Arlington, Texas: Buy
Median home price: $67,600
Median annual rent: $9,200
Price-to-rent ratio: 7
The city of Arlington is a working town with an economy anchored by the vast Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport and a major General Motors plant. It has some affluent neighborhoods, but many more are working class.
"We never had the high price climb here," said Larry Johnson of the Arlington Realtors Association. "We're real stable."
New home development on the many square miles of open land and a lax regulatory atmosphere has kept the cost of building new homes low, about 20% below the rest of the state and far below national averages.
That has driven down the price-rent ratio lower than any other city that did not go through a bubble of thrive-and-dive.
"We never had the high price climb here," said Larry Johnson of the Arlington Realtors Association. "We're real stable."
New home development on the many square miles of open land and a lax regulatory atmosphere has kept the cost of building new homes low, about 20% below the rest of the state and far below national averages.
That has driven down the price-rent ratio lower than any other city that did not go through a bubble of thrive-and-dive.
NEXT: Kansas City: Rent
Last updated January 25 2011: 8:31 AM ET
