- Concord, New Hampshire
Chula Vista, California, won out “for most popular large city. 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.”
Zillow Chief Economist Skylar Olsen said:
“Affordability was the word on home shoppers’ minds this year, and it shows in the most popular cities that buyers on Zillow gravitated toward. Heading into next year, the winds appear to be shifting just a bit. Buying a home will still be expensive in much of the country, but more listings and much flatter home price growth will make life easier for home shoppers.”
To rank the most popular markets among Zillow surfers, Zillow has “analyzed housing metrics that indicate consumer demand — including page-view traffic, home value growth and days on market — for nearly 2,300 U.S. cities.”
Most popular on Zillow overall: West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania, a quaint town of “about 20,000 people near Philadelphia, took the top spot in Zillow’s list of 2023’s most popular markets.”
Strong interest among home shoppers on Zillow has “helped push West Chester home values about 8% higher over the past year.”
The typical home in West Chester “is worth about $584,000, putting it among the more expensive cities in Pennsylvania. But given its relative affordability compared to larger markets nearby, such as New York City and Washington, D.C., those looking for a break from city life may see West Chester as an attractive and affordable place to call home.”
West Chester ranked within “the top 100 cities in Zillow page views per listing in Zillow’s rankings, far outperforming its size. Almost two-thirds of those views came from outside the city, possibly signaling interest in moving there.”
While West Chester took the top spot, New England towns were “the favorite among Zillow surfers this year: Seven of the 10 most popular markets of 2023 were in either New Hampshire or Connecticut.”
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As covered, Zillow Group, Inc. says that it is “reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people.”
As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get “the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, great partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences.”