by : Real Estate Advisor

In a study of the 100 biggest housing markets by population in the United States, Fiserv Lending Solutions has come up with top five cities that are predicted to have the maximum home price gains and bottom five that are expected to show price declines from April 2007 to April 2008.

The top 5 cities that are slated to show home price gains are as follows:

1.McAllen, Texas: It's good news for McAllen home buyers with Fiserv forecasting a price gain of 9.8 percent over the next year for this Texas city. The projected price change for the five year period is 26.5 %. The city's median home price is $130,000 and median mortgage loan as a percentage of income is 25 %. McAllen's worst one year decline was at 12.3 % during '88 to '89.

2.Tulsa, Oklahoma: The home prices are bound to grow by 4.3 % from this April to the next. The city is expected to have a home price change of 17.6 % over the next five years. Tulsa's year of worst decline was during '86 to '87 and the slump during this decline was 7.5 %. The median home price is $135,000 and the median mortgage loan makes up to 14 % of the income.

3.El Paso, Texas: Another city of Texas where home prices are expected to rise, El Paso has a median home price of $130,000. The median mortgage loan forms 14 % of the median income. The projected price change for the next 5 years is at 17.6 %. El Paso's worst one-year decline was during '87 to '88 when it experienced a home price decline by 17.5 %.

4.Scranton, Pennsylvania: Scranton's home prices are forecasted to increase by 3.9 % over the next one year. The city has a median home price of $118,000. With the median mortgage loan at 13 % of the income, Scranton makes a good buying market for homes this year. Home prices are slated to increase steadily with the 5 year projection at 41.2 %. The city experienced its worst price decline of 7.2 % between '94 and '95.

5.Rochester, New York: Rochester is projected to have a 3.7 % increase in home prices over the next 12 months. The median home price is at $122,000 and the median mortgage loan is 11 % of the income. The five year price change is at 22.4 %. The city's worst one year decline was at 4.1 % during '94 to '95.

The following are the bottom five cities of the list of 100 biggest housing markets.

1.Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Prices are falling in this city and are expected to slump down by 5.5 % by April 2008. The median home price is at $345,000 and the median mortgage loan consists of 31 % of the income. The five year price change is at 128.4 %. The city had experienced its worst year of decline through '88 to'89 at 3.1 %.

2.Phoenix, Arizona: Home prices are expected to slack by 5.5 % in the next 12 months. The median home price is at $271,000 and the median mortgage loan forms 26 % of the income. The five year price change for Phoenix is at 103.8 %. The year of worst decline has been from '81 to '82 with price decline of 6.0 %.

3.Nassau/Suffolk, New York: Home prices may fall by 6 % over the next year in this metro area. The median home price is at $483,000 and the median mortgage loan forms 31 % of the income. The five year price change is at 76.3 % and the city saw the worst decline in home price in '88-'89 when prices came down by 6.6 %.

4.Miami, Florida: Price drops of as much as 8.8 % are expected in the Miami housing market. The median home price is at $335,000 and the median mortgage loan forms 41 % of the income. The forecast predicts a five year price change of 149.3 %. The city's year of worst decline was during '88 to '89 with a downswing of home prices at 4.3 %.

5.Las Vegas, Nevada: The fall in home prices is forecasted at the highest in Las Vegas at 8.9 % during a one year period from April 2007 to April 2008. The median home price is $325,000 and the median mortgage loan consists of 33 % of the income. The five year price change is at 119.8 %. The worst one year decline that the city experienced was at 17 % during '88 to '89.