Buyers on the hunt for a lakefront home that promises to be a lucrative investment will want to head to Chelan, Wash. The town tops realtor.com®’s list of top lakeside cities in America.
Researchers scoured realtor.com® data to find lake towns that offer the most activities for residents as well the fastest growth in home prices (based on price appreciation between the first quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2017).
Lake towns are generally “a calmer, less tourist-driven culture than the beach,” Brian Cauble, director of market engagement for Lake Homes Realty in Pelham, Ala., told realtor.com®. “It’s not uncommon for people who own them to be there every weekend in summer.”
The following cities made realtor.com®’s list of the best lake towns in the U.S. (Note: Researchers limited the list to two destinations per state for the sake of geographic diversity.)
1. Chelan, Wash.
- Median price: $585,000
- Price appreciation since 2014: 13.6%
2. Frankfort, Mich.
- Median price: $375,000
- Price appreciation since 2014: 11.6%
3. Bigfork, Mont.
- Median price: $592,500
- Price appreciation since 2014: 9.6%
4. Grand Haven, Mich.
- Median price: $312,400
- Price appreciation since 2014: 14.5%
5. Lake Lure, N.C.
- Median price: $310,000
- Price appreciation since 2014: 5.5%
6. Lake Placid, N.Y.
- Median price: $419,900
- Price appreciation since 2014: 3.8%
7. Mount Dora, Fla.
- Median price: $325,000
- Price appreciation since 2014: 17.1%
Source: “Ready, Set, Splash: The Top 10 Lake Towns in America,” realtor.com® (July 10, 2017)
