This article is reprinted by permission from The Escape Home, a newsletter for second homeowners and those who want to be. Subscribe here. © 2021. All rights reserved.
Big city dwellers across the U.S. trying to ride out the pandemic have shifted their search for vacation homes away from the flashy trendy locations to remote areas. Call it social distancing in the extreme.
The shift — to small and rural towns — is due mainly to price and because more middle-class families, not just the affluent, are eager to participate in the movement, said Monica Neubauer, a realtor and host of a podcast for the National Association of Realtors.
In established vacation-home markets, like Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or Nantucket, Mass., prices have moved “beyond what normal people can afford,” said Ms. Neubauer. As an alternative, she said, more people are looking at small towns near state parks or national parks that are affordable and still offer some retreat from city life.
The Escape Home wanted to know what specific locations are the most popular with buyers and potential buyers. So we asked Redfin
RDFN,
the technology-powered real estate brokerage, to help us find out. The results are somewhat surprising.
Redfin looked at micropolitan areas, which the government defines as a county that has at least one city with a population between 10,000 and 50,000, which are often surrounded by even smaller cities or towns.
Redfin also considered rural areas. The economists at the company then compiled a list of areas that had the biggest percentage increase in searches on the Redfin.com website in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to the same quarter in 2019.
The top location on the list turned out to be Marshall County, Ala., which includes Lake Guntersville, Alabama’s largest lake with over 69,000 acres and home to a booming vacation-home market that’s fueled by the booming city of Huntsville. The area includes Lake Guntersville Resort State Park, which is located along the banks of the Tennessee River and is considered a resort style retreat.
The second most surprising find on the list is the number of times New Hampshire locations showed up. In fact, it appears that the “Live Free or Die” state is capturing the hearts, minds and wallets of a growing number of families looking for a change. Of the top 20 locations, six were in New Hampshire, more than any other state.
Redfin also compiled a list of micropolitan areas with the largest overall number of searches in the fourth quarter. Of the top 20 locations on that list, Washington state predominated with seven locations, but New Hampshire came in second place with four locations.
Small cities and counties with greatest change in page views | Percent Change 2019-2020 |
Mashall, Ala. | 2817% |
… |
Read More: Why vacation homes are booming in Alabama and New Hampshire