More Cities Join 'Improving' Housing Market List

The National Association of Home Builders’ list of improving housing markets nearly doubled this month, as more cities showed signs of a rebound with their real estate markets.

The list now contains 76 improving markets, up from 41 in December, according to NAHB’s and First American’s Improving Markets Index, a monthly gauge that measures a city’s improvements in housing permits, employment, and housing prices for at least six months.

"The fact that the list of improving housing markets nearly doubled this month shows that a significant, positive trend is developing, and is even more relevant when you consider the expanding geographic distribution of the list — which now includes 31 states and the District of Columbia," NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen said in a statement.

These cities were added to the list in January:

•Florence, Ala.
•Tuscaloosa, Ala.
•Fayetteville, Ark.
•Denver, Col.
•Greeley, Col.
•Bridgeport, Conn.
•New Haven, Conn.
•Cape Coral, Fla.
•Jacksonville, Fla.
•Punta Gorda, Fla.
•Honolulu, Hawaii
•Ames, Iowa
•Des Moines, Iowa
•Dubuque, Iowa
•Elkhart, Ind.
•Indianapolis, Ind.
•Lafayette, Ind.
•Lake Charles, La.
•Worcester, Mass.
•Grand Rapids, Mich.
•Lansing, Mich.
•Monroe, Mich.
•Minneapolis, Minn.
•Columbia, Mo.
•Joplin, Mo.
•Fargo, N.D.
•Manchester, N.H.
•Cincinnati, Ohio
•Oklahoma City, Okla.
•Tulsa, Okla.
•Corvallis, Ore.
•Erie, Pa.
•Philadelphia, Pa.
•Chattanooga, Tenn.
•Clarksville, Tenn.
•Nashville, Tenn.
•College Station, Texas
•Dallas, Texas
•Victoria, Texas
•Madison, Wisc.
View a complete list of all 76 metro areas on the Improving Markets Index list at www.nahb.org/imi.

Source: National Association of Home Builders