Are you a football fanatic? Do you want to go to a college that is known for having a great football team?

Often with financial help from parents, some college-age students choose to purchase homes or condos in communities where they attend college. This option allows students to live in a property that is usually more spacious and comfortable than typical dormitory-style rooms. For students who value attending a college with a large football program, affordable real estate may be an important criterion when selecting a college or university.

Coldwell Banker, a real estate firm, conducted a recent survey to identify the most affordable college football towns. The survey compared the average price of a single- family home with 2200 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ bathrooms, a family room and a two-car garage. The survey evaluated the price of this type of home across 119 communities that had a Division 1-A college football program.

To purchase a home similar to the one described above, the top ten college football towns had an average home price that ranged from $148,000 to $170,000. The top ten most affordable college football towns are provided below.

1. Tulsa, Oklahoma, home to the University of Tulsa, tops the list of most affordable college markets in the U.S., with an average home price of $148,575.

2. Hattiesburg, Mississippi, home to the University of Southern Mississippi, had an average home price of $151,225.

3. Muncie, Indiana, home to Ball State University, had an average home price of $151,238.

4. Fort Worth, Texas, home to Texas Christian University (TCU), had an average home price of $151,250.

5. Monroe, Louisiana, home to the University of Louisiana-Monroe, had an average home price of $153,271.

6. Houston, Texas, home to the University of Houston, had an average home price of $155,304.

7. Houston, Texas, home to Rice University, had an average home price of $155,304 (which resulted in a tie for the number 6 ranking).

8. Lubbock, Texas, home to Texas Tech University, had an average home price of $158,225.

9. Logan, Utah, home to Utah State University, had an average home price of $168,612.

10. Jonesboro, Arkansas, home to Arkansas State University, had an average home price of $170,575.

College towns are lively communities and offer a broad range of academic and cultural activities. If you are a student or the parent of a student who is passionate about big-time college sports, buying real estate in a college football town may be an ideal solution for your sporting and housing needs. An experienced real estate agent can help you buy a home, condo or other real estate in these affordable college markets.