Where Should I Live?

Whoa, wait a minute. Did you really come to the internet looking for the answer to this question? How could the web possibly know where you should live?

There are so many factors at play, such as your budget, where you have family and friends, your stage in life, what you like to do, whether you like warm or cold climates, etc. The list of possible considerations is practically endless. There can be no one-size-fits-all answer for finding the best neighborhood. Each of us has different priorities and circumstances, making this a really tough question--even for Siri!

Hold on, you say. It can’t be so hard to find the best places to live. The web has answers for just about everything. It’s conceivable that the internet could answer this one too. Fair enough, sit tight. You’ve come to the right place assuming you’ve at least narrowed it down to somewhere in the continental United States.

Here’s a suggestion: Why not look to what others are doing? Ideally, you would conduct a survey of everyone in America and ask where they would live. Since that’s just not going to happen, we suggest the next best thing: take a look at where investors think are the best places to buy investment property. Why should you care about that? Because real estate values tell us where people want to live. When lots of people choose to move to the same cities, this drives up the value of real estate there.

Enter an address you’re considering below and find its location ranking.

Our team of data scientists has done the work for you by compiling a list of the top 10 most desirable places to own real estate. These are the markets where investors will pay the most to own a rental property. For those familiar with real estate terminology, these are the cities where cap rates are the lowest.

It may be a stretch to say that these are the best cities to live in. But if you’re looking to move, you should at least consider the cities below. Millions of other people spent hours weighing the pros and cons of various places and settled upon these. Without a doubt, almost anyone can find a good neighborhood in these cities.

  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • San Jose
  • Los Angeles
  • San Diego
  • Austin
  • Sacramento
  • Portland
  • Boston
  • Nashville

This approach of identifying the hottest real estate markets will lead you to some of the most expensive markets in the country. If rent is an important consideration, as is so often the case, pull together a list of other places where housing costs are within your budget. Then use the tool at the top of the page to find their rankings on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the ranking, the stronger the real estate market, the more desirable the place (at least in the eyes of others). The tool provides rankings for specific locations, making it possible to compare one spot to another within a city. It may well be that following the herd is your best choice.