Top Housing Markets for Buyers and Sellers

The nationwide housing market may favor homebuyers, but that’s not necessarily the case in every metro. The ResiClub blog analyzed data from real estate marketing platform Zillow to figure out the markets that most favor buyers and the ones that most favor sellers.

As of May 2025, data show that a majority of buyer's markets are in the South. The top five markets for buyers include: Macon, Ga; Jackson, Tenn.; Brownsville, Tex.; Gulfport, Miss.; and Naples, Fla.

Meanwhile, sellers have the most power in the Northeast. New York, in particular, accounts for four of the top five seller's markets in the U.S. Specifically, Rochester, N.Y., leads the way, followed by Buffalo, N.Y.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Charleston, W.Va; and Albany, N.Y.

"Directionally, I believe Zillow has correctly identified many regional housing markets where buyers have gained the most power—particularly around the Gulf—as well as markets where sellers have maintained (relatively speaking) somewhat of a grip, including large portions of the Northeast and Midwest," wrote Lance Lambert, the blog's author.

"Based on my personal housing analysis, I consider Southwest Florida the weakest/softest chunk of the U.S. housing market. Not too far behind are pockets of Texas, Colorado, and Arizona markets where there’s built up unsold spec inventory."