Six Florida cities among top 10 best U.S. towns to buy home for first time

Home sales in NE Florida are a bit sluggish.

Potential homebuyers out to get that first house have a real good shot at fulfilling their dreams in Florida. In fact, half a dozen Florida cities dominate a new top-10 list of best cities for people to buy their first homes.

A recently-published study by Wallethub ranked multiple Florida cities among the best places in America for first-time homebuyers. The top five cities on the list are all from Florida including Palm Bay at the top followed by Cape Coral, Port St. Lucie, Tampa and Orlando filling out the top five respectively. Surprise, Arizona was ranked sixth but another Florida city, Lakeland came in at the seventh position.

Wallethub used 22 key housing market indicators to compare to 300 U.S. housing markets to compile the list.

Top Florida government officials were quick to credit Gov. Ron DeSantis for crating an economic environment conducive to home ownership in Florida.

“Governor DeSantis has taken a steadfast, pro job seeker, pro job creator, always staying on the front foot approach to elevating the many incredible places to live, work and play in Florida,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly in a prepared statement. “It’s through the Governor’s focus on workforce readiness, infrastructure readiness, public safety, conservative financial stewardship, and a persistent focus on lowering the cost of living that Florida’s communities continue to elevate and attract families from around the nation.”

The remaining top 10 cities most suitable for first-time homebuyers, according to the Wallethub study, included Boise, Idaho at eighth, Gilbert, Arizona, ninth and Henderson, Nevada at 10th.

Eight out of the ten worst cities for first-time homeowners were in California, according to the study.