Consumer Corner
Buffalo thunders back as Zillow’s hottest market for 2025
Affordability and job growth are key drivers of competition
- Competition among buyers never cooled in Buffalo last year, and that heat should keep smoldering through 2025.
- Hot markets spread from the Northeast, Great Lakes and South regions into the Midwest and West.
- Virginia Beach jumped farthest up the list from 2024, leapfrogging over 23 markets.
SEATTLE, Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Buffalo, New York, will be the hottest major housing market in 2025, according to a new analysis by Zillow®, the first time a market has held the title in back-to-back years. Relative affordability and few homes for sale are common threads among what should be the most competitive markets for buyers this year. 
“Construction that keeps pace with an area’s growth remains a crucial piece of keeping homes available and accessible. In chilly Buffalo, competition among buyers will remain hot, with employment growing far faster than builders are adding homes,” said Skylar Olsen, Zillow chief economist. “Shoppers nationwide should see more options for sale than in recent years, along with slow and steady price growth. That’s the good news. But both buyers and sellers should expect unpredictable mortgage rates.”
This hotness ranking of the nation’s 50 most populous metros takes into account Zillow’s forecast for local home value growth and how quickly homes are selling. It also considers job growth per new home permitted and expected growth in owner-occupied households.
Zillow forecast Buffalo to be the hottest market in 2024, and that prediction proved prescient. Sellers held a strong advantage in negotiations there throughout last year, according to Zillow’s market heat index.
Buffalo has the most new jobs per new home permitted — a measure of expected demand. New jobs often mean new residents, which raises competition and drives up prices unless builders can match the additional demand.
Although affordability has improved slightly compared to last year, it’s still top of mind for buyers. Lower-than-average home prices and rent costs in Buffalo as well as Midwest metros like Indianapolis, St. Louis and Kansas City have bolstered demand in these areas, helping push them to the top of the list.
Relative affordability is a powerful force, too. Nearby alternatives to expensive Northeastern metros like New York and Boston dominated Zillow’s list of the most popular cities among home shoppers in 2024. Metropolitan areas in the same vein — Providence, Hartford and Philadelphia — rank high on this list as well.
Hartford, Providence, Indianapolis and Charlotte are all among the top five in Zillow’s forecast for home value appreciation in 2025. Hartford leads the pack with 4.2% expected growth. But home value growth is set to largely level out this year — even these standout metros look tame compared to the double-digit annual appreciation seen in 2021 and 2022.
Rising fastest in the ranks from 2024’s hottest markets list is Virginia Beach, which leapfrogged over 23 markets to the No. 13 spot this year, driven by job growth that has far outpaced new home permitting. Memphis fell the farthest by the same token, dropping 30 places, as new home permitting has eclipsed low job growth.
After the entire western half of the country was shut out of last year’s top 10, Salt Lake City nudged its way onto this year’s list at No. 10. San Diego was the only other Western metro in the top 20, at No. 19.
Mortgage rates are likely to continue on their bumpy path in 2025, and swings will have a major impact on which homes shoppers can afford or even qualify for. Zillow Home Loans’ BuyAbilitySM tool tracks rates in real time to show users which homes fit their budget.
