• Median listing price: $173,700
• Days on market: 149

Reading is one of the poorest cities in the country, but it's also a place with a fine stock of old, beautiful houses.

Buyers can nab great deals and they have plenty of inventory to choose from -- from stone and brick row homes downtown to sprawling properties with plenty of acreage.

A well-kept, three-bedroom home in the city is currently on the market for $179,000, while a four-bedroom farmhouse outside town sells for about the same price.

Home prices in Reading remained fairly stable during the boom and bust markets, falling only about 10% from peak to trough. That makes house-hunting practically pressure-free for buyers, who don't have to worry about soaring -- or plunging -- values.

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