The Home Front

The 9 Best Bargain Markets

By Luke Mullins

Posted: July 2, 2008

Looking for a livable city that won't bust up your budget? MSN Real Estate recently released its "Most-Livable Bargain Markets" list for 2008. Here are the rankings, from the Wall Street Journal:

  1. Wichita, Kan.
  2. Omaha, Neb.Council Bluffs, Iowa
  3. Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa.
  4. Madison, Wis.
  5. San Antonio
  6. Indianapolis
  7. Pittsburgh
  8. Dallas-Fort Worth
  9. Tulsa, Okla.


More from MSN:

To develop the 2008 MSN Real Estate Most-Livable Bargain Markets list, we asked Bert Sperling of Sperling's Best Places to evaluate the most affordable housing markets from the 100 largest U.S. metro areas and pinpoint the nine most livable areas: places where unemployment is low, commute times are short and there's enough interesting entertainment or recreation to keep most people busy. We defined affordability by the ratio of median income to median home price.

Moving to one of these cities could allow you to "sell your two-bedroom bungalow in Southern California...and buy a house on a number of acres and suddenly have a nest egg you've never had before," Sperling says.

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The Home Front

The Home Front

Associate Editor Luke Mullins tracks the treacherous housing market and explains how to unload a five-bedroom McMansion or even find that dream home.

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