City rulebooks

One of the most competitive single-family markets in the country: most houses sell over asking, and buyers are expected to study the seller-provided inspections before they offer. What a lot can become is set by layered local rules (single-story overlays, Individual Review for second stories, protected trees, flood zones) sitting on top of generous state housing laws.

A dense, older housing stock where city rent control, a steep tiered transfer tax and strict local review shape what a building is worth. It also has the best open permit data in the region, so a buyer can check a property's history in detail.

The largest Bay Area city, with more varied lots and prices than the peninsula, but the same fast, pre-inspected offer culture. A transfer-tax cliff above $2.3M and state housing laws that let many single-family lots add units are what set it apart.

A city of overlays: hillside and floor-area limits, historic districts and very high fire hazard zones decide what a lot can hold. It also has the heaviest transfer tax of any West Coast city once Measure ULA applies, and its own fast-track rules for rebuilding after the January 2025 fires.

A market where transfer costs are low and the city once offered one of the most generous ADU programs in California. The 2025 rollback of that bonus program, plus Mello-Roos taxes in newer developments, make the details of each lot matter.

Washington's graduated real estate excise tax makes expensive homes costly to transfer, while state middle-housing law now lets most Seattle residential lots hold several homes. A new statewide rent cap and a pending citywide upzone mean the rules for investors are still moving.

Oregon bans new transfer taxes and does not reassess a home on sale, so buying costs and the inherited tax bill are unusually favorable. Portland already allows up to four homes on most residential lots and lets middle housing be split onto separate lots.

Transfer costs are nearly zero and property tax grows slowly, but most newer homes sit inside HOAs whose rules state ADU law does not override. Extreme heat and long-term water supply are the risks that set this market apart.

Colorado is the rare state where ADU law overrides HOA bans, and Denver now allows an ADU in every residential zone with no owner-occupancy rule. Transfer costs are tiny, while hail and a deadline-driven contract are what catch buyers out.

Austin has moved from a large-lot, single-family code to allowing up to 3 units on most residential lots and lots as small as 1,800 sq ft (the HOME reforms). Texas is a non-disclosure state, so sale prices are not public and price estimates are less reliable than in most of the country.

Houston has no use zoning: lot size, setbacks and density come from Chapter 42, private deed restrictions and post-Harvey floodplain rules instead. Small lots down to 1,400 sq ft fuel the townhome boom, while flood exposure is the single biggest value driver.

Dallas keeps conventional zoning (Chapter 51A) where backyard units are not allowed by right in most single-family districts, so lot upside depends on overlays and hearings. Texas-wide 2025 laws (SB 840, SB 15, HB 24) mainly open commercial land and new subdivisions, not existing infill lots.

Chicago combines a contract-based attorney review, a city transfer tax that falls mostly on the buyer, and Cook County's notoriously complex property tax system. A citywide coach-house (ADU) ordinance took effect in April 2026, but 14 wards opted out.

Minneapolis requires a city-licensed Truth in Sale of Housing (TISH) evaluation before a home can even be shown, giving buyers a public first look at defects. The 2040 Plan allows up to 3 units on residential lots, and the lawsuit that froze it was effectively ended in 2024.

In New York an accepted offer binds no one until the attorney-drafted contract is signed and the deposit paid, so all diligence happens before signing. Co-op boards can reject buyers without a reason, and a stack of transfer, mansion and mortgage recording taxes makes closing costs among the highest in the country.

Boston uses a two-step contract in which a signed Offer to Purchase can already be binding, and there is no mandatory general seller disclosure form. Since Feb 2025 state law allows one ADU by right on single-family lots, while rent control remains banned.

Philadelphia has one of the highest transfer taxes in the country: 4.578% combined since July 1, 2025, usually split between buyer and seller. Rowhouse lots zoned single-family often need a variance to add units, so a free per-address lookup in Atlas is the first step for any upside plan.

DC combines a $400,000 transfer-tax cliff, rent control on most pre-1976 rentals and the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), which can add months to buying a tenant-occupied property. ADUs are generally allowed by right on single-family lots, but historic districts and the federal Height Act shape what can be built.

In Miami, insurance, flood exposure and condo building health drive value as much as the house itself. Post-Surfside laws require milestone inspections and fully funded structural reserves (SIRS) for condo buildings of 3+ stories, which has split the market between older buildings facing assessments and newer ones holding value.

Georgia requires an attorney at closing, and buyers negotiate a due diligence period in which they can walk away freely. Property tax rules are in flux: the 2026 HOME Act makes an inflation cap on homestead assessments mandatory statewide from 2027, while Atlanta's zoning rewrite has slipped to 2027.