I am just south of one of the hottest markets in the US (Portland OR), and of the 58 units we have bought this year and 14 additional in contract on: 2 were MLS, 2 were off-market (same broker, who was in the office of the seller of one of those MLS deals.)There is no magic pocket listing club that a secret handshake gets you into.

My question is - what are currently the hottest real estate markets in the US, and more importantly, how do you evaluate real estate markets as a whole?

The foreclosures in the hottest areas end up under contract sometimes within hours of being listed.

News, RealWealth and several others for "one of the hottest real estate markets in the country", "best city for rental return" and "best cities to buy a rental property for investment".

You asked “how feasible” house hacking was in some of North Jersey’s hottest markets so your monthly housing expenses would be zero out of pocket while only putting 3.5% down.

The Advanced Guide to Real Estate Investing: How to Identify the Hottest Markets and Secure the Best Deals

This is why Tacoma is the hottest real estate in the US right now and high-income households are migrating to this area - you get all the good parts of Seattle for half the price. 

Hot Spot no pun intended its probably the hottest spot in the US thats not in death valley LOL

And remember that Florida is one of the hottest rental markets in the nation.So do the math and if it works, forget about where you want to vacation....

Just thought I would chime in as a prospective buyer in one of the hottest markets in America the last 48 months.