These Are the Top 25 Places to Buy a Vacation Home This Year

Lauren Wicks
·2 min read
Photo credit: VACASA
Photo credit: VACASA

From Veranda

While the hospitality industry may not be changed forever, it has certainly been altered for the time being, leaving many of us hungry for a change of scenery yet fearful of what it would be like to take a vacation right now. This sentiment, coupled with low mortgage rates and widespread flexible working arrangements, has many people hunting for vacation homes. Whether it’s a quiet refuge an hour or two from the big city or a cross-country slice of paradise, people are looking for homes to buy or rent that offer a safe space to unwind—and even work—in a fresh, inspired environment.

Vacasa, the largest vacation rental management platform in North America, just issued its 2020 edition of the "Top 25 Places to Buy a Vacation Home" based on home sales and vacation rental performance data in its active vacation rental markets used to determine the top spots.

“We’ve seen a surge in demand for vacation homes across our portfolio, and real estate transactions are up as much as 35 percent in some of our vacation rental markets across the country when compared to July 2019,” said Vacasa’s vice president of sales and marketing, Shaun Greer. “Many buyers believe we will be impacted by COVID-19 for the next 12 to 18 months and are seeking a place close to home where they can get away with their families, work remotely if needed, and generate income when the home is not in use.”

Several markets from the 2019 Top 25 Best Places to Buy a Vacation Home report once again snagged top spots, including Big Sky, MT; Killington, VT; Kissimmee, FL; and Dauphin Island, AL. The data shows consumers are primarily looking for single-family homes with plenty of opportunities for outdoor adventure and encounters with nature, something to consider if you’re interested in buying a vacation home with rental potential. California has the most locales on this list, followed by Florida, North Carolina, and Colorado. Discover the full list with each city's median home-sale prices below:

  1. Big Sky, MT ( $541,842)

  2. Cape Hatteras, NC ( $379,248)

  3. Poconos, PA ( $200,190)

  4. Gatlinburg, TN ($269,523)

  5. Dauphin Island, AL ($289,623)

  6. Corolla, NC ($560,599)

  7. Conway, NH ($238,930)

  8. Palm Springs, CA ($459,857)

  9. Ellijay, GA ($226,685)

  10. Blue Ridge, GA ($291,595)

  11. Killington, VT ($218,917)

  12. South Kauai, HI ($593,554)

  13. Vail, CO ($648,651)

  14. Kissimmee, FL ($250,210)

  15. Big Bear, CA ($313,667)

  16. Silverthorne, CA ($429,253)

  17. Breckenridge, CO ($431,883)

  18. Steamboat Springs, CO ($497,000)

  19. Key West, FL ($653,343)

  20. Mt. Hood, OR ($315,774)

  21. South Kohala, HI ($639,908)

  22. Mammoth Lakes, CA ($440,948)

  23. Harbor Springs, MI ($326,957)

  24. Corpus Christi, TX ($295,383)

  25. Panama City Beach, FL ($290,157)

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