If you are looking for change in 2024, moving to a new home in another city might be the perfect way to make a fresh start.
Although housing inventory is tight in many places, other cities are filled with sounds of hammers and saws as home construction ramps up.
Recently, Realtor.com analyzed U.S. Census Bureau housing permit data to identify the 200 largest metros with the greatest amount of new housing construction between December 2022 and November 2023. It then ranked those areas based on the number of permits issued per 1,000 existing units, using just one metro per state for its final list.
With those criteria in mind, here are the top places to buy a brand-new home.
10. Huntsville, Alabama
Total permits for new homes in the past year: 5,753
Median sale price for newly constructed homes: $370,000
Huntsville is home to the Galaxy of Lights, an annual holiday light display that spans 1.5 miles and impresses all who see it. The Southern city even throws in some faux snow to set the mood.
9. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Total permits for new homes in the past year: 3,653
Median sale price for newly constructed homes: $243,000
Don’t quite have the “scratch” to take a vacation to Italy? Book a trip to Sioux Falls instead.
A full-size replica of the statue of David stands proudly in downtown Sioux Falls. It is one of only a few bronze castings from the original, which was famously sculpted by Michelangelo.
8. Fayetteville, Arkansas
Total permits for new homes in the past year: 7,091
Median sale price for newly constructed homes: $329,000
There are around a dozen Fayettevilles in the U.S., but Fayetteville, Arkansas, is the biggest of them all.
Thanks to the University of Arkansas, a burgeoning tech center and the nearby headquarters of Walmart, work is not hard to find here.
7. Provo, Utah
Total permits for new homes in the past year: 6,360
Median sale price for newly constructed homes: $799,000
College students who love to belly up to the bar should probably look somewhere other than Provo: The vast majority of students at the area’s two schools — Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University — do not drink alcohol.
On the other hand, Provo is full of soda shops.
6. Raleigh, North Carolina
Total permits for new homes in the past year: 19,511
Median sale price for newly constructed homes: $474,000
Initially, Raleigh was not the capital of North Carolina. New Bern and Edenton each held that honor at one point.
But North Carolina’s leaders decided those cities were too vulnerable to coastal attack, so the capital was moved inland.
5. Boise City, Idaho
Total permits for new homes in the past year: 10,150
Median sale price for newly constructed homes: $481,000
Sometimes, it’s called “Boise.” Other times, it’s “Boise City.” What gives?
The Boise charter from Jan. 11, 1866, incorporated the city as “the City of Boise City.” According to one report, adding “city” to the name of western towns was common at the time. It was intended to “puff up” the area and make it seem more impressive.
4. Austin, Texas
Total permits for new homes in the past year: 35,368
Median sale price for newly constructed homes: $452,000
Forget MTV: The city of Austin, Texas, is home to the nation’s longest-running music television program, “Austin City Limits.”
It debuted in 1947 featuring a performance by Willie Nelson.
3. Greeley, Colorado
Total permits for new homes in the past year: 4,555
Median sale price for newly constructed homes: $551,000
For a long time, Greeley was known as the city that “smells bad,” thanks to the large presence of the meatpacking industry. In recent decades, new zoning rules have just about eliminated the problem.
However, the city retains an official hotline for residents to report anything odoriferous.
2. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Total permits for new homes in the past year: 11,965
Median sale price for newly constructed homes: $341,000
Myrtle Beach is known as the miniature golf capital of the world. It has more courses per square mile than any other place.
There are also more than 100 standard golf courses in the area.
1. Punta Gorda, Florida
Total permits for new homes in the past year: 4,794
Median sale price for newly constructed homes: $359,000
The Spanish term Punta Gorda translates into “Fat Point” in English. The town earned that name because it’s on land that juts out into Charlotte Harbor — one of the largest natural harbors in the U.S.
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