‘The Big Money Show’ panel discusses how the housing market is being mobilized to give younger people a part of the American dream.
Move over Buffalo, there’s a new top housing market in town.
Hartford, Connecticut, dethroned the northwest New York city as Zillow’s top housing market for the year. Buffalo was No. 1 on Zillow’s annual hottest markets forecast for back-to-back years.
Hartford sits at the top partly because inventory is 63% below pre-pandemic levels, which is the largest deficit among the 50 largest U.S. metros by population. Well over half of all homes in the area, 66%, also sold above list price in Hartford last year, topping all other major metros. The area also had the second-lowest share of homes with a price cut, at just 16.5%.
Hartford, Connecticut, knocked Buffalo, New York, out of the No. 1 spot on Zillow’s annual list of the hottest housing markets for 2026. (Patrick Sikes/Connecticut Post via Getty Images)
To make matters worse, « Injections of inventory aren’t likely to come from either existing owners or builders; buyers should be prepared for bidding wars and broken hearts, » according to Zillow.
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Zillow’s 2025 predictions list, which calls out a nation-leading appreciation forecast, ranked Hartford within the top five metros. This proved accurate, as home values grew faster in Hartford than in any other major metro last year, up 4.6%, according to the report.
Zillow projected that this climb will continue in the new year as the area is forecast to lead price growth yet again in 2026, albeit at a slightly more relaxed pace of 3.9% annually.
Hartford ranks at the top partly because inventory is 63% below pre-pandemic levels. (Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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Zillow chief economist Mischa Fisher said competition among buyers will be stiff, meaning sellers will have the upper hand in this year’s hottest markets like Hartford.
« Shoppers will need to tap all the resources they can muster in these fast-moving markets, from their team of experts to tech aids to financial assistance, but successful buyers will quickly gain equity, » Fisher said.
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Buffalo, which ranked as the hottest housing market in both 2024 and 2025, is in the No. 2 spot on the latest list. Sellers maintained a strong negotiating advantage there throughout last year, giving the metro the highest competition score on Zillow’s market heat index among major cities.
Sixty-six percent of homes sold above list price in Hartford last year, topping all other major metros. (John Woike/Tribune News Service via Getty Images via Getty Images)
The New York metro area, which includes parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, isn’t far behind.
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It ranks third on the list due to a positive home price forecast, strong employment and the lowest share of listings, with a price cut among major metros at just 13.5%.
