Despite housing prices on the rise in many places, real estate is still considered a bargain in a handful of cities, according to a new analysis released by SmartAsset, a personal finance website. SmartAsset analyzed data of 200 cities by using a model that projects home value per square foot based on how desirable a city is to live in, considered its livability score. Researchers factored in livability metrics like crime, unemployment, weather, high school graduation rates, and walkability to determine where residents are most likely to get the most bang for their buck in real estate.
SmartAsset researchers found that many cities still offer bargains. Seven of last year’s top 10 list of most undervalued cities also reclaimed a spot in this year’s list. For the third year in a row, Pennsylvania cities, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, topped the list as being the most undervalued cities in the U.S.
