T
he U.S. housing market is experiencing a slowdown due to high interest rates, but two regions are bucking this trend: the Northeast and Midwest. These regions have consistently held the top spots in the Realtor.com Hottest Housing Markets list for the past 11 months. The demand for properties in these areas is significantly higher than the national average, with views per property being 2.5 times higher than the national level in August. Despite a nationwide drop in home prices of 1.3%, prices in these regions have risen by 3.3% year over year.

    Manchester, NH, has been the country's hottest housing market for the 29th time in history, according to Realtor.com. It has consistently ranked among the top three markets for more than three years. The median home price in Manchester is $550,000, and it is just 55 miles away from Boston, where the median price is $834,500. Listings in Manchester received three times more views in August than the national average.

    Another hot market is Oshkosh, WI, which came in second on the list. Here, listings received three times more views than the national average in August, and a typical home costs $330,000. Wisconsin was also the hottest state in August, with five metros appearing in the top 20: La Crosse (No. 10), Racine (No. 12), Janesville (No. 18), and Milwaukee (No. 19). Wisconsin offers a low cost of living, family-friendly amenities, nationally ranked health care, and proximity to Chicago and Minneapolis.

    Rockford, IL, took the No. 3 spot on the list. In August, houses there spent a median of 25 days on the market, which was 28 fewer days than the national average. The low cost of living attracted buyers, as the median list price was just $215,000, nearly half of the national median price of $429,990. Springfield, MA, and Concord, NH, rounded out the top five of the list, with their listings getting three times more views than the national average and houses spending a median of 32 days on the market, which was 23 fewer days than the national average.

    In the top 20, all but seven markets were also on the July list. La Crosse, MN, and Erie, PA, jumped from 35th and 39th to 10th and 15th, respectively. Columbus, OH, Dayton, OH, and Milwaukee also ascended into the top 20 this month, as did the two cities that tied for No. 20: Lancaster, PA, and Toledo, OH.

    The markets in the top 300 that heated up the most are Sioux Falls, SD (96 spots hotter), Bloomington, IL (87 spots hotter), and St. Cloud, MN (83 spots hotter). Meanwhile, the markets that cooled down the most on the list include a mix of Southern and Western metros, according to Jones. They are Albany, GA (153 spots lower), Mobile, AL (109 spots lower), Tampa, FL (108 spots lower), and Wichita Falls, TX (107 spots lower).

    Homes in the hottest markets spent just 32 days on the market in August, which was the same pace as last year but about three weeks faster than the national median. This faster pace is driven by high demand and scarce inventory conditions, leading to snappier home sales. Manchester is just 55 miles from Boston, offering easy access to the city's amenities.