Low foreclosures, stable home prices and affordability make eighth-ranked St. Louis a good bet for home buyers, according to a report released by Forbes.com last Friday.

Forbes gathered data from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo's Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). The index measures median home prices against median incomes.

Additional data overlays included Moody's one-year forecast for the Case-Shiller Home Price Index of home prices and RealtyTrac's 2009 foreclosure report. Rankings for all these metrics were considered in determining the overall score.

The top ten best housing metro areas:

1. Pittsburgh, PA
2. Louisville - Jefferson County, KY - IN
3. Houston - Sugar Land - Baytown, TX
4. Minneapolis - St. Paul, Bloomington, MN - WI
5. Indianapolis - Carmel, IN
6. Columbus, OH (Tie for 6th)
7. Memphis, TN - MS - AR (Tie for 6th)
8. St. Louis, MO - IL
9. Dallas - Ft. Worth, TX
10. Austin - Round Rock, TX

St. Louis families in the market for a house are shopping at the right time. Homes are near the most affordable they've been in 18 years.

At a national level in the fourth quarter of 2009, housing was 62.4% more affordable than the same time a year earlier, according to the HOI which is published quarterly.

The Midwestern cities of St. Louis, Indianapolis and Minneapolis made the list even though their housing price forecasts are essentially flat, but "housing in these places is eminently affordable" according to Forbes reporter Francesca Levy.

Just under 85 percent of all families in St. Louis who make the median income have access to affordable, decent housing.

"The recession has weighed down home prices, but mortgage rates are still at historic lows, giving families a chance to get in on the ground floor," states Levy.