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The 10 most in-demand ZIP codes for homebuyers in 2026

Cnbc · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 736 words · By Mike Winters
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What to know about The 10 most in-demand ZIP codes for homebuyers in 2026

home shoppers right now features modest detached homes on generous lots, suburban shopping and highway access to downtown Boston, just 20 miles away.

Claims checked 21
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

home shoppers right now features modest detached homes on generous lots, suburban shopping and highway access to downtown Boston, just 20 miles away.

Why it matters

Peabody, Massachusetts, was the most in-demand ZIP code for homebuyers in the first half of 2026, according to real estate listings platform Realtor.com, which ranks ZIP codes based on how many views listings receive and how quickly homes sell.

Common ground

The last time Peabody was on the list was in 2021, when it ranked No.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/10/the-10-most-in-demand-zip-codes-for-homebuyers-i…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 21 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 11
check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “New Berlin, Wisconsin, is roughly 15 miles west of Milwaukee.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 2: “Sewell, New Jersey, is less than 20 miles from Philadelphia”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 3: “Wheaton, Illinois (60187) - Median listing price: $575,000 - Views per property: 3.03 times the U.S. average”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 4: “Lititz, Pennsylvania (17543) - Median listing price: $598,000 - Views per property: 3.84 times the U.S. average”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 5: “For the fourth year in a row, all 10 of Realtor.com's hottest ZIP codes are in the Northeast or Midwest.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 6: “The last time Peabody was on the list was in 2021, when it ranked No. 3.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources explicitly state that Peabody previously ranked third on the list in 2021.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nantucket () is an island in Massachusetts, United States, about 30 miles (48 km) south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nantucket
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Neighborhood Nine, also known as Peabody or Area 9, is a neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. It is mostly residential.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighborhood_Nine
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Peabody, Massachusetts—previously ranked third in 2021—moved to the top of the list this year.“This year’s hottest ZIP codes tell us that buyers aren’t simply chasing the lowest price tag anymore,” sa…
https://www.theepochtimes.com/business/northeast-and-midwest…
+ 2 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “North Haven, Connecticut (06473) - Median listing price: $562,000 - Views per property: 5.34 times the U.S. average”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 8: “Westfield, Massachusetts (01085) - Median listing price: $381,000 - Views per property: 5.21 times the U.S. average”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found for this claim.
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Claim 9: “New Berlin, Wisconsin (53151) - Median listing price: $445,000 - Views per property: 4.48 times the U.S. average”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 10: “Fairport, New York (14450) - Median listing price: $429,000 - Views per property: 5.25 times the U.S. average”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found for this claim.
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Claim 11: “the median credit score was 766, compared with 747 nationally.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 12: “Peabody, Massachusetts (01960) - Median listing price: $600,000 - Views per property: 4.09 times the U.S. average”
CORROBORATED
The median listing price of $600,000 and the view rate (just over four times the U.S. average) are confirmed by multiple sources.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — With a $600,000 median list price, Peabody, Massachusetts is the hottest place for U.S. home shoppers right now, with views per property in the area receiving just over four times the U.S. average.
https://hudsonvalleypost.com/new-yorks-hottest-zip-code-for-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Median listing price: $338,000. Views per property: 3.39 times the U.S. average.
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2026/08/these-10-zip-codes-ar…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ZIP code. Location. Metro area. Median listing price. 1. 01960. Peabody. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H. $600,000.
https://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/articles/zip-code-hott…
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Claim 13: “With a $600,000 median list price, Peabody is relatively affordable compared with some of the North Shore's wealthier communities.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the median listing price for Peabody is $600,000 in the context of the Realtor.com report.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Endicott Howard Peabody (February 15, 1920 – December 2, 1997) was an American politician from Massachusetts. A Democrat, he served a single two-year term as the 62nd governor of Massachusetts, from 1…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endicott_Peabody
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — George Peabody (; February 18, 1795 – November 4, 1869) was an American financier and philanthropist. He is often considered the father of modern philanthropy. Born into a poor family in Massachusetts…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Peabody
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Peabody is located in the North Shore region of Massachusett…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peabody,_Massachusetts
