The best housing markets forecast in the U.S. in 2012 are represented by a wide cross-section of cities that are recovering from the real estate crash. These communities represent the fact that all real estate markets are local in nature driven by individual political and economic influences, despite national lending requirements for home mortgages.

Strong demand for corn and soy beans in farming leads Kansas City, Kansas to top the list with forecast appreciation of 5.8% for the year, followed by Topeka, Kansas and Charleston, West Virginia. As a state that has suffered with poverty and hard times for generations, West Virginia lands three markets on the best 25 list for the year as it benefits from newcomers moving to the state for its housing affordability.

Wyoming, North Dakota, New York, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Louisiana and Kansas all land multiple cities on the Housing Predictor best markets for the year as the nation finally makes progress towards recovering from the real estate collapse.

The recovery is starting in housing with these cities and will eventually spread to other communities throughout the nation as the U.S. recovers from the worst collapse in real estate since the Great Depression.