For your clients who enjoy the perks of small-town living, realtor.com® researchers have identified the best places to call home—and the Midwest reigns supreme. Realtor.com® came up with its 2018 list of most affordable small towns by factoring in the cost of housing, employment, and safety.
Millennials have love for small towns, with about 21 percent of home buyers ages 37 or younger purchasing a home in a small town compared to 16 percent a year ago, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. “The benefit of moving to a small town is that your housing dollars can go a lot further,” says realtor.com® Chief Economist Danielle Hale. “While maybe you could get a tiny condo in the city, you can get a bigger house and land to spread out in a small town. You might even find a home with fun features like a porch to [entertain] your friendly new neighbors.”
Realtor.com® ranked the following as 2018’s top seven affordable small towns—all with populations under 40,000:
1. Logansport, Ind.
- Median home price: $62,700
2. Mexico, Mo.
- Median home price: $69,600
3. Guymon, Okla.
- Median home price: $76,000
4. Defiance, Ohio
- Median home price: $86,500
5. Albert Lea, Minn.
- Median home price: $99,200
6. Emporia, Kan.
- Median home price: $99,800
7. Lexington, Neb.
- Median home price: $110,700
Source: “Top 10 Affordable Small Towns Where You’d Actually Want to Live, 2018 Edition,” realtor.com® (March 19, 2018)
