New list shows hottest zip codes for home sales in nation, Bay Area

CAMPBELL, Calif. (KGO) -- A breakdown of zip codes nationwide reveals the hottest places to buy a home in the Bay Area.

All the areas ranked in Realtor.com's top 50 list have several things in common, higher than average growth, strong employment and populations with much higher incomes. Beyond that, they each have their own unique charm.

Sherry and Keith Lee live in one of the most desirable zip codes in the country, 95008. They said they had no idea about the growing popularity of Campbell.

"We didn't know that. We just knew it was a fun place and still had an old time feel when you walk off the main street," Lee said.

Realtor.com ranks Campbell's 95008 the 19th most desirable zip code in the country. The Lee's point to the city's thriving downtown and small town charm that make it popular. Among Campbell's 41,000 residents are generations of families who grew up and still live in the city.

"If you walk the streets you get a little bit of feel for that history. It's a very friendly neighborhood and it's just got a nice feel to it," Keith Lee said.

Homes sell from the low $800,000s to $1.5 million.

Mike Hammill of Alain Pinel realtors say Campbell once was just a suburb of San Jose, but now is fast gaining a reputation of its own.

"I'd say most homes stay on the market for about a week," said Mike Hammill of Alain Pinel Realtors. "They have one weekend of open house, and then they have a deadline for offers and they sell a week later."

Realtor.com ranks 94115 in San Francisco as the most desirable neighborhood in the Bay Area, 11th overall in the country. It includes much of Pacific Heights and the Western Addition.

Shaban Shakoori is moving his family of four into the neighborhood. He's renovating a four-unit residence and plans to live on the top floor and rent out the three other units.

Shakoori paid $3 million and is putting in another $500,000 for renovations.

"This neighborhood really has it all. It has weather, it has location, quality housing, a lot of the old San Francisco character," Shakoor said.

Homes sell here for $1 to $3 million. Serena greening is of home street bank.

"So while everything here appreciated last year overall, 18 percent, this neighborhood probably appreciated 30 percent," Greening said.

Several other Bay Area neighborhoods made the list. Petaluma at number 17; American Canyon at 31; and Vacaville at 35 are experiencing a spill over effect from those cities more centrally located in the Bay Area.

A combination of millennials looking to move into home ownership and baby boomers with cash are fueling the demand.

The homes in the top 10 nationally are much more affordable. Melrose, north of Boston, ranks number 1.

Top 50 Zip Codes in the U.S.

1. 02176 Melrose, MA

2. 43085 Columbus, OH
3. 80122 Littleton, CO
4. 75023 Plano, TX
5. 48375 Novi, MI
6. 78247 San Antonio, TX
7. 63126 Saint Louis, MO
8. 78729 Austin, TX
9. 58103 Fargo, ND
10. 92010 Carlsbad, CA
11. 94115 San Francisco, CA
12. 07028 Glen Ridge, NJ
13. 37210 Nashville, TN
14. 14625 Rochester, NY
15. 66214 Overland Park, KS
16. 91354 Valencia, CA
17. 94954 Petaluma, CA
18. 59102 Billings, MT
19. 95008 Campbell, CA
20. 80603 Brighton, CO
21. 02048 Mansfield, MA
22. 27560 Morrisville, NC
23. 14221 Buffalo, NY
24. 93433 Grover Beach, CA
25. 40205 Louisville, KY
26. 50010 Ames, IA
27. 20151 Chantilly, VA
28. 28273 Charlotte, NC
29. 97214 Portland, OR
30. 67212 Wichita, KS
31. 94503 American Canyon, CA
32. 97078 Beaverton, OR
33. 62629 Chatham, IL
34. 48103 Ann Arbor, MI
35. 95687 Vacaville, CA
36. 80501 Longmont, CO
37. 95661 Roseville, CA
38. 03110 Bedford, NH
39. 68701 Norfolk, NE
40. 98112 Seattle, WA
41. 30269 Peachtree City, GA
42. 23233 Henrico, VA
43. 06092 West Simsbury, CT
44. 49534 Grand Rapids, MI
45. 21042 Ellicott City, MD
46. 68144 Omaha, NE
47. 46804 Fort Wayne, IN
48. 01772 Southborough, MA
49. 93004 Ventura, CA
50. 32792 Winter Park, FL