Housing

The 10 Most Affordable Middle-Class Home Markets

Housing Patterns
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Rising home prices, higher interest rates and low inventories have conspired recently to reduce the ability of middle-class Americans to buy a home. In some markets, middle-class buyers may be effectively shut out, while in others home prices are much more affordable.

Online real-estate site Trulia has calculated housing affordability in 100 metropolitan areas by comparing median income in each metro area with the cost of owning a home. Housing affordability is calculated for based on a total monthly mortgage payment that assumes a 4.4% 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with 20% down, property taxes for that area and insurance. The affordability cutoff is 31% of pretax monthly income, which is the guideline used by the Federal Housing Administration and the Home Affordable Modification Program to determine whether a home is within a potential buyer’s reach. The debt-to-income ratio of 43% used to compute a qualified mortgage includes all a borrower’s debt, not just housing debt.

The 10 most affordable housing markets for middle-income buyers are listed here in order of percentage of homes for sale that are affordable.

  1. Akron, Ohio: 86% affordable
  2. Toledo, Ohio: 84%
  3. Dayton, Ohio: 83%
  4. Gary, Indiana: 83%
  5. Columbia, S.C.: 82%
  6. Columbus, Ohio: 81%
  7. Detroit, Mich.: 81%
  8. Cleveland, Ohio: 81%
  9. Little Rock, Ark.: 81%
  10. Rochester, N.Y.: 81%

Leading the cities where the fewest homes are affordable for middle-class buyers are San Francisco (14%), Los Angeles (23%), Orange County, Calif. (24%) and New York City (25%).

In Manhattan, only 2.3% of homes for sale are affordable to a middle-class buyer. Frankly, we are surprised that number isn’t zero.

READ MORE: Home Prices Surge in Seven U.S. Cities

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