Countdown: Top 10 U.S. Cities Building the Most Homes for Buyers — Part 2

If you thought last year’s home inventory was scarce, this year the pickings are even slimmer. Currently, the number of listings for available homes is about half of what it was last year, according to realtor.com. Increasing housing demand and ever-decreasing inventory continue to result in bidding wars and rising home prices in many states across the country.

In early December Mark Fleming, a chief economist at First American, a title insurance company, said, “Despite the best intentions of home builders to provide more housing supply, the ‘big short’ in housing supply will continue into 2021 and likely keep house price appreciation flying high.”  

Homebuilders are trying to put a dent in the housing deficit and this year applied for 14 percent more permits than in 2020, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. But what areas of the country will see this ramp-up in home construction? In March realtor.com compiled a list of the top 10 U.S. cities that are expected to see the most homebuilder activity this year based on builder permit applications. House flippers, this list may help inform your decision-making about where to plan your projects so you can take strategic advantage of buyer demand.

Below, we complete our countdown of the top 10 cities where builders filed the most permits for single-family homes, townhomes, condos, co-ops, apartments, and duplexes, according to one metro area per state (metro areas include the main city and surrounding towns, suburbs, and smaller urban areas).

Flippers, one of the states we serve is on the final portion of this list. 

5. Atlanta, Georgia

Number of permits: 5,721

Median list price: $377,500

One-year permit increase: 1%

4. Washington, D.C.

Number of permits: 5,795

Median list price: $499,900

One-year permit increase: 30%

3. Phoenix, Arizona

Number of permits: 8,614

Median list price: $469,500

One-year permit increase: 9%

2. New York, New York

Number of permits: 9,097

Median list price: $629,500

One-year permit increase: 2% 

1. Dallas, Texas

Number of permits: 11,636

Median list price: $373,267

One-year permit increase: 23%