The Most Stable Housing Markets in the U.S.

A new ranking of U.S. cities shows where home values are most likely to grow and remain stable. States in the West and Midwest came out on top, especially Colorado with three cities in the top 10.

Boulder, Colo., Austin-Round Rock, Texas, and Bismarck, N.D. were the top three cities in SmartAsset's 2017 and 2018 iterations of the ranking. The average home in Boulder has gained 276 percent in value over the past quarter century, and there was a zero percent chance that homeowners had a significant drop in their home's value. The other Colorado metros, Fort Collins (ranked fourth) and Denver (ranked ninth) ranked second for average growth in home value, and one of the highest home price growth shares in the study, respectively.

Like any good financial advisor will tell you, investing is about more than just average return. The best investors weigh risk with reward. For example, consider home values. The Census Bureau estimates that the median home in the U.S. increased in value by $10,500 from 2015 to 2016. But that’s just the average increase. Some homeowners made more, some made less and some even lost money on their mortgages. Knowing exactly how your home’s value will change in the future is impossible, but with a little research you can get a better idea of the risks that come with investing in any city’s housing market.

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