| 2025 Hottest Markets Rank | Metropolitan Area | Change in Rank from 2024 | Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) 2024 | ZHVI Year over Year Growth, 2024 | 2025 Home Value Growth Forecast | Jobs per New Home Permitted | Change in Inventory Versus 2018–2019 Averages |
| 1 | Buffalo, NY | 0 | $260,537 | 5.7 % | 2.8 % | 2.0 | -46.1 % |
| 2 | Indianapolis, IN | 2 | $275,639 | 3.6 % | 3.4 % | 0.5 | -16.1 % |
| 3 | Providence, RI | 2 | $484,019 | 6.7 % | 3.7 % | 1.3 | -62 % |
| 4 | Hartford, CT | 15 | $363,298 | 6.5 % | 4.2 % | 1.1 | -68.6 % |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | 6 | $362,744 | 4.6 % | 2.6 % | 1.5 | -46 % |
| 6 | St. Louis, MO | 9 | $250,141 | 4.2 % | 1.9 % | 1.3 | -43.8 % |
| 7 | Charlotte, NC | 0 | $377,450 | 1.6 % | 3.2 % | -0.5 | 17.5 % |
| 8 | Kansas City, MO | 10 | $299,118 | 3.8 % | 2.7 % | 0.2 | -36 % |
| 9 | Richmond, VA | 11 | $368,957 | 4.1 % | 2.9 % | -0.1 | -43.3 % |
| 10 | Salt Lake City, UT | 18 | $543,324 | 2.8 % | 2.3 % | 0.5 | -4.8 % |
| 11 | Cincinnati, OH | -9 | $281,887 | 4.6 % | 2.9 % | -0.2 | -32.8 % |
| 12 | Columbus, OH | -9 | $310,746 | 3.8 % | 3.1 % | -0.8 | -20.5 % |
| 13 | Virginia Beach, VA | 23 | $349,186 | 4.6 % | 2.5 % | 1.2 | -42.6 % |
| 14 | Cleveland, OH | -6 | $228,140 | 6.4 % | 2.8 % | 0.6 | -52.6 % |
| 15 | Miami, FL | 10 | $486,056 | 1.0 % | 3.5 % | 1.0 | -4.4 % |
| 16 | Boston, MA | 10 | $694,494 | 4.7 % | 2.1 % | 0.1 | -45.8 % |
| 17 | Oklahoma City, OK | 21 | $230,466 | 2.5 % | 2.4 % | 0.7 | -2.5 % |
| 18 | Detroit, MI | 6 | $248,126 | 4.8 % | 1.7 % | 0.1 | -34.1 % |
| 19 | San Diego, CA | 10 | $939,174 | 3.8 % | 2.5 % | -0.4 | -32.9 % |
| 20 | Birmingham, AL | 21 | $247,509 | 0.7 % | 1.3 % | 0.4 | -13.9 % |
| 21 | Raleigh, NC | -4 | $441,066 | 1.1 % | 1.7 % | -0.7 | -13.5 % |
| 22 | Riverside, CA | 12 | $583,420 | 3 % | 2.4 % | -0.3 | -25. % |
| 23 | Orlando, FL | -14 | $391,924 | -0.3 % | 2.2 % | -0.6 | 17 % |
| 24 | Atlanta, GA | -18 | $379,262 | 0.3 % | 2.6 % | -0.7 | -3 % |
| 25 | Pittsburgh, PA | -9 | $208,583 | 2.8 % | 0.6 % | 1.0 | -32.3 % |
| 26 | Louisville, KY | -12 | $255,206 | 4.7 % | 1.9 % | -0.4 | -27.1 % |
| 27 | Phoenix, AZ | 8 | $454,001 | -0.3 % | 1.7 % | -0.4 | -7.9 % |
| 28 | Washington, DC | 11 | $567,825 | 4.4 % | 0.8 % | -0.1 | -38.8 % |
| 29 | Tampa, FL | -19 | $372,170 | -2.5 % | 2.2 % | -0.6 | 7.3 % |
| 30 | Dallas, TX | -9 | $368,683 | -0.4 % | 1.0 % | -0.4 | 1.5 % |
| 31 | Nashville, TN | 2 | $436,301 | 1.7 % | 2.2 % | -0.8 | -10.8 % |
| 32 | Seattle, WA | 0 | $735,683 | 5.1 % | 1.9 % | -1.0 | -23.5 % |
| 33 | Baltimore, MD | 10 | $386,001 | 3.6 % | 0.8 % | -0.2 | -46.9 % |
| 34 | Los Angeles, CA | -11 | $949,057 | 4.6 % | 1.7 % | -0.4 | -26.1 % |
| 35 | Las Vegas, NV | -23 | $428,725 | 5.1 % | 1.1 % | 0.2 | -18.3 % |
| 36 | San Antonio, TX | 13 | $280,603 | -1.8 % | 0.3 % | 0.2 | 22.7 % |
| 37 | Sacramento, CA | -10 | $577,630 | 2.1 % | 0.0 % | 0.0 | -29.9 % |
| 38 | Houston, TX | 9 | $306,191 | 0.6 % | 0.6 % | -0.3 | 1 % |
| 39 | Chicago, IL | -17 | $321,484 | 5.4 % | 1.2 % | -0.5 | -48.6 % |
| 40 | Jacksonville, FL | -9 | $353,501 | -0.9 % | 1.9 % | -0.8 | 14.1 % |
| 41 | New York, NY | 4 | $677,368 | 6.4 % | 1.3 % | 0.3 | -55.9 % |
| 42 | Milwaukee, WI | 2 | $343,920 | 5.3 % | 2.4 % | -1.6 | -27.1 % |
