Homes in suburban and even rural locations were hot commodities on the pandemic real estate market, according to an industry report.

Marian McPherson shares news of a new report by realtor.com that quantifies the tumultuous year on the real estate market, focusing especially on the locations where prices spiked the most during the pandemic.
"According to realtor.com’s latest market analysis released on Tuesday, the explosion in price growth is happening in suburbs across the country, including little-known metros such as Wayzata, Minnesota, and Brandon, Mississippi," writes McPherson to summarize the report's finding.
"Lakewood, New Jersey topped the list with median home prices increasing a whopping 47.6 percent to $309,000 from October 2019 to October 2020," adds McPherson. Next was Lake Arrowhead, California, were prices increased 45.7 percent. In Lake Arrowhead, the increased prices haven't stopped buys from taking the plunge. The area saw a 47.7 percent sales increase during the same time period.
The location with the third largest increase, according to realtor.com is Gross Pointe, Michigan.
McPherson notes that most of the locations with huge price spikes this year are still relatively cheap—the media price in the majority of locations on the list comes in under $500,000 after the increases.
FULL STORY: Here's where home prices soared the most during the pandemic

Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.

New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.

‘Mega-Landlords’ Threaten Housing Stability for Renters
As institutional investors buy up a larger share of single-family homes, the families renting them are increasingly vulnerable to rent increases and eviction.

More Funds to Transform the Puente Hills Landfill into a Regional Park
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors just approved an additional $28 million to support the development of the Puente Hills Regional Park at the landfill site.

Denver Freeway Widening Plans on Hold
The Colorado Department of Transportation’s plan to widen the Interstate 25 freeway through Denver is one of a few plans to widen urban freeways under consideration in the United States.

Public Perceptions of Sprawl and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Urban density has a bad reputation.
Clarion Associates
Urban Planning Partners
Sandy City
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.