A
suburb in Ohio has once again topped Realtor.com's ranking of the most sought-after ZIP codes, with Massachusetts also having three spots in the top 10. Gahanna, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, is at the top for the second year in a row. The Midwest has three places in the top 10, with St. Louis-adjacent Ballwin, Mo., at No. 2 and the Chicago suburb of Highland at No. 8. The Northeast holds the most spots in the top 10, with three in Massachusetts, two in New Jersey, one in New York, and one in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia area makes its first appearance on the list with the suburb of Macungie. The West and Southwest don't appear on the list until Bedford, a Dallas-Fort Worth-area suburb, at No. 37.

    The top ZIP codes have something in common: they offer more space without being too far from the city and are affordable. According to Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale, this year's hottest ZIPs reflect the focus on affordability that home shoppers have had in recent years due to high housing costs. Every ZIP code in the top 10 offered a lower median list price compared to its surrounding metropolitan area or the rest of the nation's housing market in June.

    Basking Ridge, N.J., which came in at No. 4, may seem expensive with its median listing price of $995k, but it offers better deals than the broader New York City area. The areas labeled as "hot" are competitive, meaning properties have many unique views on Realtor.com and sell quickly, so buyers need to be ready to move fast and be prepared to spend more. Homes in these hot ZIPs spent just 13 days on the market in June, more than a month less than the median time on market nationally. During the first four months of the year, homes sold for 2.3% under asking on average, but in the hottest ZIP codes, it was more like 3.3% over asking.

    It's not surprising that the average household income in the hottest ZIP codes was $95,000 vs. $76,000 nationally, and the average credit score was 757 vs. the national average of 734.