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 14: “Sewell, New Jersey (08080) - Median listing price: $426,000 - Views per property: 3.8 times the U.S. average”
SINGLE SOURCE
While one source mentions ZIP 08080 (Sewell, NJ) has a median home value of $330,400, this contradicts the claim's $426,000 and there is no evidence for the '3.8 times the U.S. average' view rate.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The ZIP code 01960, located in Peabody, was named the "hottest" in the U.S., according to Realtor.com. It is located in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metropolitan area, about 20 minutes from downtown Bo…
https://www.heraldnews.com/story/lifestyle/real-estate/2026/…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Median listing price: $338,000. Views per property: 3.39 times the U.S. average.
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2026/08/these-10-zip-codes-ar…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Homes in ZIP code 08080 were primarily built in the 1970s. Looking at 08080 real estate data, the median home value of $330,400 is slightly higher than average compared to the rest of the country. It …
https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/08080/
info
Claim 15: “Montclair, New Jersey (07042) - Median listing price: $1.05 million - Views per property: 3.3 times the U.S. average”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results provided for this claim are irrelevant, discussing the 'Zip' payment app and '7-Zip' software rather than real estate data for Montclair, NJ.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Use the Zip app to manage your payments, update your account details, discover exclusive deals & promotions, and more! Get easy access to your shopper or merchant account.
https://zip.co/us/sign-in
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Buy now pay later with Zip at millions of stores online and in-store. Download the Zip app and split nearly any purchase into 4 installments over 6 weeks.
https://zip.co/us
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 25, 2026 · Download 7-Zip 26.02 (2026-06-25) for Windows x64 (64-bit): Download 7-Zip 26.02 for another Windows platforms (32-bit x86 or ARM64): 7-Zip is free software with open source. The most o…
https://www.7-zip.org/
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Claim 16: “Peabody, Massachusetts, was the most in-demand ZIP code for homebuyers in the first half of 2026, according to real estate listings platform Realtor.com”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm that Peabody, MA (ZIP 01960) topped Realtor.com's list of hottest ZIP codes for 2026.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Neighborhood Nine, also known as Peabody or Area 9, is a neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. It is mostly residential.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighborhood_Nine
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nantucket () is an island in Massachusetts, United States, about 30 miles (48 km) south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nantucket
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Search homes for sale, new construction homes, apartments, and houses for rent. See property values. Shop mortgages.
https://www.realtor.com/
+ 2 more evidence sources
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Claim 17: “Across the top 10, the average down payment was 17.1%, compared with 13.1% nationally”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 18: “It's also the only one of this year's 10 hottest ZIP codes where the median listing price is lower than in its surrounding metro.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general status of Peabody as the hottest ZIP is corroborated, the specific detail about it being the only one of the top 10 with a price lower than its surrounding metro is not independently confirmed by the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of George Foster Peabody Award winners and honorable mentions during the decade of the 2010s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Peabody_Award_winners_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Salem (, SAY-ləm) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem,_Massachusetts
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating fi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-shot
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 19: “The number of homes for sale in the 10 hottest ZIP codes is 60.5% below pre-pandemic levels, compared with 11.3% nationally.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 20: “The other nine are more expensive than their surrounding metros, while eight of the 10 have more spacious homes than their surrounding metros.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided search results for this claim are irrelevant (discussing the number 9, the movie 'Nine', and general ZIP code definitions) and do not provide data on the other 9 hottest ZIP codes' prices or home sizes.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Akron Zips football team is a college football program representing the University of Akron in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Akron pla…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akron_Zips_football
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Apple II accelerators are computer hardware devices which enable an Apple II computer to operate faster than their intended clock rate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_accelerators
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The ZIP Code system (an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan) is the system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service (USPS). The term ZIP was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIP_Code
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 21: “Livonia, Michigan (48154) - Median listing price: $338,000 - Views per property: 3.39 times the U.S. average”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.