The 10 Most Pet-Friendly Cities in America for Dog and Cat Lovers

Americans are obsessed—with their pets.

Regardless of whether you’re a dog lover, a cat fanatic, or an exotic-animal enthusiast, there are certain cities that are more pet-friendly than others. That matters a lot to pet parents who are increasingly focusing on their animals’ happiness when choosing a place to live.

And it’s why pet owners might want to consider living in Tucson, AZ.

Tucson tops the list as the best place for pet parents and their furry, feathered, and scaly babies, according to a recent Forbes Advisor report. The city boasts good access to low-cost veterinary care and plenty of pet stores. There are also plenty of dog-friendly businesses, including many restaurants with patios that allow diners to eat outside with their pups.

“Pet ownership is on the rise nationwide, making pet-friendly amenities and pet-related costs top of mind for many Americans who are looking to relocate,” says Forbes Advisor spokesperson Zoi Galarraga.

About two-thirds of Americans are pet owners, according to Forbes Advisor. Roughly 4 in 5 pet owners considered their animals’ needs before renting or buying a home, according to a recent Realtor.com® survey. And about 87% of homebuyers with animals take their pets’ needs into consideration when choosing a neighborhood.

To come up with its findings, Forbes Advisor analyzed the availability of pet-friendly apartments, veterinary costs and access, pet-friendly spaces, and the concentration of pet stores in the 91 largest cities.

These are the top cities for pet owners:

1. Tucson, AZ
   Median home list price*: $384,500

2. Raleigh, NC
   Median home list price: $498,000

3. Nashville, TN
   Median home list price: $659,900

4. Wichita, KS
   Median home list price: $319,600

5. Cincinnati, OH
   Median home list price: $322,500

6. Plano, TX
   Median home list price: $560,000

7. Albuquerque, NM
   Median home list price: $391,500

8. Kansas City, MO
   Median home list price: $337,500

9. Louisville, KY
   Median home list price: $250,000

10. Glendale, AZ
    Median home list price: $449,950

The least pet-friendly cities were also the most expensive for real estate, veterinary care, and just about everything else.

Los Angeles was deemed the worst for animal lovers. It was followed by New York City; Silicon Valley’s San Jose, CA; San Francisco; and Boston.

* The median home list prices in the city are as of March using Realtor.com data.

Learn more on Realtor.com

Related Links

• Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Expand Plans for Equitable Housing

• 5 Remodeling Trends to Watch as More Owners Upgrade

• Found a Dream Home Without a Garage? Here’s What To Know About Building One

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5 Remodeling Trends to Watch as More Owners Upgrade

Home improvement remains a hot trend as people update their spaces to be more functional for the long-term.

Facing lean housing inventory, more would-be move-up home buyers may be feeling stuck in place. As they wait out the market, many continue to tackle remodeling projects on their current home. In fact, remodeling activity surged to a record high last year, according to the 2023 U.S. Houzz & Home Study(link is external), a survey that reflects responses from about 46,000 homeowners. The trend is likely to continue, as more than half of homeowners surveyed say they intend to renovate this year, too, consistent with 2022 levels.

“Faced with shortages of housing stock and high interest rates, we’re seeing homeowners update their current home to make the space more functional for the long term,” says Liza Hausman, vice president of industry marketing at Houzz, a home remodeling resource. “We’re also seeing an uptick in additions, with the vast majority of homeowners hiring professionals to achieve their goals.”

Many renovating homeowners may not have intentions of reselling immediately, but they’re eyeing how much their home could be worth as the housing market pendulum swings. Sixty-two percent of owners say their main motivation for tackling a renovation is to increase their home’s value, according to a separate survey(link is external) from Cinch Home Services, a home warranty company.

Homeowners expressed concerns about selling their home in its current state, expressing fears that their home was in need of too many repairs (65%); has an outdated interior (60%); lacks trendy fixtures (38%); or lacks curb appeal (33%), according to the Cinch Home Services survey.

To combat home dissatisfaction, Houzz uncovered some recent home improvement trends that emerged from the 2022 boom.

