Fri Mar 21 23:40:00 UTC 2025: ## Lexington, KY Crowned Housing Market Champion in “March Madness” Real Estate Rankings

**COLUMBIA, MO – March 21, 2025** – While the University of Kentucky Wildcats prepare for the men’s college basketball tournament, their home city of Lexington is already celebrating a victory off the court. A new analysis by Mortgage Research Center ranks Lexington as the top housing market among all 64 tournament-contending colleges’ cities.

The study, which assessed affordability, market speed, seller performance, and overall lifestyle, found Lexington’s winning combination was its affordable housing, balanced market, and high quality of life. Rounding out the top four were Pittsburgh, PA (Robert Morris University), Virginia Beach, VA (Norfolk State University), and Ames, IA (Iowa State University).

According to Tim Lucas, Lead Analyst at MortgageResearch.com, the top-ranked markets share key strengths: affordability, a balanced market benefiting both buyers and sellers, and strong local communities. Lexington particularly stands out with buyers spending only 27% of their income on housing, and homes selling in just 29 days.

While Lexington ranked 15th in quality of life, trailing cities like Madison, WI, San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY, its strong performance across other metrics secured its top spot. Other finalists each excelled in different areas: Pittsburgh in affordability, Ames in quality of life, and Virginia Beach in lifestyle and market stability.

Conversely, cities like Knoxville, TN, Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, Phoenix, AZ, and Waco, TX, landed at the bottom of the rankings due to factors like long selling times, high housing costs, and challenging market conditions.

The full report, including detailed city snapshots and methodology, is available on MortgageResearch.com.

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