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Interest rates impact to housing market
The Federal Reserve has left interest rates unchanged, a move that could impact the housing market and potential homebuyers.
In a housing market where high mortgage rates and limited inventory continue to constrain many buyers, new data shows that certain areas are standing out as the hottest ZIP codes in the country.
Realtor.com measured and analyzed two components of housing-market competition: buyer demand, measured by unique viewers per listing, and market speed, measured by the number of days a typical listing remained active.
The real estate company said the rankings offer a snapshot of where buyer demand remains strongest even as the broader U.S. housing market shows signs of cooling.
Peabody, Massachusetts ranks as top ZIP code
Big picture view:
Peabody, Massachusetts’ 01960 ZIP code ranked No. 1 on Realtor.com’s 2026 list of the nation’s Hottest ZIP codes, reflecting a broader shift in where determined buyers are choosing to spend their money. The community also placed in Realtor.com’s top 10 in 2018 and 2021.
Located about 20 miles northeast of downtown Boston, the data found that Peabody offers buyers a combination of suburban character and access to one of the nation’s major job centers.
Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. (Credit: Getty Images)
Its median listing price reached $667,000 in June – more than $230,000 above the national median – but remained nearly 20% below the Boston metropolitan area's average.
In addition, homes in Peabody spent a median of just 20 days on the market during the first half of 2026 and sold for slightly more than their asking prices. That stands in sharp contrast to the national market, where the typical home sold for roughly 2.3% below its list price.
About 70% of listing views in Peabody during 2026 also came from within the Boston metropolitan area. That suggests the ZIP code is attracting buyers who already know the region and are looking for a different community within commuting distance of the same employment base, Realtor.com found.
The 2026 hottest ZIP codes in America
Dig deeper:
According to the data, Peabody's success was part of a larger pattern across Realtor.com's 2026 rankings.
The 10 hottest ZIP codes were concentrated in suburban corridors near major economic hubs.
The list included ZIP codes connected to the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit metropolitan areas, reinforcing the continuing appeal of living outside a major city while remaining within reach of its jobs and infrastructure.
The regional divide was also a striking feature of the 2026 list.
For the fourth consecutive year, no ZIP code from the South or West made the top 10. Instead, the Northeast and Midwest continued to dominate.
Massachusetts and New Jersey each contributed two ZIP codes, while the remaining spots came from New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan.
Listings in the top 10 attracted between three and 5.3 times as many views per property as the typical U.S. listing during the first half of 2026. Homes also sold between 30 and 42 days faster than the national norm.
See the full report here.
Data comes amid stubborn mortgage rates, tight inventory
Why you should care:
The findings come despite mortgage rates that remain historically high by recent standards.
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate remained in the low-to-mid 6% range during the first half of 2026, down from roughly 6.8% a year earlier. The modest improvement in borrowing costs has provided some relief, but it has not fundamentally changed the dynamics in the most competitive markets.
RELATED: Mortgage rates climb to highest level in over a year: What homebuyers need to know
Inventory in the hottest ZIP codes was about 60.5% below pre-pandemic norms, compared with an 11.3% national shortfall.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by Realtor.com’s analysis "Hottest 2026 Zipcodes" published on Aug. 10. This story was reported from Los Angeles.