17 US cities where people are flipping houses like crazy

REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

For the first time in 4 years, house flipping is back on the rise.

According to data from real estate data firm RealtyTrac, 5.5% of all home sales were from house flips in 2015 up from 5.3% in 2014.

"As confidence in the housing recovery spreads, more real estate investors and would-be real estate investors are hopping on the home flipping bandwagon,” said Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at RealtyTrac in a release.

“Not only is the share of home flips on the rise again, but we also see the flipping trend trickling down to smaller investors who are completing fewer flips per year.”

75% of housing markets in the US saw a rise in the number of house flips in 2015. Using RealtyTrac's data, we've compiled a list of 17 housing markets that saw at least a 25% increase in flips over last year, ranked from slowest- to fastest-growing.

17. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL

Total housing units: 401,839

2015 home flips: 1,867

Percent of total 2015 sales that were flips: 8.3%

Y-O-Y percent change in flips: 26%

16. Huntsville, AL

Total housing units: 183,643

2015 home flips: 453

Percent of total 2015 sales that were flips: 8.4%

Y-O-Y percent change in flips: 27%

15. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL

Total housing units: 270,081

2015 home flips: 1,196

Percent of total 2015 sales that were flips: 8.2%

Y-O-Y percent change in flips: 28%