Buyer Demand Surges in Vacation Areas Amid Pandemic-Driven Work Flexibility

Vacation towns are quickly topping the list of home searches across the U.S. as remote work becomes permanent for a growing number of professionals, providing uninhibited flexibility for migrating homebuyers. The number of vacation towns with a larger share of “favorites” per home than the average U.S. listing has almost tripled since the early months of the pandemic, but that elevated demand has also pushed prices considerably higher.

According to Zillow, the typical home in 18 out of the top 20 most popular vacation destinations is appreciating faster than the average U.S. home, with 16 markets reporting annual home price appreciation above 20%.

The vast majority of vacation towns are in areas that offer sunny weather and/or amenities near lakes, oceans and mountains, ideal for those interested in year-round outdoor living. Of all vacation areas analyzed, Astoria, Oregon, a port area in the northwestern corner of the state, has the highest rate of page traffic on Zillow compared to the U.S., with nearly three times as many page views per listing (2.8 times) than the rest of the county. Rounding out the top five are Barre, Vermont (2.6 times more than the U.S.); Breckenridge, Colorado ( 2.1 times); Portland, Maine ( 2.1 times); and The Lakes Region of New Hampshire ( 2.0 times).

For the full list of the 2022 most popular vacation towns on Zillow …

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