If you're looking for a place to either purchase or else sell your next home, River Falls, Wisconsin isn't a bad place to start. In a comparison of 10 Wisconsin cities of comparable size stretching from New Richmond to the north, further south down to Madison, and even out all the way to Green Bay, River Falls in Pierce County ranked third when scored by the group Smart Asset for cities with a healthy real estate market. This was behind New London and Weston, but ahead of Fort Atkinson and New Richmond, respectively.

The comparison aims 'to provide the best personal finance advice on the web' according to the 'about' page on its website at www.smartasset.com, calculates its numbers from a weighted score that measures a housing market's affordability (40%), stability (20%), risk of loss(20%), and housing market fluidity or ease of sale (20%). Of the four different categories, only stability is measured by combining two different values, the number of years people stay in a home and the percentage of homeowners with negative equity (owing more than the home is worth). When figures weren't available for one of the four categories in a given area, those cities were excluded from the final rankings of the healthiest home markets. With the preceding paragraph as necessary background then, what do the rankings say?

Starting out in first place is New London in Dane County, with an average of 17.7 years average home residence, a negative home equity rate of 7.9 percent, 10.2 percent of homes decreasing in value, 91.9 days average spent on the market, an overall home cost by income percentage of 16.6 percent, and a Healthiest Markets Index rating of 91.90 out of 100.

Next up is Weston, Wisconsin, located along Highway 29 just east of Wausau. Registering a total of 14,868 people at the last census in 2010, Weston came out with a score of 12.5 years average home residence, a 6.4 percent negative home equity rate, an average of 7.0 percent of homes that decreased in value over the comparison period, and almost a third of a year or 102.9 days spent on the real estate market. Additionally, home cost in Weston balanced out at 17.8 percent of buyer's income, and a Healthiest Markets Index of 89.89 percent. After Weston comes River Falls.

With an average home residence of 16.7 years along with just 7.9 percent of homes with a negative home equity rate, the 'City on the Kinni' saw an average 8.3 percent of homes decrease in value over the length of the comparison by Smart Asset. For those looking to sell their homes, there was an average 91.0 days wait to get a buyer and 19.0 percent of income went to home expenses, for a Housing Markets Index score of 87.99 out of 100 on the real estate comparison. Not included in the strictly budget crunching comparison but worth considering by all are the following advantages of looking in River Falls: Settled by Dr. Joel Foster in 1848, the year of Wisconsin statehood. Dr. Foster said that River Falls was the 'New England of the Northwest,' with excellent trout fishing and pure water.

While only having 15,000 residents at the last census in 2010, River Falls is nonetheless home to a branch of the University of Wisconsin as well as a campus of the Chippewa Valley Technical College, offering residents an excellent opportunity to further their education closeby.

Located on the Kinnickinnic River, the city of River Falls is both rural and urban; rural enough to still enjoy the scenery but also having people to share one's life with.

Finally, for pet lovers, there is a dog park off County Highway FF which is open from dawn until dusk, allowing one's furry friends to socialize and get a little time with their relatives, which is good for their health and weight.

The above are just some of the additional advantages of living in River Falls versus other cities.

Moving down the list of comparative real estate markets, fourth place on the list of comparison cities goes to Fort Atkinson southeast of Madison. Located at the junction of Highways 12 and 26 in Jefferson County, Fort Atkinson has an average home residence score of 12.8 years, with a 6.4 percent negative home equity rate. Additionally, 6.7 percent of homes in Fort Atkinson saw a decrease in value over the period of comparison, while those looking to sell waited an average of 106.3 days on the market before finding a buyer. Finally, the cost of a home taken as percentage of income in Fort Atkinson was 19.2 percent of buyer income, with an overall weighted score in the Home Markets Index of 85.56, out of 100.

Last in our list of fully comparative figures comes New Richmond, Wisconsin, with an average home residence of 15.7 years, a negative home equity rate for residents of 7.3 percent, with 10.6 percent of homes decreasing in value over the comparison period . The average days spent on the market for a home in New Richmond was 97.5, and the cost of owning a home was tagged at 17.9 percent of the buyer's income. Finally, the overall weighted score for New Richmond on the Home Markets Index was 83.46.

As for the other five cities compared by Smart Asset, the following short summary must suffice. Taken by order of their listing by Smart Asset for healthy home markets was Reedsburg, Wisconsin in sixth place with an overall score of 83.10, Appleton, Wisconsin in seventh with a score of 82.70, Green Bay, Wisconsin in eighth with a score of 80.87, Eau Claire, Wisconsin in ninth with a score of 79.41, and Middleton, Wisconsin in tenth just outside the state capital, with a score on the Home Markets Index of 78.28.