Strongest Ski Town Real Estate Markets

The Urban Land Institute’s Emerging Trends in Real Estate heralded recovery for markets nationwide in 2013, citing rising interest rates and modest growth in GDP among reasons to feel optimistic about the coming  year. This recovery has extended to ski towns, with many brokerages reporting increased sales volume and higher listing prices for their regions compared to 2012.

Unsurprisingly, Aspen led the market in 2013 with an average selling price of $3.6 million for single-family private homes through October, according to a report by Frias Aspen Properties, despite performing 14% below the full-year 2012 average. The potential for 2014 is promising, with 176 homes publicly listed at more than $5 million.

Runner-up Lake Tahoe enjoyed a 43 percent overall median home price increase from $3 million to $5.3 million, according to Tahoe Luxury Properties, with a 23 percent increase in the ski-specific areas of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

Park City’s median price increased by 26 percent to $1.3 million last year, led by sales of homes in The Colony at Canyons Resort and in Deer Valley Resort’s Empire Pass area. With eight-figure properties like the $44 million Huntsman Estate and $21.9 million Ski Dream Home still on the market, the region has the potential for a big 2014. Not all ski town markets are seeing recovery, however. Vail real estate was down year over year in the first half of 2013 from $530 million to $435 million, according to a report by Slifer, Smith & Frampton, and Jackson Hole’s top listing prices are down slightly compared to last year’s.

Top Ski  Towns at a Glance:

All at-a-glance information from REALTOR.com.