Realtor.com® Ranks Top U.S. Metros for New Home Construction
According to Realtor.com's second annual report, eight of the top ten markets for new home construction in 2026 are located in Southern states. Charleston-North Charleston leads with a median newly built home price that is 12.2% lower than existing homes and an overall score of 84.7 out of 100. The report highlights favorable conditions such as permissive zoning, less restrictive building codes, and low land costs in these markets. Southern cities like Greenville-Anderson-Greer (S.C.), Boise City (Idaho), Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia (N.C.-S.C.), Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin (Tenn.) dominate the list. These smaller to midsize, high-growth markets offer competitive pricing and availability for new homes compared with existing stock. The ranking considers four key metrics: share of listings that are newly built, price premium or discount relative to existing homes, climate risk differences between new and old properties, and listing performance such as days on market. The report underscores how local building conditions influence housing supply and affordability.
Topics: construction trends housing market Southern U.S. real estate