There is something mesmerizing about the water, be it oceans, lakes, rivers or streams. Even just to look at water provides a soothing nature.
Proof of the popularity of water near housing is in the National Association of Realtors® 2017 NAR Investment & Vacation Home Buyer’s Survey. More than one-half of all vacation homebuyers purchases were properties located near the water: 36 percent buying in beach areas and 21 percent on lake views.
NAR reports that almost 70 percent of lake homes are purchased as second-home properties, with approximately one-half being within a three-hour drive of their primary dwelling.
Realtor.com created a methodology to identify the top-10 lake towns in the U.S. – both for primary dwellings and vacation homes. Their selection criteria included:
- Home price appreciation from Q1 2014 to Q1 2017 per Realtor.com data
- Number of restaurants and bars per capita using Yelp data
- Number of outdoor activities per capita using TripAdvisor data
- Limited to a maximum two destinations per state
So what were the top-lake towns in America based on NAR’s methodology?
As with any ranking methodology, if the selection criteria are altered. likewise will respective rankings.
To read the entire Realtor.com report click http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/americas-hottest-lake-towns/?identityID=577d5c8652b7729cf2011c9d&MID=2017_0714_WeeklyNL&RID=4056478642
My selection criteria would likely include lake water temperature as warmer water is personally preferred. That is not true with all. Just take a look at the 11,800 plus lakes in Minnesota (10 acres and up) where ice fishing may see more people on the lake in the wintertime than in the summer in boats.
My favorite lake town in the U.S.? Lakeway, Texas in the Hill Country. Beautiful place.
Email back you favorite lake and it will be posted to the blog.
Ted