Which Ohio City Ranks in the Top 10 Most Affordable Ski Towns in America?

by | Dec 16, 2019 | Trends

With the Holidays around the corner you are probably thinking about Christmas vacations to see family and relax from your everyday hustle.

Many Ohioans head to warm places like Florida or the Caribbean to escape the soggy, cold Columbus December.

But some of us are drawn the other way in pursuit of the “white gold.”

The Gold of Ski Towns is Real Estate

In the top American ski resorts the “gold” is in real estate.

Home values in popular ski towns have skyrocketed and are out of reach for most of us. They’ve been overrun by wealthy retirees, vacation homeowners, and short-term rentals.

Here are the 5 most expensive ski towns in the US (based on this article by realtor.com):

  1. Aspen, CO: Median price: $2,124,000
  2. Jackson, WY: Median price: $1,324,000
  3. Park City, UT: Median price: $1,298,000
  4. Incline Village, NV: Median price: $1,076,000
  5. Big Sky, MT: Median price: $894,000

Ski Towns Where You Can Afford to Buy

Fortunately, you still have options. A year ago, realtor.com published their list of 10 Great U.S. Ski Towns Where Folks Can Actually Afford to Buy a Home.

Median home prices in many of these cities are below $100,000. Don’t expect to find glitzy nightlife. And, just because they are close to a ski lift, does not mean they are a ski resort.

You won’t recognize most of them, except for Mansfield, Ohio, which made the list due to its proximity to Snow Trails.

Up-and-Coming Satellite Ski Communities

With traditional ski towns no longer affordable, ski enthusiasts are looking at satellite ski communities: larger cities near the mountains where you can still buy a home and get to the slopes within an hour or less.

Here are a few up-and-coming places:

Reno, NV: close to 6 Lake Tahoe ski areas, closest lift: 25 miles. Median price: $373,800 (+3.1% year over year gain)

Spokane, WA: near 4 ski areas including Schweitzer Mountain, closest lift: 34 miles. Median price: $224,000 (+11.8%)

Santa Fe, NM: near 3 ski areas including Taos Mountain, closest lift: 15 miles. Median price: $384,200 (+4.2%)

Ogden, UT: close to 8 ski areas including Snowbasin, closest lift: 20 miles. Median price: $231,600 (+10.9%)

A RE/MAX Agent Can Help You Anywhere

If you fall in love with any of these cities, I can refer you to a great RE/MAX agent anywhere in America. RE/MAX is the #1 real estate company in the world with offices all over the US and in more than 100 other countries.

​​Call or text me TODAY at (614) 975-9650 to learn more about buying your vacation or retirement home!