Whether you've constantly wished to live by the water or you're expanding your property portfolio, these are the leading locations to buy a lake house.

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Lydia Mansel is an author with more than eight years of experience editing and composing for both brand names and online publications-with a particular concentrate on travel, fashion, and lifestyle. She's also the creator of the travel site justpacked.com.

For numerous, lake houses are associated with summer fond memories. Barbeques, refreshing dips in the chilly water, beautiful sunsets, boat rides, and fireflies: If you've invested whenever by a lake in the warmer months, you're most likely with this particular brand name of getaway magic. You might even be seeking to recreate it for yourself by acquiring your own lake house. If that's the case, but you're not precisely sure which lake you wish to call your home (or your 2nd home) just yet, we can help.

There are rather actually countless lakes with property opportunities in the U.S., so we spoke with a few professionals to narrow down the selection. Below, they're sharing their picks for the finest places to buy a lake house this year.

Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri

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" Lake of the Ozarks is a terrific place to buy a lakefront residential or commercial property right now since, together with offering dozens of year-round activities, the residential or commercial property is still budget friendly," says Elena Novak, lead genuine estate scientist at PropertyChecker.com. Missouri-based Matt Smith Real Estate Group reports that, in February of this year, the typical price of homes in this part of the state was $448,585, while Zillow estimates the average home worth in the city of Lake Ozark is simply above $340,000. "With realty prices increasing, these homes might become out of reach within the next five years," Novak warns-so if you're interested in a peaceful lakefront home that's simply a couple of hours from centers like Kansas City or St. Louis, now's the time to buy.

Southwest Lake Erie Region, Michigan and Ohio

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When figuring out the very best places to purchase a lake house, Julie Brinkman, the CEO at Beyond, an income management system for getaway leasings, was concentrated on destinations that make the most financial sense for those looking for out residential or commercial properties to contribute to their rental portfolio. "The southwest Lake Erie region, bordering both Michigan and Ohio, has an average yearly earnings per listing of $34,000 and an average annual occupancy rate of 40 percent," she says. Since May 2025, Zillow has a handful of homes in the area-in Luna Pier, Michigan