Realtor.com lists Macungie as one of the top U.S. places for home sales

The Lehigh Valley has been named as one of the hottest real estate markets in the country by Realtor.com 

The residential real estate website looks at individual zip codes throughout the U.S. each year, and for 2024 Macungie‘s 18062 came in as the tenth most popular zip code for home buyers. 

Hanna Jones, senior economic research analyst for Realtor.com, said the company looked at both the speed of home sales and the number of home listing views that occurred in each zip code to determine the top markets. 

Overall, this year, the Northeast and Midwest dominated the list, Jones said. Seven of the 10 hottest zip codes on the list are in the Northeast, with an impressive three Massachusetts zip codes, two New Jersey zip codes and one zip code each in New York and Pennsylvania. 

Jones noted that Macungie was chosen as a representative of the Lehigh Valley – Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and the entire region is a hot market. 

She said there’s a region for the Lehigh Valley’s, and particularly Macungie’s, popularity. 

“While prices are higher, the price per square foot is lower than it is in other MSAs across the U.S,” she said. “Buyers are looking to spread out and have more space.” 

Those moving to areas like Macungie are often leaving more expensive urban hubs for the quality of life that a community like the Lehigh Valley can offer, she said. 

It’s a trend that Realtor.com has been tracking over the last couple of years. 

“This area offers more bang for the buck but is still close to urban hubs and is relatively affordable with the lifestyle they want,” Jones said. 

Michael Bernadyn, president elect of Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors, said he’s happy to see Macungie getting a little love from a national website like Realtor.com. 

He noted the Lehigh Valley has been getting a great deal of attention for its quality of life and hot real estate market. Publications from Forbes to the National Association of Realtors’ own website have written about towns including Emmaus, Hellertown and Nazareth because of the strength and quality of the market. 

“I think we’ve been really blessed,” Bernadyn said. 

He also said Macungie is a good representative for the region. He noted that it has both historic and new housing and there is a great deal of commercial and retail development going on as well, which is making the small town an attractive place to live. 

“It’s a growing area with a good school system. People want to live there,” Bernadyn said. 

So, what does the ranking mean? Jones said the areas on the list are strong performers in many metrics. 

According to the report, competition for homes in this year’s hottest zip codes has quickened the market pace. Homes in the hottest zip codes spent an average of 13 days on the market in June 2024, more than a month less than the national median.  

Jones said the high-stakes environment in these areas means that successful buyers are well-qualified and well-equipped to purchase a home.  

Buyers in these areas had an average credit score of 757 compared to the U.S.’ average of 734 as well as a 16.7% average down payment compared to the national average of 14% in the first half of 2024.   

Not only are homes going fast in these hottest markets, in the first four months of the year, homes sold for an average 3.3% over asking price while nationally homes sold for an average 2.3% under asking price in the same period. 

In Macungie specifically, Jones said home listings in the 18062-zip code are getting almost three times the views that homes in other parts of the country are seeing.