| 43 | Memphis, TN | -30 | $233,885 | 1.1 % | 2.3 % | -1.7 | -1.2 % |
| 44 | Denver, CO | 4 | $579,604 | 0.8 % | 0.1 % | -0.6 | 4.3 % |
| 45 | Minneapolis, MN | 1 | $368,562 | 2.5 % | 0.2 % | -0.8 | -26.7 % |
| 46 | Austin, TX | -6 | $444,248 | -3.2 % | -0.4 % | -0.6 | 33.7 % |
| 47 | Portland, OR | -10 | $543,814 | 1.8 % | 0.3 % | -1.3 | -19.3 % |
| 48 | San Jose, CA | -6 | $1,588,186 | 7.9 % | -0.2 % | -1.3 | -34.8 % |
| 49 | San Francisco, CA | -19 | $1,140,718 | 2.7 % | -1.7 % | -1.1 | -3.5 % |
| 50 | New Orleans, LA | 0 | $235,657 | -1.4 % | -3.8 % | -0.9 | 61.1 % |
About Zillow Group:
Zillow Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, dedicated partners and agents, and easier buying, selling, financing, and renting experiences.
Zillow Group’s affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow®, Premier Agent®, Zillow Home Loans℠, Zillow Rentals®, Trulia®, Out East®, StreetEasy®, HotPads®, ShowingTime+℠, Spruce®, and Follow Up Boss®.
All marks herein are owned by MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). © 2025 MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate.
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Health
5 Babyproofing Tips for Baby Safety Month
Babyproofing is about anticipating those discoveries before little ones make them. In honor of National Baby Safety Month, consider these tips you can use to make your home safer all year round.
5 Babyproofing Tips for Baby Safety Month
(Feature Impact) Outsmarting a baby can be harder than it sounds – especially when it comes to transforming your home into a safe place for them to explore. Through their eyes, a coffee table becomes a climbing opportunity, a dangling phone charger looks like a teething toy and a cabinet of cleaning supplies could be an exciting travel destination.
Babyproofing is about anticipating those discoveries before little ones make them. In honor of National Baby Safety Month, consider these tips to make your home safer all year round.
Install Gates and Doorknob Covers
Crawling babies and stairs are a bad combination. Make sure the two never have the chance to meet by securely installing safety gates at the top and bottom of staircases to thwart young explorers. Gates or doorknob covers can also block access to other rooms and areas you’d prefer to keep off limits, like kitchens, bathrooms and laundry areas.
Use Safety Latches Wisely
Cabinets and drawers can contain a myriad of dangerous items, from cleaning products to sharp objects and medications. Even if you have rooms gated off, treat safety latches and locked storage receptacles as a second line of defense to make sure babies and toddlers can’t rummage where they shouldn’t.
Stress-Test Furniture
As babies and toddlers transition from crawling to walking, they often try using furniture to pull themselves up. Tall or unstable objects like TV stands, small tables and bookshelves can tip over if they aren’t properly secured. Try giving these objects a shake to see whether they’re easily moveable or wobbly; if so, anchor them to the floor or wall when possible. While you’re at it, check for sharp corners at the right height to bonk little heads and cover them with softer edge protectors.
