America’s Hottest Market No More: This New England City Just Dropped Out of the Top 20

The Midwest and Northeast went toe to toe in September, with each region claiming 10 spots in the Realtor.com® August 2026 Hottest Housing Markets ranking, but one longtime frontrunner was notably absent from the top 20.Manchester-Nashua, NH, once New England's go-to affordable alternative to Boston, has dipped sharply over the past two months, falling to 30th in August and 38th in September after ranking eighth in July.This marks a dramatic reversal for New Hampshire's "Queen City," which has ranked No. 1 a staggering 35 times, most recently in March, the most of any metro in the Realtor.com data's history stretching back to 2017. Overall, Manchester consistently made it into the top 20 from March 2020 through July 2026, except for July 2025, when it finished just outside the ranking in the 21st spot. A market's hotness is determined by two criteria: the level of demand in a specific area as measured by unique views per property on Realtor.com, and the pace of the market as measured by the number of days a listing remains active online. Realtor.com senior economist Hannah Jones explains that while Manchester's listings still attract 2.7 times the viewership as the typical U.S. hom...