ATLANTA — All eyes are on the South, where home affordability, job and population growth and inventory levels are strongest heading into the new year.

Atlanta looks to be the housing market in the U.S. with the most potential for growth in the new year, according to researchers at the National Association of REALTORS®.

The city, dubbed the “New York of the South,” rose to the top of NAR’s list of markets to watch in 2023 for three main reasons: Atlanta has greater housing affordability than comparable cities, its population is growing more rapidly and 20% of renters there can afford to buy a median-priced home—higher than the national average—the NAR report notes. Atlanta also boasts a robust and growing job market, where many major technology companies, such as Apple, Microsoft and Visa, are relocating from the West Coast.

Even against the backdrop of a national housing slowdown, the South is expected to remain a booming region for home sales in 2023. “The demand for housing continues to outpace supply,” says NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “The economic conditions in place in the top 10 U.S. markets—all of which are located in the South—provide the support for home prices to climb by at least 5% in 2023.”

NAR identified the following top 10 real estate markets to watch next year: