Where to shop for a home if you're looking for more options

If you've been looking for a new home but tight inventory has made the search difficult, Realtor.com, the official website of the National Association of Realtors, has two lists that you may find useful.

Of the few downsides of the housing recovery, low numbers of available homes have been a setback for many home buyers. The economy has picked up and unemployment rates are improving. As a result, there are many people who want to buy a home. However, demand has greatly outweighed supply on a national scale. Some local markets, on the other hand, are actually faring better in regard to inventory, as noted by Realtor.com's list of 10 cities that showed a noticeable rise in housing inventory.

The site previously reported a 10-percent gain year over year for national inventory, and the markets on the list showed at least 38-percent growth over the past 12 months:

1. Stockton, Calif. (101 percent year-over-year gain)
2. Fresno, Calif. (53 percent)
3. Bakersfield, Calif. (52 percent)
4. Orlando, Fla. (49 percent)
5. Riverside, Calif. (46 percent)
6. Phoenix (45 percent)
7. Oakland, Calif. (42 percent)
8. Minneapolis (38 percent)
9. Lakeland, Fla. (38 percent)
10. Buffalo, N.Y. (38 percent)

Top cities for single-family homes

If you're particularly in the market for a detached home, Realtor.com presented a separate list based on data from the National Association of Home Builders ranking the 10 cities with the largest percentage of homeowners living in single-family homes. The site noted that while it may be easy to guess that the cities with the lowest percentage are New York and Philadelphia, the locations with the highest percentage are a little less obvious. One unifying trend across most of the group, however, is that they are in the Midwest. Here's the complete list:

1. Wausau, Wis. (96 percent single-family homes)
2. Modesto, Calif. (94 percent)
3. Green Bay, Wis. (94 percent)
4. Decatur, Ill. (93.9 percent)
5. Fort Wayne, Ind. (93.8 percent)
6. Omaha (93.7 percent)
7. Lafayette, Ind. (93.5 percent)
8. Lima, Ohio (93.5 percent)
9. Appleton, Wis. (93.4 percent)
10. Canton, Ohio (93.2 percent)

Don't forget about the home inspection

Even after you find a city that has the inventory you need, don't forget to have a thorough inspection conducted by a professional prior to closing on a property. This can help you ensure that you're getting a quality home.