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Miami homebuyers might be set for a year to remember, as Zillow ranks the Magic City in the top 10 buyers markets in the U.S. for 2026.
The nation’s foremost real estate website recently analyzed the top 50 largest metros in the U.S. to determine where homebuyers have the greatest advantage in the housing market. Miami came in eighth, trailing only one Florida city in Jacksonville (fourth), according to Zillow.
Most Buyer-Friendly Markets in the U.S.
1. Indianapolis
2. Atlanta
3. Charlotte
4. Jacksonville
5. Oklahoma
6. Memphis
7. Detroit
8. Miami
9. Tampa
10. Pittsburgh
“The ranking is designed to highlight places where buyers are more likely to find a balanced mix of opportunity and sustainability — not just lower prices, but a friendlier overall buying experience,” according to the study. “Buyers in these markets can expect to see more homes within budget, while forecasted appreciation suggests strong long-term financial potential. With less competition for each home, buyers have more time to make decisions and a lower risk of being pulled into stressful bidding wars.”
Zillow looked at three “key” measures that point to buyer-friendly markets, including falling prices ahead of predicted home value growth, lower mortgage rates, and buyers’ ability to negotiate, as reflected in metrics like the number of days a home has spent on the market and the share of listings with price cuts.
The latest ranking appears consistent with other real estate studies on the same topic. Redfin recently ranked Miami, along with Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, among the top buyers markets in the nation.
According to data collected by Redfin, there were an estimated 47 percent more home sellers than buyers in the U.S. housing market in December — or 631,535 more, in numerical terms — the largest gap between sellers and buyers in data dating back to 2013. A buyer’s market occurs when the number of available homes exceeds the number of buyers, creating an ample supply for buyers and (typically) forcing sellers to lower prices to help their homes stand out amid the surplus.
But Zillow’s study, unlike Redfin’s, points out an uncomfortable truth for many homebuyers in the 305: prices. The typical home value in Miami, at $466,837, was far higher than in any other city in the top ten. The next most expensive city to buy a home in the top ten buyers markets is Charlotte, where typical homes cost $379,228.