Cover Outlets and Stow Cords
Electrical outlets can be tempting targets for curious fingers. Outfit them with covers or plastic safety caps, especially if you don’t already have tamper-resistant receptacles with built-in mechanisms to block foreign objects from entering the slots. As you’re going about your outlet audit, pay attention to cords as well. When possible, tuck them away or secure them with cord organizing systems, and block access to objects like lamps where cords can be used for tugging and toppling.
See the World at Their Level
Although it might feel silly, one of the best ways to spot hazards around your home is to scout for them from a baby’s perspective. Try getting as close to the floor as you can then look around each room for anything that could interest a young child and pose potential danger. In particular, keep an eye out for small objects that could become choking hazards, like dropped coins, batteries or loose toy pieces.
As children grow, so do the needs of your space. Visit eLivingtoday.com for more ideas on designing your home to fit your family.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
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Economy
U.S. Consumer Confidence Slips as Americans Grow More Cautious About the Future
U.S. consumer confidence edged lower in August as Americans became more pessimistic about jobs, income and business conditions over the next six months, despite improved views of the current economy.
NEW YORK — U.S. consumer confidence edged lower in August as Americans expressed greater concern about future business conditions, jobs and household income, even as their assessment of the current economy improved.
The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index fell 0.8 points to 89.4 in August, down from 90.2 in July.
The relatively small decline, however, masks a widening gap between how consumers view conditions today and what they expect in the months ahead.
The Present Situation Index, which measures consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions, climbed 6.8 points to 121.2, reversing three consecutive months of declines.
Meanwhile, the Expectations Index, which measures the short-term outlook for income, business and employment conditions, dropped 5.8 points to 68.2.
“Consumer confidence moderated slightly in August for a second consecutive month,” Dana M. Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, said in the organization’s Aug. 25 release.
Jobs Look Better Today — But Consumers Worry About Tomorrow
Americans’ perceptions of the current labor market improved considerably during August. About 27% said jobs were plentiful, up from 24.4% in July, while 19.5% said jobs were hard to get, down from 21.7%.
The outlook for the next six months was considerably weaker.
Only 14.6% expected more jobs to become available, compared with 16.4% in July. At the same time, 26.1% expected fewer jobs.
Consumers were also less optimistic about their incomes. About 17.6% expected their income to increase, down from 19.5% in July, while 13.8% expected their income to decline.
Prices Remain on Consumers’ Minds
Inflation continues to influence how Americans feel about the economy. According to The Conference Board, consumers’ written responses frequently mentioned prices, oil and gasoline, food and groceries, trade, jobs, and war or conflict.
Average and median expectations for inflation over the next 12 months also increased slightly.
Interest rates remain another concern. More than six in 10 consumers — 61.3% — expected interest rates to rise over the next year, although that was slightly lower than the 62% recorded in July.
Consumers Are Still Planning to Spend
The softer outlook hasn’t eliminated Americans’ willingness to make purchases.
Auto-buying expectations remained strong on a six-month moving-average basis, while homebuying expectations declined slightly in August but remained on a longer-term upward trend after hitting decade lows in early 2024.
Restaurants, bars and takeout; utilities; and streaming, internet and mobile services ranked among consumers’ leading planned service expenses.
Consumers were less enthusiastic about discretionary activities including movies, personal-travel hotels, airfare, amusement parks, museums and historical sites.
Why It Matters
The August numbers paint a mixed picture of the American consumer.
People are seeing some improvement in the economy they are experiencing today, particularly in the labor market. But their expectations for the next six months are becoming noticeably more cautious.
That divide matters because consumer spending represents a major part of U.S. economic activity. If concerns about employment, inflation and household income begin translating into reduced spending, weakening confidence could eventually become more significant for the broader economy.
For now, the August survey suggests Americans haven’t stopped spending — but they’re increasingly keeping an eye on what may be coming next.
The preliminary August Consumer Confidence Survey was conducted online for The Conference Board by Toluna. The survey period was Aug. 3–16, 2026.
