Zillow, the online real-estate marketplace, ranked Kent as the second-best college town in the country in its list of rankings of the best housing markets of 2023. Among the rankings were also Vermilion, Ohio, as the best vacation town in America and Stow, Ohio, as the sixth most popular housing market overall. 

The number one spot for best college town was taken by West Chester, Pennsylvania, with Kent coming in second. 

The ranking was based on housing metrics from Zillow such as home value, days on the market, consumer demand and page-view traffic. College towns were defined by having 20% or more of the population being enrolled in college. 

Janet Dauber, a local realtor in Kent with Keller Williams Chervenic Realty, said that Kent State University plays a big part in the town’s appeal. 

“The trend I’ve been seeing recently is that parents who are putting their children through school find that it’s a better investment for them to purchase a home for their children while they’re attending the university,” Dauber said.

Dauber said that owning a home is one of the best ways to earn money steadily, and that the increased investment in the area is sparking further growth outside students. 

“Even if it’s just for four years, the way our homes have been appreciating in the area, even after four years, most people walk away with a little change in their pockets at the end of the day,” Dauber said. 

She attributes that temporary spending to the long-term health of the area.

“I think it really has created a really great atmosphere here in Kent. It’s really helped our home values to remain very strong and steady too,” Dauber said. “And I don’t see that changing really anytime soon.”

Having the university situated so close to downtown also creates a unique dynamic within the city of Kent. 

Anna Ciano-Hendricks, a broker/owner at RE/MAX in Kent, says that she really enjoys the diversity on display within the city. 

“The university has a really cool vibe, and I think people look for that. We’re a really cool college town,” Ciano-Hendricks said. “You have all walks of life where it’s not just bars downtown for [students]. There’s a wide variety of bars and restaurants that cater to a lot of people.”

Stow, which is situated right next to Kent, was voted sixth overall in the nation for housing markets, with some connection being drawn to its proximity to Kent. 

“If you want Kent, it’s a very popular area, it has been for a couple years. It’s usually sold out, so you’ll have a lot of people who move to other areas,” Ciano-Hendricks said.

She said that Kent is an immensely popular area, which spurs potential home buyers out to the surrounding areas. In Kent, there are only four active homes currently available for purchase. In 2023 in the 44240 zip code, 292 homes sold in Kent, with 206 of those being on the market for 30 days or less. 

“There’s a lot of people who want to move to the Kent area but can’t because of lack of inventory, or lack of finances,” she said. “Brimfield township, the taxes are cheaper, you might be able to buy a house. You’ll have people go to the neighboring areas in Brimfield or Ravenna or Stow.”

Still, Ciano-Hendricks maintains that the area has plenty of aspects that make it attractive to potential homebuyers already. 

“The Midwest is a really affordable place to live. You have a lot of people coming here from out of state and it’s a lot cheaper than, say, the East Coast or West Coast,” she said. 

She said places like Cleveland Clinic and NEOMED (Northeast Ohio Medical University) can draw a lot of people to the area with the promise of jobs and the appeal of not being located in a big city. 

“You have all these amazing things in Ohio that I think draws people to us because of the jobs available. All those different universities are amazing too,” Ciano-Hendricks said. 

Ciano-Hendricks said the popularity here can bring investment, further boosting the numbers for housing in the area. 

“We have a lot of people who want to invest in real estate, and if you have a university town, it’s a great place to invest,” she said. “A lot of our investors can be international or out of state. That’s a big huge drive too.” 

She said the Zillow ranking isn’t shocking, as someone who works in real estate. 

“I’m not shocked by [the ranking] at all,” Ciano-Hendricks said. “I can’t see myself or my husband living anywhere else.”

Andrew Bowie is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected]