The dog days of late summer are when sweaty urbanites most yearn for a waterfront escape—and this year, anyone who lives in a crowded city wants out, stat. Possibly forever. Along the coasts, folks just head to their nearest beach for some splashy fun and relaxation. But farther inland, that’s not an option. Instead, people flock to the many lakes dotting this great land, many of them unknown beyond the borders of their state. There’s no saltwater or waves to surf on, but there might be paddleboarding, kayaking, or fishing, and, in some cases, a sandy beach. And these days, a fresh-air escape is more appealing than ever. While lake home sales were growing before the pandemic sent everyone home from the office, demand surged with COVID-19 shutdowns, says Glenn S. Phillips, CEO and lead economic analyst of LakeHomes.com, which focuses on this niche in real estate. “People saw their friends and family go to the lake and realized that if you are social distancing and home-schooling, the lake is a far better place than most primary residences,” he says. “In addition, we have also seen some people realize that life is short, so don’t wait [to buy] that dream home.” (The same impulse, he notes, is also pushing the sale of boats, recreational vehicles, and sports cars.) Overall, Phillips’ lake home specialists have seen sales increase over 40% from last year—and it probably would be even higher if inventory weren’t so low in so many of these waterside retreats. But as usual, the most popular getaways tend to be expensive. With the country in a recession, even those ready to drop a bundle of cash on a second home that might end up replacing the first probably don’t want that bundle to be too big. So where does one go without forking over the brood’s college fund? To figure out the top affordable lake towns in the United States, the realtor.com team of data geeks scoured the site’s listings database from this spring for homes whose descriptions mention “lake” or “lake house.” Each place had to have at least 50 of these listings to make the cut, which was winnowed even further by factoring in the percentage of second/vacation homes (the higher, the better) as well as number of hotels and lodging establishments, water-based businesses, and attractions. Each category was ranked and then weighted, giving priority to price, lodgings, and seasonal-recreational homes. In order to sample the offerings from across the country, the list was limited to one place per state. We also identified the median price for homes in these lake-affiliated towns, and while they’re all above the national median home price, we think they offer relatively good value—and we have advice on where to look for even better bargains. Ready to dive in? Let’s take the plunge. 1. Chestertown, NY
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About usI am Casey Abby From USA and I am 30 Year Old. I done my study recently in MBA Marketing. Archives
April 2021
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