Redfin Reports Demand for Vacation Homes Sits Near 7-Year Low Due to High Housing Costs, Return-to-Office Mandates

Mortgage rate locks for second homes are down nearly 50% from pre-pandemic levels, compared to a 33% drop for primary homes

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: RDFN) — Mortgage-rate locks for second homes were down 47% from pre-pandemic levels on a seasonally adjusted basis in August, compared to a 33% decline for primary homes, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage.

August marks the 14th-straight month that second-home demand has hovered at least 30% below pre-pandemic levels, as high housing costs and limited inventory deter would-be buyers. Rate locks for second homes hit a seven-year low in February, dropping to 52% below pre-pandemic levels.

A mortgage-rate lock is an agreement between a homebuyer and a lender that allows the homebuyer to lock in an interest rate on a mortgage for a certain period of time; roughly 80% of rate locks result in purchases.

Demand for second homes is also down from a year ago. Mortgage-rate locks for second homes is down 19% year over year, bigger than the 14% decline for primary homes.

The plunge in mortgage locks for vacation homes comes after they skyrocketed during the pandemic, hitting a peak of 88.5% above pre-pandemic levels in October 2020. Affluent Americans jumped at the chance to snap up second homes with record-low mortgage rates during a time when many of them could work remotely from vacation towns. Demand for primary homes jumped during that time, too, but the increase was much more modest, reaching a peak of 16% above pre-pandemic levels in late 2020.

High prices and loan fees, plus diminishing appeal of rental properties, deter second-home buyers

Mortgage rates rose to a two-decade high in August, keeping demand low for both primary homes and second homes. Still-high home prices, the elevated cost of other goods and services, the uncertain economy, and a lack of new listings are also holding back buyers of both home types.

But the drop in demand for vacation homes is bigger, due to a variety of factors:

• It’s more expensive to buy a second home. The typical home in a seasonal town—where many second homes are located—sells for $564,000, up 5% from a year earlier. That’s compared with $421,000 for homes in non-seasonal towns, also up 5%. Mortgage rates for second homes are also typically higher. Finally, the federal government increased loan fees for second homes in 2022, often adding tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of purchasing a home.
• Many workers are returning to the office. The allure of second homes has diminished as many companies call workers back to the office, at least part of the time.
• Short-term rentals are less attractive. Buying a vacation home to rent it out on a short-term rental site like Airbnb may be less attractive than it once was. Local governments including New York City are instituting new short-term rental regulations, like new taxes and strict permitting, that cut into profits and make the business more difficult.
• The long-term rental market is cooling. Buying a vacation home to rent it out long term is less attractive, too. The rental market has cooled from its pandemic peak; although asking rents are still high, many landlords are being forced to offer concessions to attract renters. Plus, there’s a rising number of vacancies for landlords to fill, with many new units set to hit the market soon.

Demand for second homes is up slightly from the bottom it hit in the beginning of the year. That’s likely because home prices have come down in some second-home hotspots, including Austin, TX and Phoenix, and some affluent Americans are investing in vacation homes before prices rise. Interest in second homes first fell below pre-pandemic levels in April 2022, the month the loan-fee increase took effect and several months after mortgage rates started jumping.

To view the full report, including a chart and methodology, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/vacation-home-demand-drops-august-2023/

About Redfin

Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered real estate company. We help people find a place to live with brokerage, rentals, lending, title insurance, and renovations services. We sell homes for more money and charge half the fee. We also run the country's #1 real estate brokerage site. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Customers selling a home in certain markets can have our renovations crew fix up their home to sell for top dollar. Our rentals business empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Customers who buy and sell with Redfin pay a 1% listing fee, subject to minimums, less than half of what brokerages commonly charge. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1.5 billion in commissions. We serve more than 100 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 5,000 people.

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