The pandemic-era home buying frenzy, defined by listings drawing multiple offers within hours and intense bidding wars, has largely faded—but a handful of markets continue to stand out for how quickly homes are selling.
On the national level, this year saw the U.S. housing market cool as affordability challenges and mortgage rates hovering above 6% kept both would-be buyers and sellers largely on the sidelines.
The typical for-sale home remained on the market for 64 days as of November—more than double compared to the spring of 2022, according to the latest housing market trends report from Realtor.com®.
But five metros—three in the Northeast and one each in the Midwest and West—saw listings snapped up at a brisk pace more typical of the pandemic period.
A new report from Realtor.com economists shows that three Northeastern metros—Lancaster, PA; Springfield, MA; and Reading, PA— tied for the title of the fastest-moving housing market of 2025.
Each city averaged a median of 32 days on the market from January through November, or twice as fast as the national median of 64 days recorded last month.
Lancaster, PA
Nestled in the heart of Pennsylvania’s bucolic Amish country and steeped in history, Lancaster emerged as a standout housing market in 2025, appearing in every monthly Realtor.com Hottest Housing Markets List and ranking as high as fourth in October.
In November, the median listing price in Lancaster stood at $395,000. That attainable price point, combined with the city’s relatively close proximity to several major—and significantly more expensive—metros, including Philadelphia, New York City, Baltimore, and Washington, DC, helped sustain robust buyer demand throughout the year, says Realtor.com Senior Economist Anthony Smith.
Springfield, MA
Sharing Lancaster’s No. 1 spot is Springfield, another red-hot destination for price-conscious buyers that has not only appeared on every Hottest Markets list in 2025 but also claimed the top spot seven times.
“Sustained year-over-year demand has helped drive both fast sales and price growth,” says Smith.
In November, local listings attracted three times the typical number of views per property on Realtor.com compared to the national norm. At the same time, homes in Springfield sold more than a month faster than the U.S. average.
Springfield also boasts a median listing price of $350,000—a clear bargain compared to ultraexpensive nearby metros like Boston ($785,000), New York ($750,000), and Hartford, CT ($429,000).
Reading, PA
The third metro in the three-way tie for the lead is Reading. Nicknamed “Pretzel City” for its pretzel bakeries, Pennsylvania’s fourth-largest metro is located an hour from Lancaster and just a few hours’ drive of major East Coast hubs.
The median listing price in Reading was $319,900 in November, making it one of the more affordable housing markets in the region, particularly when compared to its high-priced neighbors such as Boston and NYC.
Kenosha, WI
Like Lancaster and Springfield, Kenosha, WI, has become a familiar presence on Hottest Markets lists this year, ranking among the top 20 markets in 10 of the first 11 months of 2025, thanks to a combination of increased demand from budget buyers and tight inventory.
Kenosha homes averaged a median of 33 days on market over the year, and the typical listing had an asking price of $373,000 in November, offering a slightly more affordable alternative to Milwaukee, where the median was $379,000.
San Jose, CA
Rounding up the five swiftest markets in the U.S. is the ranking’s sole West Coast entry, San Jose, CA, which is also the nation’s most expensive metro with an eye-watering median listing price of $1.3 million, or three times the national figure.
Homes in San Jose spent on average 33 days waiting to be sold—a fact Smith says underscores “how resilient demand remains in Silicon Valley despite high prices.”
Unlike the more affordable Northeast and Midwestern markets, which draw shoppers from pricier hubs searching for more pocketbook-friendly options, San Jose’s rapid sales pace is driven by sustained buyer competition.
“Tight inventory, relative affordability, and strong regional demand helped keep homes selling quickly, even as higher mortgage rates reshaped market dynamics nationwide,” says Smith, referring to all five ranked metros.
