Summary
Highlights
The video continues with the top 10 cities. San Antonio and New Braunfels, Texas (00:04:00) are praised for high profitability, affordability, and growth. The Washington, D.C. Beltway area (00:04:22), including Arlington and Alexandria, is consistently strong. Springfield, Massachusetts (00:04:57) and Providence, Rhode Island (00:05:01) are noted for exponential growth and high median incomes. Buffalo, New York (00:05:20) is recognized for its thriving blue-collar economy and wealth generation. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (00:05:44) makes the list as the number one fastest-growing city, offering large homes, lower build costs, and significant profitability. Toledo, Ohio (00:06:28) is highlighted for its sustained affordability, strength, and growth. Worcester, Massachusetts, and the wider Connecticut area (00:06:55) are listed for their exponential growth, affordability, and architectural appeal. Rochester, New York (00:07:28) is pinpointed as a highly demanded, under-built, and underrated market with significant affluence for builders.
Before revealing the top city, the video discusses the five hardest markets, emphasizing that challenges often present lucrative opportunities. Hawaii and Oregon (00:08:44) are difficult due to high transport and building costs, but ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) and adaptive reuse in suburban areas of Oregon can be profitable. Boston, Massachusetts (00:09:24), particularly the metro area, is restrictive in permitting, but this lack of builders creates profitability, especially in the surrounding abundant land. New York City, specifically Manhattan and the Bronx (00:10:33), faces high labor and building costs, and slow approvals, making adaptive reuse effective and encouraging builders to seek easier approvals just outside the city.
Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, are ironically identified as the number one most restrictive markets due to environmental regulations, high fees, labor costs, and zoning, but also the most profitable, with successful students engaging in adaptive reuse projects. The actual number one city to build in in 2026 is Hartford, Connecticut, including West and East Hartford (00:12:20). It's described as underrated, under-built, and majorly profitable, with significant history, affluence, and available land, but a lack of inventory. The National Association of Home Builders supports this ranking based on affordability, affluency, and population migration.
The video concludes by reiterating that these are the top cities for 2026 but advises that any city with over 2% annualized growth offers good opportunities for building. This encompasses 217 metro areas across the U.S. Viewers are encouraged to subscribe, like, and comment for more content on building and profitability.
The video emphasizes the importance of selecting the right market for building to ensure profitability. It introduces the concept of five key variables, focusing on two major ones: growth and affordability. The host promises to reveal the top 20 cities for six-figure profits (exceeding $200,000) and five challenging cities to build in, along with adaptation strategies.
Starting from the 20th city, the list includes Naples, Florida (01:06) for its vacation demographic and economic growth; Leander, Texas (01:14) for its proximity to Austin and affordability; Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (01:37) for consistent growth; Wildwood, Florida (02:00); Rockford, Illinois (02:03) for affordability near Chicago; and Youngstown, Ohio (02:10) as a top starter home market. The host stresses the need to find areas with afluence within these affordable, growing markets to achieve six-figure profits. Other cities listed are Binghamton, New York (03:11), Peoria, Illinois (03:18), and Charleston, West Virginia (03:25). Nashville, Tennessee (03:30), including Davidson, Murfreesboro, and Franklin, is highlighted for its university-driven economy, jobs, and open land.