5 top counties for US vacation homes as sales surge

Lee County, Florida, was the top county for vacation homes, according NAR

Vacation home sales skyrocketed in the first few months of this year, according to a new report. 

On Tuesday, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released its 2021 Vacation Home Counties report, which found that vacation home sales were up 57.2% year-over-year from January to April 2021. 

Meanwhile, total existing-home sales were up just 20% year-over-year during the same period.

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"Vacation homes are a hot commodity at the moment," Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist, said in a statement. "With many businesses and employers still extending an option to work remotely to workers, vacation housing and second homes will remain a popular choice among buyers."

Fort Myers, Florida, in Lee County, is pictured. Lee County is the top vacation home county in the U.S., based on sales growth, price and days on the market, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors. (iStock)

In its report, NAR determined that vacation home counties are "areas where vacant seasonal, occasional or recreational-use housing account for at least 20% of homes." 

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Those vacation home counties saw home sales rise 24.2% in 2020 from the previous year. That’s more than twice the 11.2% that non-vacation home counties’ home sales rose in 2020 compared to the previous year, according to NAR.

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Here are the top vacation home counties in the U.S., according to the National Association of Realtors. 

Top 5 Vacation Home Counties in the U.S.

1. Lee County, Florida

Number of seasonal homes: 90,792

Year-over-year percent change in home sales: 10%

Median sales price: $247,000

Year-over-year percent change in median sales price: 12.3%

Median days on the market: 59

Year-over-year change in days on the market: -45

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2. Oscoda County, Michigan

Number of seasonal homes: 5,028

Year-over-year percent change in home sales: 53.8%

Median sales price: $107,500

Year-over-year percent change in median sales price: 79.2%

Median days on the market: 67

Year-over-year change in days on the market: -30

3. Swain County, North Carolina

Number of seasonal homes: 2,066

Year-over-year percent change in home sales: 140.7%

Median sales price: $245,000

Year-over-year percent change in median sales price: 19.8%

Median days on the market: 56

Year-over-year change in days on the market: -48

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4. Collier County, Florida

Number of seasonal homes: 58,406

Year-over-year percent change in home sales: 4.6%

Median sales price: $314,000

Year-over-year percent change in median sales price: 10.2%

Median days on the market: 86

Year-over-year change in days on the market: -53

5. Dukes County, Massachusetts

Number of seasonal homes: 10,681

Year-over-year percent change in home sales: 13.8%

Median sales price: $1,366,000

Year-over-year percent change in median sales price: 63.6%

Median days on the market: 70

Year-over-year change in days on the market: -38