WHERE THE HEAT IS
These are tough times for first-time homebuyers. The median price of a home in the U.S. jumped nearly 7 percent in March, to $236,400. And there's no end in sight to the increases, with home prices having risen year over year for 61 straight months, the National Association of Realtors reports. By contrast, the median price of homes bought by first-time buyers comes is well below that at $182,500, The New York Times reported after crunching NAR data. Fortunately, there are a number of markets across the country -- cities and their suburbs -- where prices are friendlier for first-time buyers.