Renters Still Prefer This Mid-Atlantic City

With home prices and mortgage rates still high, renting remains the favored alternative, even as September slows the rental period after the peak of summer.

But which cities are renters favoring as they look at properties listed, save them to their favorites and put them on personalized searches/? The winners also reflect scarce unit availability and simply high listing views.

The September RentCafe report found that Arlington, Va., in Washington, D.C.’s, backyard is the most popular among the top 30 on the list. It is the third consecutive month it has won this slot, which the report said is a first for its rental activity report. 

Arlington is a magnet for those wanting to live in or near the nation’s capital and even working in Baltimore, and the reason is  said to be its good amenities, job options and proximity to educational facilities such as Georgetown and George Washington universities. It also oozes charm, too, with its vintage homes and neighborhoods.

Second place went to Midwestern Kansas City, Mo., home of great barbecue and more. It has become appealing for those from Chicago and Denver, as well as renters liking what they find in the Heartland.

Queens, one of New York’s boroughs, came in third, jumping 10 places in a month, appealing for its cultural diversity, hot food scene and suburban vibe despite being so near Manhattan. Traffic for its listings more than tripled compared to a year ago. Look out Brooklyn, its neighbor.

Fourth went back to the Midwest and Overland Park, Kan., which also climbed seven places. Fifth was Southern belle Atlanta, two spots higher than it had been in August. Atlanta is said to have become popular, especially because of New Yorkers looking to relocate there, maybe, for its weather, slower pace, good schools, food scene and hub international airport. But its traffic has been rated as very heavy. A study by INRIX put it at 10th place in congested urban areas in the country.

Rounding out the list of the top ten in order of popularity are New York’s Bronx in sixth place, Minneapolis in seventh, Cincinnati in eighth, Albuquerque in ninth and Omaha in tenth.

When it comes to strong regional performances, the Midwest is the winner with five of its cities in the top 10 and 11 on the RentCafe list of top 30. The South and West each had eight entries with strong performance. The Northeast, however, had only three. Yet, they are significant with Queens in third and Bronx in sixth. Nearby Philadelphia came in at 23rd place.

Not only big cities snare attention. Some are smaller as well as in suburban locations, because of good schools for students renting as well as for their job opportunities and the amenities offered in their buildings. Such places include Chula Vista, Calif., Tacoma, Wash., and Grand Prairie, Texas.