The Chicago Association of Realtors found that home prices are showing the strongest growth in a cluster of southwest neighborhoods and suburbs around Midway Airport. As reported by Crain’s, nine communities in the area saw the median sale price of homes increase at least 10 percent in August.

Neighborhoods Archer Heights and Garfield Ridge, and inner-ring suburbs Cicero and Oak Lawn are among the communities that saw strong growth. This is great news for the portion of the city that has yet to see much of the comeback reported in the North Side neighborhoods since the recession. 

Typical homes in Archer Heights

During the housing downturn, foreclosures were common in the neighborhoods surrounding Midway Airport. In Cicero where foreclosed homes were the most frequent, there were 7.5 foreclosures for every 100 homes. The rate for all of Cook County was 3.1 per 100 homes.

Currently, the median home price in Cicero is $179,635, according to Altos Research. This is one community where home prices are actively rising and inventory is considerably lower than it was last year. 

All the communities in the Midway area are showing strong demand, which is helping to increase prices. Still, the area around Midway is a good place to find an affordable home compared with the rest of the city. Because of that, some homebuyers are facing tight competition and bidding against other buyers. 

Other neighborhoods that witnessed a more than 10 percent increase in median home price are North Lawndale, South Lawndale, Summit, and Gage Park. Burbank, Chicago Lawn, and McKinley Park all saw increases of 9 to 10 percent. Neighborhoods below the 10 percent mark are expected to reach the double digits by the end of 2017.