6 Southern Cities To Buy a Home If You Want To Be Rich in 10 Years
Where should you buy property if you want it to skyrocket in value over the next decade?
Whether you’re looking to move or simply buy an investment property, check out these six Southern cities poised to explode in value over the next 10 years.
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1. Dallas/Fort Worth
In the short term, Dallas and Fort Worth are seeing home prices soften, with Zillow reporting a 3.4% decline over the last 12 months.
“For a 10-year investor, that temporary market weakness is an opportunity because the headlines are bad and jobs are good,” said real estate agent Sain Rhodes with Clever Offers.
Indeed, the dual market ranked first in PwC’s 2026 Emerging Trends in Real Estate study for the second year in a row, highlighting Moody’s projections that it will lead job growth over the next five years.
Even better, plenty of submarkets around the cities offer their own perks and personalities. There's a place for everyone here.
2. Tampa/Clearwater/St. Petersburg, Florida
The Tampa Bay area has also seen property prices soften over the last year, dropping 3.1% per Zillow. Again, that spells opportunity for long-term investors looking to get in at a decent price.
“Tampa Bay offers plentiful sun, beautiful beaches and strong job opportunities,” said Realtor Omer Reiner of Florida Cash Buyers. “It’s outpacing Miami as a place to set down roots and know that your home will hold its value.”
3. Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville ranked first in the country for financial resiliency in a 2026 CardRates.com report.
“Huntsville has a robust economy, fueled by defense/aerospace,” said Rhodes. “The region needs nearly 36,000 developed lots by 2031 and only 12,400 exist today. “The current price-to-income ratio is estimated at around 4.3 times, so plenty of runway remains before affordability issues arise.”
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4. Savannah, Georgia
Famous for its antebellum architecture and Southern charm, Savannah’s economy is more diverse than most investors realize.
“Savannah’s experiencing a huge expansion in job creation and industrial development,” said real estate agent Ryann Brier of City Lights Home Buyers. “Its biggest asset is the port, with nearly 5.7 million TEUs moving through in 2025. Residents don’t need to rely on tourism or haunted houses to keep the economy booming with warehouse and trucking jobs.”
5. Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville still feels accessible for homebuyers and investors alike, unlike so many U.S. cities dotting the coasts.
Brier sees nothing but growth on the horizon for Greenville.
“With its Falls Park and charming downtown, Greenville is consistently rated one of the most walkable and pretty cities in America," she said. "It has solid population growth and economic growth, which have fueled home appreciation even as many cities stagnated last year.”
6. West Palm Beach, Florida
A stunning amount of wealth is flooding into West Palm Beach. Local real estate broker Jeff Lichtenstein of Echo Fine Properties sees the tide rising.
“Now referred to as ‘Wall Street South,’ it’s gentrifying fast," he said. "Vanderbilt is building a feeder school for all the big finance companies moving from New York and Chicago who don't want to pay big taxes along with the cold. Cranes have popped up everywhere and there’s no land left east of I-95.”
It’s a common enough tale in the Sun Belt, where residents enjoy better weather, lower taxes, major metro amenities and lifestyles — all for a fraction of the cost of Northeast and West Coast cities. Those regions see property prices barreling in just one direction over the next decade.
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This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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