Source: The Conference Board, August 2026 Consumer Confidence Survey®, released Aug. 25, 2026.
STM Daily News Economy News Brief
Sources
- The Conference Board — U.S. Consumer Confidence, August 2026 — Primary source for the August Consumer Confidence Index, Present Situation Index and Expectations Index.
- The Conference Board — Consumer Confidence Survey & Data — Consumer confidence survey information, methodology and release schedule.
Related Economic Data
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Consumer Spending — Official U.S. data tracking personal consumption expenditures. Consumer spending increased 0.2% in July 2026.
- BEA — Personal Income and Outlays, July 2026 — Tracks household income, disposable income, consumer spending and saving.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Consumer Price Index — Official inflation data. The July 2026 CPI was up 3.4% from a year earlier; August CPI is scheduled for release September 11.
- Federal Reserve — Consumer Credit — Federal Reserve data covering revolving and nonrevolving consumer credit.
Automotive
Avoiding a Costly Lockout: 4 Reasons to Duplicate Your Car Key
Duplicate Your Car Key: Losing your keys may be frustrating, but realizing you’re locked out of your car – without a spare key – can be truly panic-inducing. Consider these four common reasons drivers make duplicate keys, and how planning ahead can help prevent a lockout from becoming a costly problem.
Avoiding a Costly Lockout: 4 Reasons to Duplicate Your Car Key
(Feature Impact) Losing your keys may be frustrating, but realizing you’re locked out of your car – without a spare key – can be truly panic-inducing. The price of getting back on the road can depend on several factors, including your vehicle make and model, the type of key that needs replacing and whether the situation calls for emergency roadside assistance.
Avoiding a potentially pricey and stressful lockout, which occurs for nearly 4 million Americans each year, starts by planning ahead. According to KeyMe Locksmiths, a service that makes it easy to duplicate car keys at up to 70% off dealership prices, creating a spare before the original is lost, addressing worn keys before they break and keeping backups in secure locations can reduce the need for emergency locksmith services.
“A good rule of thumb is to have at least two working keys for your vehicle,” said Samantha Jahnke, chief experience officer for KeyMe Locksmiths. “If you’re down to one, make a spare while you still have a working key. It can save you stress and expense if you’re ever locked out.”
Consider these four common reasons drivers make duplicate keys, and how planning ahead can help prevent a lockout from becoming a costly problem.
Have a Backup for Lost or Damaged Keys
One car key isn’t enough, because all it takes is one accident or memory lapse to disrupt your day. Maybe you already had a spare key, but it’s been a while since you’ve seen it. Or perhaps you have a habit of locking your key inside your vehicle, so you’d feel better with an extra. Having a spare – or a spare for the spare – gives you peace of mind you have another way to get back on the road without additional hassle.
Give Another Driver Convenient Access
If you share a vehicle with another member of your household, it makes life more convenient for each driver to have their own keys. Instead of passing the primary set back and forth, or arguing over who saw them last, both of you will have reliable access to the car when you need it. Plus, a spare set of keys makes a nice surprise when it’s time to give a new driver in the house access to the car.
Keep a Spare Set for Travel
When you’re far from home, it can be especially risky to only have one set of keys with you. If they happen to fall out of your pocket or get misplaced at the hotel, you could wind up stranded hundreds of miles away, facing the stress of finding a replacement service in an unfamiliar area. Bring a spare to keep in a secure location, like a purse or backpack that always stays on you, so you can focus on enjoying your vacation. If you realize before a trip you don’t have a spare, plan ahead and get a duplicate made before you hit the road.
Make an Extra for a Used Vehicle
Sometimes buying a used vehicle means the previous owner has already done the work of losing the spare key. If your car only comes with one key, make a backup as soon as possible. Having two working keys can also pay off when it’s time to sell or trade in your vehicle, as a missing spare may reduce its value or give a buyer another reason to negotiate.
Learn more about duplicating keys for more than 40,000 different vehicle makes, models and years at CopyKeys.com.
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