12/15

It’s Christmas time in the city….

And for Christmas-themed cities, they just happen to keep the cheer going all year round!

The New York Times has reported that “Santa-inspired wonderlands” have been booming since the start of the pandemic. Cities like Santa Claus, Ind., and Frankenmuth, Mich. are new favorites for homeowners.

COVID has certainly changed a lot about how we all live our lives – working remotely, distancing ourselves from bigger cities, and searching for the cheaper town to buy a home has all been huge factors as to why these Christmas towns are heating up.

Lisa Gengelbach, a broker at Key Associates, explains: “We have a lot of people moving to Santa Claus from California, Illinois, and Minnesota. A lot of them are retiring here, but there are families coming too. We have great schools […] the name of the community is what brings a lot of people here, and the feel keeps them here. But it’s not over the top; it’s not gaudy. It’s not like everything is red and white.”

With 20 to 30 houses typically on sale in town, thanks to the high demand, there were only five houses available in mid-November.

An older couple, Brian and Penny Wanless, lived in Lowell (a small city near Grand Rapids) before they decided to move after Brian began working remotely due to the pandemic. They ended up purchasing a home in Frankenmuth – partially for the price, but also for the great holiday cheer they manage to keep up all year round.

Andrew Keller, an owner of JMW Real Estate, has had more than $15 million in business in Frankenmuth this year – about a 50% increase compared to 2019.

Everyone loves Christmas – would you want to move to a year-round Christmas town?

For more real estate news, stop by Alliance Title’s Blog.