In a period of economic recession and financial insecurity, building a new home could seem like a daunting and risky task. In many ways it actually is, a lot of which depends on the market in which you plan to buy or build a new home. The good news, no, make that great news is that Forbes ranked Pittsburgh this year’s number one best housing market in the country! According to Forbes, Pittsburgh as a housing opportunity index of 85.1. This is a measurement of market success calculated by measuring what percent of median-income residents in a given area can afford a median-priced home. Therefore, the higher the housing opportunity index, the better the housing market.Another positive statistic Forbes listed about the Pittsburgh housing market is the percentage of houses in foreclosure. While the percentage of foreclosures nationwide has reached alarming levels, Pittsburgh has managed to maintain a relatively secure housing market with only .83 of housing units in foreclosure, according to Forbes.Pittsburgh’s recent Forbes ranking doesn’t simply reflect that this city has managed to keep their head above water while everyone else drowns in the housing collapse. This ranking doesn’t just denote this city as the least bad. Pittsburgh is actually improving and stabilizing its housing market. It was only a few years ago that Pittsburgh was finding itself on the “worst” lists for housing markets and now, according to some, it’s at the top. Some suggest that it is the predominantly healthcare and education market in Pittsburgh that are providing stability. While Pittsburgh was once a manufacturing hub that would have felt the effects of a recession very profoundly, a service driven market like it has today is not immune, but more resistant to economic downturn.So if you’re thinking about building a home anytime soon, don’t let the headlines scare you, Pittsburgh’s the place to do it.