JACKSONVILLE, N.C. – Home values are taking a hit in many places across the country, but at least two cities in North Carolina are doing well, despite the economy.

Because of new buyers in the area, Jacksonville was named the top performing real estate market in the nation by real estate Web site Zillow.com.

“We’re very fortunate,” Jim Normile of Re/Max Home Connections in Jacksonville said. “The national economy is not affecting us as greatly as many other metropolitan areas around the country.”

The rankings are based on home values, and the site looked at the home values of 163 different markets.

Zillow.com reported in the first three quarters of 2008, home values in Jacksonville rose 4.9 percent.

In Winston-Salem, ranked number two, values rose 4.1 percent.

The site also reported that Raleigh’s home values rose .3 percent, and Charlotte’s dropped 2.4 percent.

Angela Bell is getting ready for her first Christmas in her new Jacksonville home.

When her fiance, who is in the Navy, learned he'd be staying at Camp Lejeune three more years, they decided to buy a home.

“We ultimately chose this neighborhood because it’s new and well kept, and we liked the looks of it,” Bell said. “We also like that it’s very accessible to everything here in Jacksonville."

Bell said she also felt safe buying in Jacksonville.

"There's always a need for someone to buy a home here, so that was a big consideration for us," she said.

And real estate agents said people are looking for a good deal in an area and they feel confident their values won't plunge.

"There are some people that are opportunists and say, ‘This is the time to buy because everyone else is freaking out,’" Re/Max realtor and broker Christine Diorio said.