Which zip codes in your market are heating up right now? Which school systems are trending? Which communities — including competitors’ — are pulling the most clicks? Get a high-level view of where the market’s attention is going across four toggleable views.
Who can access this? Admins, Managers, and Portal Viewers on divisions subscribed to NHB Sales Portal Pro. Learn more about user roles →
Top Areas on NHB Dashboard – toggle between different price brackets and time periods
IN THIS ARTICLE
Jump to Section
Top Areas on NHB gives you a ranked list of the places in your market where buyers and agents are spending the most attention.
Each entry shows a rank number, area name, an impressions bar (blue), a clicks bar (purple), and a trend arrow showing how the area’s Momentum has shifted vs. the previous period. The list is ranked top-to-bottom by NHB Momentum™, so the area with the most meaningful buyer engagement sits at the top.
At the top of the dashboard, you’ll see four toggle chips. Each one reframes the same data through a different geographic or administrative lens.
📮
Zip Code
The most granular view. Useful when you’re evaluating which specific zip codes are drawing buyer interest. Great for spotting rising zip codes before the rest of the market catches on.
🏙️
City
A broader view of which cities in your market are pulling attention. Helpful for strategic conversations about where to expand or where demand might be softening.
🎓
School System
Gold for family-market builders. School district is a top driver for move-up and family buyers. This view tells you which districts are actively winning buyer attention right now.
🏘️
Community
The closest view to your direct competition. Ranks individual communities (yours and competitors’) by Momentum. If a competitor’s community is climbing fast, you’ll see it here.
Each area’s row shows two bars side by side — impressions on top (blue), clicks on the bottom (purple). Both are sized relative to the top-performing area in each category.
At a glance, the bars tell you something the raw rank can’t. There are three patterns worth knowing.
Both bars long
High visibility and high engagement. Buyers are seeing and clicking these areas. Strong demand top to bottom.
Long impressions, short clicks
Lots of visibility but weak engagement. Homes in this area are showing up in searches but buyers aren’t digging deeper. Could mean pricing, photos, or inventory mix isn’t landing.
The sleeper hit ✨
Fewer people see these homes, but those who do are clicking at a high rate. A strong buyer-intent signal — and often the most interesting areas to investigate further.
NHB Momentum™ is the AI-powered ranking signal that determines which areas show up at the top of this list. Here’s the short version of how it works.
✨ NHB Momentum™
Different actions carry different weights in our scoring system. A buyer submitting a tour request in a community carries more weight than a click on a search result, for example.
Momentum looks at how an area’s total weighted score changes over your selected time period compared to the previous period of equal length. So what you’re seeing isn’t just a snapshot of activity — it’s a signal of where an area is headed.
↑
Green up
Momentum increased vs. previous period
↓
Red Down
Momentum dropped vs. previous period
→
Sideways
Momentum stayed about the same
Hover over any arrow to see the exact percentage change.
Three controls drive what you see on Top Areas on NHB.
Use the 7-day view to spot what’s hot right now. Use the 90-day view for more stable, less volatile rankings that reflect longer-term market direction. For a deeper look at how filters work across the whole Dashboard, see the Dashboard Overview.
This dashboard rewards different uses depending on what view you’re in. Here’s how to get the most from each:
WEEKLY
Start with the Community view for competitive intel
It’s the fastest way to see which competitors are winning buyer attention right now. If a competitor community shot up the rankings this month, it’s worth understanding why — new incentives, new phase release, or new media attention.
MONTHLY
Use School System view for family-buyer planning
School district rankings tend to be more stable than zip code or community rankings, and they predict family-buyer demand well. A rising district often signals the next wave of demand before it shows up in pricing data.
MONTHLY
Watch for rising areas before they peak
An area with a strong green up arrow and a shorter impressions bar is often an early indicator of a trend. Getting in front of that — with inventory, incentives, or marketing — is how you stay ahead of the competition.
QUARTERLY
Use the Zip Code view for land acquisition
Zip codes that consistently rank near the top across multiple quarters are signals worth bringing into broader strategy conversations — including land planning and new community decisions.
PRO TIP
Switch between all four views for the full picture
The same area can look strong in one view and weak in another. A zip code might be hot, but the one school system inside it could be stronger or weaker. Toggling between views builds a more complete understanding than relying on any single view.
Have questions about Top Areas on NHB or NHB Market Trends?
Market Home Snapshot →
PRO
How Buyers Engage with the Market →
PRO
Top Performing Homes →
PRO
Top Performing Agents →
PRO
Sales Portal Dashboard Overview →
FREE