1. Expanded living spaces. The number of renovating homeowners who are adding square footage is on the rise. The rooms most popular for expansions are kitchens, bathrooms and living rooms, the Houzz survey shows.

2. Remodeling budgets are rising. The median expense for home renovations in 2022 was $22,000—up 22% from 2021. Ten percent of owners were willing to spend six figures: $140,000 or more. Expenditures are likely rising because materials and products are getting pricier. Kitchen and bathroom renovations were the most expensive projects homeowners took on; in 2022, the median spend on a kitchen remodel reached $20,000, and $13,500 for primary bathrooms, up 33% and 50% year over year, respectively, according to Houzz.

3. Aging homes are getting upgraded. The median age of a home in the U.S. continues to rise as homeowners try to keep their properties current. Nearly 30% of homeowners upgraded plumbing, followed by electrical and home automation, the Houzz survey shows. Among home system updates, cooling and heating systems were the two largest expenditures at $5,500 and $5,000, respectively. Check out the most popular home updates based on a home’s age.

4. Contractors remain in demand. The long wait for contractors may linger in some markets because of overheated demand. Homeowners hired specialty service providers and construction professionals, such as general contractors and bathroom or kitchen remodelers, more often in 2022, the Houzz survey finds. Homeowners continue to cite “finding the right service providers” as their biggest challenge for home renovations, followed by finding the right projects and staying on budget.

5. Owners turn to loans for pricier projects. Eighty-two percent of homeowners paid for their projects using cash from their savings while 28% who used credit cards. But one trend to watch is that in 2022, the percentage of homeowners financing their renovation projects with secured home loans rose to 16% from 14% in 2021. Homeowners tackling pricier projects—from $50,000 to $200,000—are more likely to take out a loan than those with lower price tags, the study finds.

Get more like this from NAR.

Related Links

• Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Expand Plans for Equitable Housing

• Best Cities to Buy a Home If You Want It To Grow In Value

• Found a Dream Home Without a Garage? Here’s What To Know About Building One

If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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Central Oregon Real Estate Market Report from March 2023

Inventory continues to be scarce in Central Oregon, even during a recent surge in activity reminiscent of the seasonal trends observed in years past.

The median price for Bend listings rose slightly to $685,000 in March, while days on market drastically reduced from 51 days to only 13 days last month. On the other hand, Redmond's median sales price remained steady, while the days on market also experienced a decrease.

“Mortgage rates continue to trend down entering the traditional spring homebuying season. Unfortunately, those in the market to buy are facing a number of challenges, not the least of which is the low inventory of homes for sale, especially for aspiring first-time homebuyers,” says Freddie Mac.

As the spring market commences, the Central Oregon housing landscape exhibits a blend of positive and negative indicators, making it challenging to predict the remainder of the year.

“The further into Q2 we go without substantial inventory increase means it's less likely that we'll emerge from our shortage this year.” said Mike Simonsen of Altos Research. “Frankly, very few sellers. There's just no sign anywhere in the data that inventory will surge.”

Download the Full Report

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BEND AREA
$685,000
Median Price
13 Days on Market

REDMOND AREA
$439,000
Median Price
27 Days on Market

JEFFERSON COUNTY
$401,000
Median Price
68 Days on Market

SUNRIVER
$933,000
Median Price
27 Days on Market

LA PINE
$430,000
Median Price
99 Days on Market

SISTERS
$598,000
Median Price
70 Days on Market

CROOK COUNTY
$417,000
Median Price
71 Days on Market

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Thank you to Beacon Appraisal Group for compiling this report. Prepared by Donnie Montagner with information from the MLS of Central Oregon with permission from COAR.

If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

Just Listed: 5 Acres of Peak-a-boo Mountain Views!

Build your own custom home on 5 acres behind the gates of Longhorn Ridge.

Longhorn Ridge is a subdivision 10.5 miles from the township of Prineville. This five-acre parcel features Peak-a-boo mountain views and butte/terrain views. There is lots of space to build your dream home and the already established well house that is fully functional and power is available at the street. The area provides a setting of rolling high desert hills, and lovely homes nestled amongst the natural junipers. Streets are wide and freshly paved. Come build your dream home today. Minutes to Prineville Reservoir for epic water sports, and the Crooked River for fly fishing, hiking and enjoyment of all things nature. This is truly a lovely area and an all-around great subdivision.

