MOUNTAIN TOP -- One community in our region has been named the top place for home ownership in Pennsylvania.
The consumer group NerdWallet named Mountain Top in Luzerne County the best place in the state to buy a home.
NerdWallet is a consumer group that analyzes financial information about credit cards, insurance, and mortgages. It named Mountain Top the top place in Pennsylvania to buy a home, based on home values, availability, affordability, and growth in the area.
Take a drive through Fairview Township in Mountain Top and you'll notice something: large, beautiful homes and a fair amount of for sale signs.
"There were five houses when we moved here. We were one of the first five, and it doesn't take long to sell in here, probably no more than a month," said Sharyn Wurst of Fairview Township.
Experts say this availability of homes in Mountain Top is just one of the reasons Nerd Wallet named it the top place to buy a home in Pennsylvania.
NerdWallet's study shows that the population of Mountain Top has increased in recent years. That and the affordability of the homes also helped Mountain Top top the list.
"There's a lot of higher-end homes, and it seems like the houses in the $200,000 mark are really selling a little bit faster right now," said realtor Pam McGovern.
McGovern isn't just a realtor here. She also runs the Mountain Top welcome club.
"Our members live in all the different neighborhoods, so we always look for people moving in and invite them."
It wasn't mentioned in the study, but every person we spoke with mentioned Crestwood School District. They say because it's so good, it increases the value of the homes here.
"We heard about the great school districts and how it's good to raise families up here," said Julia Albu of Fairview Township.
"The first thing we looked at was the school district when we moved here 22 years ago because we did have four children in school. This neighborhood has really appreciated. We're really fortunate," Wurst added.
Weigelstown and Hershey near York and Harrisburg were the closest Pennsylvania cities to our region to also make the top ten of best places in Pennsylvania to buy a home.