For the second year in a row, Buffalo, New York, has secured the top spot on Zillow's list of the hottest housing markets for 2025, earning the distinction of being the first market to secure the number one ranking in back-to-back years.

Zillow has forecasted the hottest housing markets for 2025, highlighting Connecticut's Hartford area as seeing significant growth and popularity.

In a Zillow ranking released on Tuesday, Providence and its metro area ranked as the third hottest market in the country, rising two places from where Zillow put it last year. Zillow ranked the 50 largest metro areas in the country. The only hotter markets, where it's even harder to buy a house, are Buffalo, New York and Indianapolis, Indiana.

Metros with more jobs for every new home permitted ranked highly on the list, while average home prices were a smaller factor.

Hartford, Conn., was also forecasted to be among the top markets by the real estate listing website, but Boston ranked 16th among the 50 metro areas compared.

Buffalo, New York is expected to be the hottest major housing market in the U.S., for the second year in a row, according to Zillow.

Affordability remains a barrier after the pandemic-era boom as home prices continue to rise and mortgage rates stay high.

Zillow currently reports that the strongest housing markets for sellers are in the Northeast. That includes multiple New York cities — Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, and New York City — as well as metros in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The only non-Northeastern city considered a “strong seller’s market” is San Jose, California.