Looking for a good home under $100k? Better head to Ohio, report finds

Despite early reports suggesting that home buying will be difficult heading into 2019 with rising rates and prices -- new numbers last month revealed things are actually looking up.

Late February, the National Association of Realtors reported that pending U.S. homes sales have increased by 4.6 percent in January, up from the prior month.

But still, with rising interest rates and salaries remaining stagnant in most states, buying a home for under $100,000 can be difficult, unless you live in certain parts of the country, most notably in Ohio, according to a new study.

Personal finance site GoBankingRates.com found that five of the top seven best cities to buy a home for under $100,000 were from the "Buckeye State."

To determine the list, the site analyzed data from more than 370 cities in the U.S. where the median list price on Zillow was $100,000 or less and then compared each by its overall livability, crime, and school district score to figure out the "best" options.

While Richmond, Indiana claimed the top spot, Ohio cities including Youngstown, Toledo, Lorian, Elyria and Akron followed rounding out the top seven best locations.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP

Here are the seven best cities where you can buy a home for under $100K.

 

1. Richmond, Indiana

Median List Price: $82,900

Top K-12 School Districts: 2

Crimes per 1,000 residents: 4.23

Livability Score: 70

2. Youngstown, Ohio

Median List Price: $39,900

Top K-12 School Districts: 1

Crimes per 1,000 residents: 43.48

Livability Score: 65

3.  Toledo, Ohio

Median List Price: $79,000

Top K-12 School Districts: 5

Crimes per 1,000 residents: 51.33

Livability Score: 62

4. Lorain, Ohio

Median List Price: $79,400

Top K-12 School Districts: 3

Crimes per 1,000 residents: 37.47

Livability Score: 65

5. Lansing, Michigan

Median List Price: $84,100

Top K-12 School Districts: 4

Crimes per 1,000 residents: 42.35

Livability Score: 63

6.  Elyria, Ohio

Median List Price: $97,000

Top K-12 School Districts: 2

Crimes per 1,000 residents: 24.81

Livability Score: 73

7. Akron, Ohio

Median List Price: $69,900

Top K-12 School Districts: 2

Crimes per 1,000 residents: 50.17

Livability Score: 69