Vacasa Releases Annual Best Places to Buy a Winter Vacation Home Report

The leading vacation rental management platform ranks destinations where buyers can maximize their real estate investments based on yearly rate of return


PORTLAND, Ore., December 16, 2021—Vacasa (NASDAQ: VCSA), North America’s leading vacation rental management platform, today released its Best Places to Buy a Winter Vacation Home 2021-2022 report. From mountain condos to classic log cabins, Vacasa’s new report ranks the top 10 U.S. destinations to purchase a winter vacation rental based on average cap rate, or yearly rate of return, and reveals which markets from coast to coast have the most investment potential.

Vacasa cares for more than 35,000 vacation homes across North America, Belize and Costa Rica, and helps second homeowners buy and sell vacation homes through its brokerage arm. The company utilizes more than a decade of proprietary data to assess the performance of vacation rental markets for its Best Places to Buy a Vacation Rental report series, in addition to other key metrics.

“It’s no secret that median home prices across the country continue to rise, but we’re also seeing an uptick in average daily rates for vacation rentals in this year’s top markets,” said Vacasa’s VP of Sales and Marketing, Shaun Greer. “So while cap rates are sitting a bit lower than normal, annual gross revenues remain strong, which translates to more vacation rental income potential for short term rental buyers.”

Several destinations from last year’s report made repeat appearances this year—including Big Sky, Montana, and Big Bear, California—but the northeast region of the country came out on top, claiming more than half the spots on this year’s list. To balance out the old with the new, this year’s report includes some fresh, perhaps under-the-radar winter hot spots like Newry, Maine, Deep Creek, Maryland, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, which feature a variety of off-the-slopes adventures, like snowshoeing, all-seasons hiking, and kid-friendly activities.

Vacasa’s Top 10 Best Places to Buy a Winter Vacation Home:

  1. Newry, Maine
  2. Gatlinburg, Tennessee
  3. Poconos, Pennsylvania
  4. Deep Creek Lake, Maryland
  5. Conway, New Hampshire
  6. Big Sky, Montana
  7. Big Bear, California
  8. Chelan, Washington
  9. Ludlow, Vermont
  10. Banner Elk, North Carolina

According to Vacasa’s Holiday Forecast and Winter Travel Trends Report, nearly a quarter of Americans taking a trip this winter are heading to a mountain or snow destination. So for those considering going a step further and investing in a winter vacation home, these properties can provide strong seasonal—and even year-round—vacation rental revenue for homeowners.

“Not only are these types of homes one of the most sought after types of inventory during the winter season, they often serve as popular year-round vacation rentals due to their proximity to some of the best lakes,” said Greer. “According to our 2021 Vacation Rental Buyer Report, 58% of U.S. consumers in the market with a primary residence are now looking for a vacation rental property. While warm-weather spots tend to get a lot of attention, homes in more traditional winter destinations are a fantastic value for entertaining guests well after the snow melts.”

Vacasa’s Best Places to Buy a Winter Vacation Home Methodology

To determine its ranking of top vacation rental markets, Vacasa analyzed home sales and vacation rental performance data from the last twelve months for vacation destinations throughout the country where Vacasa and its licensed subsidiaries manage vacation rentals. *To determine average gross rental income (homeowner revenue made from bookings, excluding any fees) for a market, we used actual performance data for the market as a whole, where available, except that Vacasa-only data was used for markets where Vacasa manages more than 50 units and actual Vacasa rental performance beats the market average by at least 25%. To calculate average cap rate, we considered the averages of the following in each market: property taxes, utilities, HOA fees, insurance, and property management fees.

Local regulations vary by jurisdiction and the transfer of a property to a new owner may affect its ability to be used as a vacation rental. Generally, all vacation rental regulations are subject to change, which may affect your ability to use a property as a vacation rental in the future. Buyers should always check current local regulations prior to making an investment decision.

About Vacasa

Vacasa is the leading vacation rental management platform in North America, transforming the vacation rental experience by integrating purpose-built technology with expert local and national teams. Homeowners enjoy earning significant incremental income on one of their most valuable assets, delivered by the company’s unmatched technology that adjusts rates in real time to maximize revenue. Guests can relax comfortably in Vacasa’s 35,000+ homes across more than 400 destinations in North America, Belize and Costa Rica, knowing that 24/7 support is just a phone call away. In addition to enabling guests to search, discover and book its properties on Vacasa.com and the Vacasa Guest App, Vacasa provides valuable, professionally managed inventory to top channel partners, including Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo.

For more information, visit https://www.vacasa.com/press.