Can I apply for a short term rental permit in Leavenworth? Chelan County requires permits for those homeowners looking to rent their home as a vacation rental (STR) for periods shorter than 30 days. The permit costs $500 and needs to be renewed annually. When does Chelan County accept new Short Term Rental permit applications? Permit applications for Chelan County short term rentals are
In a previous post we outlined Leavenworth vacation rental rules for those interested in a short term rental in the city limits of Leavenworth. This article will follow up with an overview about Chelan County short term rental rules for properties in unincorporated areas outside of Leavenworth. Vacation rentals are known as short term rentals or STRS or even “nightly / weekly rentals.” Any
After a quiet spring in Leavenworth with a limited number of home sales, the local real estate market staged a comeback this summer. Signs of Stability After A Slow Start Leavenworth home sales often mirror broader economic trends, particularly shifts in the stock market and consumer sentiment. As financial markets began to recover in May, local real estate activity followed suit — with a
The spring of 2025 (Q2) was very challenging for the Leavenworth real estate market. Global economic uncertainties tied to changes in U.S. tariff policies hurt both the U.S. stock market and the Leavenworth real estate market. In early April, after the announcement of new tariffs the Dow Jones index lost over 4,000 points (9.48%), S&P declined 10%, and the Nasdaq lost 11% in just
Digging into monthly or quarterly real estate stats is always an educational exercise. The word on the street or our “vibes” may suggest one thing, but sometimes the numbers tell another story. The stock market and the world economy have been rife with uncertainty and fears of inflation or a recession rarely give homebuyers confidence. It would be safe to expect to see those
Is Leavenworth a buyer’s market for cabins in 2024? Buyers watching Zillow and the MLS are seeing increased inventory and price reductions are common, so it’s interesting to ask if Leavenworth is now a buyer’s market. The Leavenworth real estate market is made of a few different sectors and price ranges, so we will specifically look at whether it’s a buyer’s or seller’s market
The national and international news may be full of shocking surprises almost daily, but there were no real surprises for the Leavenworth real estate market this summer. How many homes sold in Leavenworth this Summer? The number of home sales was similar to Spring of 2024 and has slightly increased compared to the summer of 2023. A total of 39 single family homes sold
Spring is the busy real estate season and what happens during April, May and June can tell us lots about the real estate market and where Leavenworth home prices might be headed. 2024 has been a little bit of a strange year. Real estate agents have been joking that one of two things will happen when you list a house in this market. “Either
Originally reported October 2, 2008 The Chiwawa River Pines neighborhood has recently voted to enforce a covenant that bans vacation rentals in their neighborhood. According to Al Lorenz of the NCW Real Estate Blog (who is also a board member at Chiwawa River Pines), the neighborhood recently voted to allow “Long Term, low impact, service oriented businesses” and “long-term, residential rentals for a period
Creating exciting headlines for real estate sales data is a much easier job than sharing meaningful analysis. It would be easy to get excited about record sales prices for homes in Leavenworth and proclaim that the market is as hot as ever or that the slowdown of 2023 is behind us now. The average home price for Leavenworth in the first quarter of 2024
2024 Update: When this article was originally written in 2007, vacation rentals were unregulated in unincorporated Chelan County. Chelan County now has a highly regulated vacation rental / nightly-weekly rental industry. The Chelan County rules apply in Plain, Lake Wenatchee and unincorportated areas of Leavenworth while the City of Leavenworth has its own zoning rules for vacation rentals in the city limits and the
Websites that make money from clicks love to write headlines that shock and grab the reader’s attention. For the summer of 2023, that headline might read “Leavenworth home sales down 42%!” Certainly, the number of homes sold in the 3rd quarter is down significantly in 2023 compared to previous summers. In July, August and September only 34 single family homes sold in the Leavenworth
If you’re planning to buy a home in this area, the best place to start is with the Leavenworth Home Buyer’s Guide.
