IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Second-home purchases made a comeback in 2025.
The number of second-mortgages secured last year rose 4.1 percent year-over-year, the first annual increase in four years, according to Seattle-based Redfin.
Mortgages for primary homes rose one percent in 2025 after rising two percent in 2024.
“Vacation homes are making a modest comeback, but it’s a very different market than it was during the pandemic,” said Chen Zhao, Redfin’s head of economics research. “Vacation homes are less appealing for regular Americans than they were during the pandemic because mortgage rates are much higher now and rentals are less lucrative.”
Most mortgages for vacation homes – 85.2 percent – went to high-income earners in 2025, defined as a median median income of $294,000. A little less than three percent went to low-income buyers, meaning earners with a median income of $69,000 Redfin reported.
