GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new report has named Grand Rapids, Michigan as one of the top 10 markets and neighborhoods to watch for growth in 2019, according to Trulia.
The study is based off job growth over the past year and vacancy rates, with Trulia ranking Grand Rapids’ Alger Heights as hottest neighborhood in the city, according to the study, happens to be Alger Heights.
Researchers also say Grand Rapids is a market with a good starter-home affordability and a large share of the adult population under the age of 35, which is the age of many first-time home buyers.
The full list of cities is below:
| Trulia’s Top 10 Housing Markets to Watch in 2019 | |||||||
| # | U.S. Metro | Y-o-Y Job Growth (Rank) | Vacancy Rate (Rank) | Share of Income Needed to Afford Median Priced Starter Home (Rank) |
Ratio of Inbound-to-Outbound Home Searches on Trulia (Rank) | Share of Population Under 35 (Rank) | Overall Score |
| 1 | Colorado Springs, Colo. | 3.3% (8) | 4.8% (35) | 35.4% (63) | 1.8 (17) | 23.6% (8) | 26.2 |
| 2 | Grand Rapids, Mich. | 2.0% (22) | 3.7% (16) | 23.2% (34) | 1.1 (41) | 21.7% (30) | 28.6 |
| 3 | Jacksonville, Fla. | 2.0% (24) | 4.2% (26) | 23.4% (35) | 2.4 (7) | 20.7% (52) | 28.8 |
| 4 | Bakersfield, Calif. | 0.6% (56) | 6.4% (68) | 14.3% (6) | 2.3 (8) | 23.1% (12) | 30.0 |
| 5 | Austin, Texas | 2.5% (14) | 3.4% (12) | 45.0% (79) | 1.1 (47) | 24.4% (4) | 31.2 |
| 6 | Fresno, Calif. | 1.6% (32) | 3.5% (13) | 47.1% (81) | 1.6 (22) | 22.6% (16) | 32.8 |
| 7 | Phoenix, Ariz. | 2.9% (9) | 4.0% (20) | 33.7% (59) | 1.3 (32) | 20.9% (47) | 33.4 |
| 8 | Columbia, S.C. | 0.4% (69) | 6.1% (63) | 13.7% (5) | 2.1 (12) | 22.3% (20) | 33.8 |
| 9 | El Paso, Texas | 1.0% (51) | 5.5% (48) | 33.5% (58) | 2.4 (6) | 23.2% (11) | 34.8 |
| 10 | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 2.0% (20) | 6.9% (76) | 21.1% (27) | 1.3 (33) | 22.3% (21) | 35.4 |
