Bellevue, Seattle Ranked Top 10 'Best Housing Markets' In U.S.

BELLEVUE, WA - Seattle and Bellevue have been ranked Nos. 6 and 7, respectively, on a list of the 300 best real estate markets in the U.S. The two major Puget Sound cities scored highly for sellers due to turnover, price appreciation, and how long homes sit on the market before a sale. But neither city ranked highly for affordability.

Seattle came in No. 145 (out of 300) for affordability and Bellevue came in No. 50. Bellevue was less affordable, according to the rankings, than cities like Austin, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Chicago suburb Naperville, Ill.

According to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, home prices around Puget Sound were up 18.6 percent in July 2017 over July 2016. The median price of a home in King County shot up to $658,000 in July, according to the NWMLS.

"Inventory remains low, but prices and demand continue to increase, prompting murmurs of a looming bubble," Diedre Haines, principal managing broker at the Lynnwood Coldwell Banker Bain, told the NWMLS in July.

Here are the top 10 cities on the WalletHub list:

1. Frisco, TX
2. McKinney, TX
3. Allen, TX
4. Cary, NC
5. Richardson, TX
6. Seattle, WA
7. Bellevue, WA
8. Carrollton, TX
9. Nashville, TN
10. Denver, CO

Other Washington cities ranked on the list including:

32. Spokane Valley
36. Renton
48. Vancouver
52. Yakima
59. Everett
63. Kent
70. Spokane
103. Federal Way
114. Tacoma

Image via Neal McNamara/Patch.com