Realtor.com publishes a new ranking of the best and worst U.S. states to buy a home in 2026, according to two outlets that summarize the results. The list places Midwest and Southern states among the top picks overall, while other regions appear less favorable in the same ranking. The outlets note that the ranking is based on Realtor.com’s assessment of conditions relevant to homebuyers, and they present the results as “best” and “worst” states for the upcoming year. While the articles headline the top and bottom states, both sources focus on broader regional patterns—highlighting that the Midwest and South lead the “best” category. The coverage does not indicate that the underlying methodology or specific state-by-state criteria differ across outlets; both attribute the rankings to Realtor.com and report the same general conclusion about regional performance.