How does the outlook for Puget Sound homes compare with other areas of the country?

Seattle is ranked sixth on Trulia’s list of the nation’s “healthiest” housing markets for 2013.

The popular real estate website defined healthy markets as those boasting some of the nation’s strongest job growth, lowest vacancy rates, and lowest foreclosure inventories.

Rising prices were not included as part of Trulia’s definition of a healthy local housing market because many of the markets with the largest price gains in 2012 were rebounding from huge price declines during the bust and still have weak fundamentals, such as high vacancy rates, large foreclosure inventories, or slow job growth.

Jed Kolko, Trulia’s chief economist, identified the following housing markets as the healthiest for 2013:
1. Houston
2. San Francisco
3. Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md.
4. San Antonio
5. Austin
6. Seattle
7. Omaha, NE