Rockford named hottest housing market in the country in new Realtor.com ranking

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The city has climbed to the top of the rankings in the Realtor.com Hottest Housing Markets list, making its way to the No. 1 position for the first time.

Rockford claimed the title of the hottest housing market in December after holding the No. 2 spot on the list in November. The city edged out Manchester, New Hampshire, which has ranked No. 1 on the list 31 times since the rankings began in 2017.

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The Realtor.com ranking uses different metrics than when the Wall Street Journal and Realtor.com named Rockford the top housing market in the country last April. That report factored in both the real estate market and the economic health of the community.

This new ranking is determined by market demand as measured by views per property on Realtor.com and the pace at which homes moved off the market.

“A lot of people begin planning their next home purchase over the winter months,” said Conor Brown, CEO of the NorthWest Illinois Alliance of Realtors. “The fact that we are seeing a lot of activity through a national platform like Realtor.com is remarkable, and it is a nice recognition to have.”

Realtor.com said homes spent an average of 43 days on the market in Rockford, compared to the national average of 70. Listings also attracted nearly three times as many views on Realtor.com in December than the national average.

“Rockford’s hotness means that high demand is met with low inventory as buyers claim available homes,” Realtor.com senior economic analyst Hannah Jones said in the Realtor.com report. “This affordable area has seen sustained demand this year as mortgage rates and home prices deter buyers from searching in higher-priced areas.”

Two other Illinois cities made the Top 20 on the list: Springfield (No. 12) and Peoria (No. 20).

Three Wisconsin cities made the list in Racine, Oshkosh and Milwaukee.

Rockford is set apart from others on the list by its affordability, Brown said. The median average list price of a home was $242,000 in December. Manchester, which ranked No. 2, had an average list price of $557,000 while third-ranked Hartford, Connecticut, came in at $400,000.

“If you look at the rest of their Top 10 … we are the only market that is below a quarter of a million dollars,” Brown said.

Prices have surged in the Rockford region and across the country as a low inventory of homes for sale have been met with high demand.

That has been the case in Rockford since 2020, as the real estate market has been hit multiple times with record lows in homes for sale and record high prices.

“We’re still going to have tight inventory in 2025. It’s still going to be a continuing theme,” Brown said. “Articles like this that point out our enormous buyer demand, we’re going to continue to see that in our marketplace.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas