T
he US housing market saw some intense activity in January, with several areas emerging as the hottest spots. Realtor.com's latest report identified the top 20 markets that experienced over twice the demand of nationwide levels last month.

    The top five markets were dominated by Northeast cities, with a Wisconsin city also making the cut. Here are the top five:

    Manchester-Nashua, New Hampshire: Homes sold in just 46 days on average, with a median asking price of $579,000. Realtor.com attributed this to ongoing demand and limited inventory.

    Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut: This market saw homes stay on the market for 51 days and received 4.1 times more views per property than the national median.

    Kenosha, Wisconsin: With a population of over 98,000, Kenosha landed the No. 3 spot with a median listing price of $335,000.

    Norwich-New London, Connecticut: This market saw 3.1 times as many views on Realtor.com's site last month and homes stayed on the market for 52 days on average.

    Worcester, Massachusetts: Worcester climbed to No. 5 in January, with a median listing price of $349,000.

    These five markets were followed by Concord, New Hampshire; Rockford, Illinois; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Providence-Warwick, Rhode Island; and Rochester, New York, which rounded out the top 10.

    The report also noted that housing inventory averaged 12.7% higher than a year ago, but still fell short of the national norm. The national median listing price dropped 2.2% compared to January last year, while new listings rose 10.8% year-over-year and jumped 37.5% from December 2024.