Listed by Teri Axmaker for West + Main Homes. Please Contact Teri for current pricing + availability.

 

Have questions?
West + Main Homes
(405) 652-6635
hello@westandmain.com

Presented by:
Carin Cameron
541-350-8424

teri@westandmainoregon.com

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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Expand Plans for Equitable Housing

Both GSEs released updates to plans for increasing accessibility to affordable housing for underserved communities.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced on Wednesday new updates to their equitable housing finance plans, which outline the expansion of accessible and affordable housing available to underserved communities.

Fannie Mae is expanding a series of pilot programs, launching new initiatives and applying new research to its understanding of its consumer housing journey roadmap. Freddie Mac is expanding special purpose credit programs (SPCPs), increasing the availability of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and manufactured homes, and launching a correspondent lending program to assist smaller financial institutions with access to Freddie Mac’s multifamily financing.

Also, Freddie Mac’s DPA One, a down payment assistance digital platform, will be made available broadly this year and complements Freddie Mac’s SPCP efforts.

“Since the launch of our plan in 2022, we have made considerable progress in identifying meaningful ways to address historical challenges faced by underserved communities, particularly for Black and Latino people,” said Katrina Jones, vice president of racial equity strategy and impact at Fannie Mae. “When you add the present-day challenges of inadequate affordable housing supply and high housing costs, overcoming barriers to housing can seem harder than ever. But we are committed to making a fundamentally fairer and more equitable future for housing.”

Freddie Mac said progress has already been made with its plan and outlined additional changes it will implement.

“The actions laid out in this year’s Equitable Housing Finance Plan build upon the work we started last year to give families in underserved communities a more equitable chance to have a quality, affordable place to call home,” said Michael DeVito, CEO of Freddie Mac. “We have made meaningful progress over the last year, and we know there is much more to do. The update released today illustrates our commitment to help more families in the years to come.”

The specific actions that Fannie Mae will make were outlined in a blog post, which anticipates SPCPs will be used as a tool for “helping people in majority Black and Latino communities to buy their first home.” The GSE has also “created and implemented innovative ways to help people qualify for a mortgage, even if they have insufficient credit history.”

Accessibility to housing counseling is critical for Fannie Mae to achieve its goals, according to Jones.

“After completing over 11,000 counseling sessions in 2022 specifically addressing homeownership needs, we are expanding our efforts this year to help those facing financial hardship and improving access to information for long-term housing safety and stability,” Jones said. “We are also working alongside industry partners like HUD to bring comprehensive counseling opportunities to those in need and to test new counseling services in various parts of the country.”

SPCPs are a central fixture of Freddie Mac’s plan, and the organization plans to continue purchasing loans originated through lender SPCPs and its own program, “BorrowSmart Access,” which provides down payment assistance and borrower education to eligible families.

Freddie Mac also noted that it will assist renters on the path to homeownership in two ways: by establishing and improving credit scores of renters seeking to transition into homeownership, and “considering a history of on-time rent payments in loan purchase decisions.”

Freddie Mac’s renter credit-building initiative, which was launched in late 2021 and expanded earlier this year, has served 184,000 renters to date. It has also resulted in 27,000 renters establishing credit for the first time.

“We were able to make measurable headway on our Equitable Housing goals in year one by working closely with FHFA and other industry participants,” said Michael Hutchins, president of Freddie Mac. “Our 2023 Plan incorporates new thinking and lessons learned to ensure we are as effective and impactful as possible.”

The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) recently urged mortgage lenders to accelerate special purpose credit programs (SPCPs) to boost Black homeownership rates and help close the wealth gap between Black and white Americans.

Read more on Housing Wire.

Related Links

• Why Aren’t Home Prices Crashing?

• Best Cities to Buy a Home If You Want It To Grow In Value

• Found a Dream Home Without a Garage? Here’s What To Know About Building One

If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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