Austin, TX finished high on the Builder magazine list of healthiest housing markets. The University of Texas Golf Club sits above Lake Austin, about 20 minutes from the city and university itself.
Texas towns sweep top five positions; Raleigh, Charlotte, Wilmington and Myrtle Beach make top 15
I don't know if I would put total faith in a list that ranks Houston the "healthiest" housing market in the nation. From what I know, including the personal experience of a young couple trying to sell a home there, Houston has a large inventory of homes on the market. But a check of Zillow.com 's trend line for housing prices in Houston shows the median price of homes there dropped less than 1% last year, indicating an impressive stability. Maybe Builder magazine, which uses housing permits as well as more traditional measures of a market's health, is on to something.
The magazine's five choices for healthiest markets are all in Texas, with Austin, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Dallas following Houston in order. Austin, which I have visited, has a range of excellent golf communities, a major university, terrific food (especially if you like barbecue), an interesting landscape (the Hill Country) and no state income tax. San Antonio, one of the nation's most popular towns to visit, has seen impressive development of golf communities in the surrounding area.
North Carolina cities fared well in the survey, with Raleigh in the #6 position, Charlotte #13 and Wilmington #14. Myrtle Beach, which the magazine considers straddling the South Carolina and North Carolina border on the coast, finished at #15. Nashville, TN, finished 11th and Fayetteville, AR, a strong 9th.
You can find the list and the rationale for the magazine's choices at BuilderOnline.com.