Lower Merion Named Among Top Suburbs To Buy A House In State

Lower Merion is one of the best suburban locations in Pennsylvania to buy a home, according to a new ranking by Niche Local.

The township was ranked 65th in Pennsylvania. Nearby, Narberth also made the list at 4 and ranked 17th in the national top 100.

“Niche ranks US suburbs based on home values, property taxes, housing costs, and age of new home buyers,” the study said. “A high ranking indicates that a suburb attracts residents with a good housing market where property taxes and housing costs are in line with value.”

A dozen factors were considered, the most important of which were home value to income ratio, median home value, monthly housing cost, and percentage of residents between the ages of 25 and 44.

Education grade was also given 10 percent of the weight in the overall calculation. Lower Merion was given an “A+” average for all categories.

Several Philadelphia area suburbs did very well on the ranking. West Conshohocken was ranked first in the entire nation. Conshohocken (8), Bridgeport (22), Tredyffrin (41), Ambler (62), Upper Merion (78), Montgomery Township (84), and Upper Providence (96) all scored in the top 100 countrywide.