Many of the country’s well-known second-home destinations — think Nantucket, Cape Cod, East Hampton — are not exactly known for their diversity. But what if that’s something that is important to you as a potential buyer? The Escape Home worked with Redfin to identify which second-home markets in the U.S. are the most diverse. The real-estate company determined the metro areas with the greatest amount of non-white second-home owners by using the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act to pull data about racial makeup from the census and second-home mortgages. Here’s what our writer Danielle Hyams found:


Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

  • 64.71% of second-home owners are nonwhite.

Pine Bluff has an abundance of outdoor activities that are accessible year-round, like kayaking along the world’s longest bayou, which stretches 364 miles to Louisiana. It’s a historically rich location with serious civil rights credentials and deep connections to the worlds of jazz, blues and gospel music.

Porch yard featured at 1312 W 35th Ave, Pine Bluff, AR 71603
Photo: Realtor.com

On the market: This charming four bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home is listed at $184,900.

Photo: @historicrockymountnc

Rocky Mount, North Carolina

  • 64.29% of second-home owners are nonwhite.

Located in Eastern Carolina, Rocky Mount is a charming city boasting an up-and-coming dining scene as well as many local vineyards and craft breweries. The city sits along the Tar River, and it’s possible to kayak through the downtown area.

Porch yard featured at 3836 Gloucester Rd, Rocky Mount, NC 27803Photo: Realtor.com

On the market: This four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom home features an in-ground pool and is listed at $279,900.


Photo: @slocal

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, California

  • 31.99% of second-home owners are nonwhite.

Welcome to wine country! Located about half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the region offers residents a small-town laid-back California vibe, close proximity to many beaches and hot springs  and a burgeoning food scene. And of course, lots and lots of good wine; there are hundreds of wineries.

House view featured at 1145 Vine St, Paso Robles, CA 93446Photo: Realtor.com

On the market: This historic four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom home built in 1890 is listed at $1.25 million.


Photo: @terry.rowe

Farmington, New Mexico

  • 38.55% of second-home owners are nonwhite.

This is the go-to city for lovers of the outdoors: Situated in the San Juan River Valley, Farmington is at the heart of the Four Corners region, which comprises Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, and has easy access to three rivers, five lakes and six National Parks. Native American tradition remains strong in the region, and there are many art galleries, museums and trading posts in the historic downtown area.

House view featured at 383 Canyonview Dr, Farmington, NM 87401Photo: Realtor.com

On the market: This desert-style five-bedroom, four-bathroom home is listed at $410,000.


Photo: @whattodoinsavannah

Savannah, Georgia

  • 31.35% of second-home owners are nonwhite.

This charming, coastal city, which sits along the Savannah River, is known for its parks, architecture and vibrant history, and is just a quick 50-minute drive from Hilton Head Island.

Porch featured at 2409 Easy St, Savannah, GA 31406

Photo: Realtor.com

On the market: This three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom river home is listed at $1.28 million and features the most stunning porch.

Photo: @visitvabeach

Virginia Beach, Virginia

  • 36.15% of second-home owners are nonwhite.

Known for its beaches and boardwalk, Virginia Beach is also home to one of the last great salt marsh habitats on the East Coast, which boasts hundreds of miles of inland waters and thousands of acres of parks.

Kitchen featured at 2337 Rookery Way, Virginia Beach, VA 23455Photo: Realtor.com

On the market: This three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom home which is just steps from the beach is listed at $639,900.

In the news…


Photo: @montanastrailhead

Billings, Montana, is #1
The Wall Street Journal this week collaborated with Realtor.com and released a ranking of the hottest housing markets for getting a good return on your investment, but are also nice places to live. Billings, the biggest city in Montana, has been attracting out-of-state buyers from all over the country who can work remotely and want to be surrounded by outdoor attractions. Prospective buyers should hurry: the average single-family home-sale price in the Billings area was $376,248 in June, a 32% increase from a year earlier.

Coeur D’Alene, Idaho; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Rapid City, S. D.; Raleigh, N.C.; Waco, Texas; Johnson City, Tenn.; Bangor, Maine and Huntsville, Ala., also made the list.

Study links crime to Airbnb rentals
Researchers at Northeastern University in Boston have linked spikes in violent crime to Airbnb rentals in the city. Other types of crime did not rise.

The study, which looked at Airbnb housing data in Boston from 2011 to 2018, data from Northeastern, and 911 dispatches from that same time period, concluded that “Airbnb prevalence in a neighborhood appears to be associated with increases in violence, but not with public social disorder or private conflict.”

Airbnb called the findings “inaccurate.”

Builders pull back 

Building permits, which are a good indicator of future construction, declined last month to the lowest point since August, roughly 100,000 units below the six-month average. Additionally, mortgage applications to purchase new homes dropped 24% in June year-over-year. This doesn’t bode well for middle-class buyers; the median price of a newly built home in May was up 18% compared to the previous year.

“The single family market in particular desperately needs more new homes, especially on the lower end where first-time home buyers need some price relief and more supply choices, but we also know that it is getting more and more difficult to deliver from a builder perspective at the wanted price points,” said Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at Bleakley Advisory Group, told CNBC.

Read more: A shortage of labor, lumber and other materials is prolonging renovations and inflating prices.

By the numbers

2.23 million


Photo: Carlos Coronado / Unsplash

That’s how many travelers passed through TSA checkpoints this past Sunday — a pandemic-era record. Yay for the return of travel, but major workforce shortages within both the airlines and TSA are wreaking havoc on traveler’s plans.

Products we love

Traveling these days, one should plan as if they might end up delayed at the airport for a few hours or worse yet, having to spend the night. Here are some of our favorite things that will make the situation a little but more tolerable.

portable phone charger will be your best friend. You don’t want to have to be one of those people who is forced to sit on the floor next to some obscurely placed outlet.

You’ll need a good pair of headphones for watching movies and TV shows, both of which you should have plenty of downloaded in advance.

A good travel pillow can work wonders. We like this memory foam one because it’s adjustable. Best if used with this microplush travel blanket that conveniently comes with its own carrying case.

Photo: Amazon.com

This travel kit contains a toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash.

While it’s not exactly a shower substitute, this facial hydration spray is refreshing and rejuvenating.

There’s nothing worse than finding out your flight is delayed and then being forced to buy extremely overpriced bottled water. We recommend you BYOB — this collapsible bottle is the perfect size for travel.

On the market

​​”Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?” 

Photo: City Realty

Derek Zoolander aka Ben Stiller’s childhood home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan is hitting the market for the first time in 50 years. Stiller’s parents originally rented the unit in 1965 for $220/month.


Photo: City Realty

They purchased it a few years later, and later the unit next door as well, creating a five-bedroom, five-bathroom home that’s now listed for $5 million.
Photo: City Realty

The building boasts both park and river views and is “full service and white-glove” with 24-hour doorman, a live-in superintendent, a 24-hour gym, children’s playroom, lending library and more.

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