READING, Pa. — From homes in the city to neighborhoods across Berks County, the Reading area is now ranked the sixth-best housing market in the country, according to a new summer ranking from The Wall Street Journal and Realtor.com.
“Berks County, Reading City — they’ve been doing a lot of investment in their industry, a lot of investment in their communities, and that has really helped with the housing market,” said Melissa Fox, president of the Reading-Berks Association of Realtors.
The ranking looks at 200 metro areas, measuring everything from housing demand and prices, to jobs, quality of life and commute times.
“One of the attractions for Berks County is the affordability and also the proximity,” Fox said. “So we are still very close to major cities like Philadelphia, but a day’s travel to all sorts of areas in the country, including Washington, D.C., Ohio. You can go to the mountains skiing, all within a reasonable drive.”
But some realtors say affordable doesn’t mean prices aren’t changing.
“We’re continuing to see that the median sales price is going up throughout the whole county and particularly within the city,” said Mark Mohn, government affairs director for the Reading-Berks Association of Realtors.
For both sellers and buyers, this attention could mean opportunity.
“There’s definitely value in living in Berks County, value living in Reading. And people are really experiencing that,” Mohn said.
The Reading area is one of two Pennsylvania markets in the top six. Lancaster ranks third.