July 24, 2018 – Ashburn, VA:
IBTS congratulates home of IBTS Chairman, Mayor Craig Thurmond, on topping the list of best cities for first-time homebuyers.
The Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors Chairman, Mayor Craig Thurmond’s town of Broken Arrow, OK, has received the honor of being named the Best City for First-Time Home Buyers by WalletHub, a personal finance website. This is the second time that the city has received this award since 2014.
Buying a home for the first time is an exciting experience that requires careful consideration of a number of factors. To ease this process, WalletHub compared 300 U.S. cities of varying sizes across 27 key indicators of market attractiveness, affordability, and quality of life. Their data set ranges from cost of living to property-crime rate and scores cities based on the most favorable conditions for first-time homebuyers. Broken Arrow scored well in each category, giving it the first place overall ranking.
“It’s no surprise to me that Broken Arrow is the best city for first-time homeowners in America. Your money goes farther here, meaning you can purchase a higher value home than you could in other parts of the country,” said Mayor Thurmond. “Broken Arrow has a low crime rate, excellent schools, high-paying jobs in and near the city, and a wide variety of recreational and cultural amenities making it an attractive place for people to buy their first house.”
This is not the first honor Broken Arrow has taken home this year. The city was also recently named one of USA Today’s Top 50 Charming Main Streets Across the USA and received the 2018 City Livability Award during the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s 86th Annual Meeting. Many of these commendations come as a result of the City’s downtown revitalization plan that was launched in 2005, elevating the quality of life and making it an attractive location for homeowners.
“On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to congratulate Mayor Thurmond on all of his city’s recent successes,” said Ashok Goswami, Chief Executive Officer at IBTS. “We are delighted to have him serve as Chairman on our Board of Directors and look forward to his continued guidance.”
To read the full WalletHub report, please visit https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-cities-for-first-time-home-buyers/5564/.
Press Contact:
Karen Johnson
Market Engagement Program Director
kjohnson@ibts.org
About IBTS:
IBTS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to helping communities through quality services that reduce risk, enhance public safety, and improve quality of life. IBTS is headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia with branch offices across the country. IBTS’s work is guided by a Board of Directors made up of government officials appointed by five of the most highly respected, grassroots, state and local governmental associations, including the Council of State Governments (CSG), International City/County Management Association (ICMA), National Association of Counties (NACo), National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), and National League of Cities (NLC).
