Zillow made a series of what it called "bold predictions" about housing markets for the coming year. Unlike the title, what the company suggested is a series of deductions, either from their own or more common data and also trends many in CRE have noticed.

First up, attention goes to the Midwest. The bet in 2021 had been for the South and West to be strongest in housing. As well as in virtually every other CRE product type, as hindsight of results and ongoing demographic shifts in population showed. Next year, attention will snap to the Midwest, only this time the biggest trend going is affordability.

"Unlike nearly every other region in the United States, prices in most Midwest metro areas haven't run up to extremes," Zillow wrote. "Mortgage costs as a share of income are still within healthy, sub-30% levels across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kansas, upstate New York, Iowa and smaller metros in Illinois, which will allow first-time buyers to take the plunge. Lower rents and home prices in these areas make it easier to save up for a down payment." Also, there's more inventory in that area compared to other parts of the country.