Toledo Ranked 4th on the Realtor.com® 2026 Forecast of the Top Housing Markets

Toledo takes spot in annual ranking of areas poised to see the strongest combined increase in home sales and prices in 2026.

Toledo, one of the market areas served by members of Northwest Ohio REALTORS®, has been ranked No. 4 on the recently released Realtor.com^® 2026 Top housing markets forecast.

Amid expectations for cooling national price growth and modest mortgage rate relief, buyers are increasingly focused on value. As a result, “refuge markets” are attracting shoppers from larger, high-cost metros seeking relative affordability, more space for the price and greater market stability.

Mainly located in the Northeast, and the Midwest, this year’s top 10, in rank order, are

1. Hartford, CT;
2. Rochester, N.Y.;
3. Worcester, MA;
4. Toledo, OH;
5. Providence, RI;
6. Richmond, VA;
7. Grand Rapids, MI-WY;
8. Milwaukee-Waukesah-West Allis, WI
9. New Haven-Milford, CT
10. Pittsburgh, PA

(https://www.realtor.com/research/top-housing-markets-2026/?cid=imc26_topmarkets_IRrelease).

The 2026 top markets share several characteristics – relatively affordable homes, limited new construction, lower mortgage lock-in pressure, and older, financially well-qualified households – but their unifying advantage is strong value for buyers.

Projections for Toledo

“Toledo’s recognition as the No. 4 housing market for 2026 reinforces what we’ve long known — our region delivers exceptional value without sacrificing quality of life. Buyers are drawn to Toledo because they can find affordability, and strong community roots,” said Emily Bailey, President of Northwest Ohio REALTORS®.

“We expect a more balanced housing market in 2026, leaning slightly in buyers’ favor compared with 2025, as modest improvements in affordability, driven by mortgage rate relief and slower home price growth, give incomes a bit more room to catch up,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com®. “Our 2026 top housing markets offer better value than nearby high-cost hubs, yet steady demand and persistent inventory shortages keep prices moving upward. For buyers, that can mean more competition and faster price gains. For sellers and homeowners, it signals strong demand or home price appreciation and equity gains.”

Methodology
The Realtor.com® model-based forecast uses data on the housing market and overall economy to estimate 2026 values for these variables for the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas by household size. These markets are then ranked by combined forecasted growth in home prices and sales. Results are calculated to three decimal places and ranked at this degree of specificity, there were no ties. For publication, results are rounded to one decimal place, and this can result in minor differences between the rounded and unrounded sums.