SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – According to a study by SmartAsset, Springfield, Missouri ranks in the top 25 cities in the United States for first-time home buyers. 

This comes as no surprise to Murney and Associates realtor Ashley Hicks. 

“Springfield is one of the most affordable places to buy a home in the United States,” Hicks said. “We have a lot to offer here as far as jobs, schools, recreation, lots to offer families.” 

Hicks says that compared to last year, houses are staying on the market longer, along with a slight uptick in the average price. 

“Last year we hovered around the 12 days on the market, and now it’s more like 27 as an average for Greene, Christian, and Webster counties,” Hicks said. “On average, the average home sale was about $250,000, and now we’re seeing that number closer to 270,000.” 

And with that, there’s a small rise in the number of homes available to purchase compared to 2022. 

“In a healthy, balanced market, inventory should be over 2,000 homes on the market, and currently right now we’re hovering around that 700 mark.” 

First-time home buyer Kate Wilson tells OzarksFirst that when it comes to her first home, she knew she wanted to be in the Springfield area. 

“I wanted to buy a home specifically in Springfield because I went to Missouri State University and ended up getting a job in Springfield, so that was my main tie to the city,” Wilson said. “As far as buying a home goes, I had rented for years and was really tired of throwing my money away to a landlord. Obviously, I couldn’t make any changes to the place, and I was really looking to kind of lay down some roots.” 

Hicks adds that buying a home for the first time can be scary, but there’s always help. 

“Whenever I’m meeting with a buyer for the first time, there’s always a process that we have to go through to make sure that we are acting accordingly to how the market is reflecting,” Hicks said.