menu
Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.



Houghton Lake, MI Real Estate Market

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:   American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Date(s) & Update Frequency:
  • Home Values, Rents: Reflects Q4 2023. Updated quarterly.
  • Setting, Housing Stock, Homeownership: 2022 (latest available). Updated annually.

Methodology:   NeighborhoodScout uses over 600 characteristics to build a neighborhood profile… Read more about Scout's Real Estate Data

Houghton Lake, MI Housing Market Trends

With 5,294 people, 2,681 houses or apartments, and a median cost of homes of $141,812, house prices in Houghton Lake are some of the most affordable in Michigan as well as the nation.

Single-family detached homes are the single most common housing type in Houghton Lake, accounting for 85.31% of the town's housing units. Other types of housing that are prevalent in Houghton Lake include mobile homes or trailers ( 10.02%), large apartment complexes or high rise apartments ( 2.60%), and a few duplexes, homes converted to apartments or other small apartment buildings ( 1.40%).

Owner-occupied, three and four bedroom dwellings, primarily in single-family detached homes are the most prevalent type of housing you will see in Houghton Lake. Owner-occupied housing accounts for 75.18% of Houghton Lake's homes, and 50.88% have either three or four bedrooms, which is average sized relative to America.

There is a lot of housing in Houghton Lake built from 1970 to 1999 so parts of town may have that "Brady Bunch" look of homes popular in the '70s and early '80s, although some of these houses were built up through the early '90s as well. There is also a lot of housing in Houghton Lake built between 1940-1969 ( 32.25%). A lesser amount of the housing stock also hails from between 2000 and later ( 13.14%). There's also some housing in Houghton Lake built before 1939 ( 5.07%).

A decent proportion of the Houghton Lake housing stock is seasonally occupied. That is, homes and condos in Houghton Lake are occupied by people for a portion of the year - mainly for vacation purposes - and then locked up and left unoccupied for the remainder of the year as owners return to their primary residences. This characteristic of the Houghton Lake housing market speaks to its popularity as a vacation location of choice.

Houghton Lake Home Appreciation Rates

In the last 10 years, Houghton Lake has experienced some of the highest home appreciation rates of any community in the nation. Houghton Lake real estate appreciated 114.84% over the last ten years, which is an average annual home appreciation rate of 7.95%, putting Houghton Lake in the top 20% nationally for real estate appreciation. If you are a home buyer or real estate investor, Houghton Lake definitely has a track record of being one of the best long term real estate investments in America through the last ten years.

Appreciation rates are so strong in Houghton Lake that despite a nationwide downturn in the housing market, Houghton Lake real estate has continued to appreciate in value faster than most communities. Looking at just the latest twelve months, Houghton Lake appreciation rates continue to be some of the highest in America, at 7.90%, which is higher than appreciation rates in 85.31% of the cities and towns in the nation. Based on the last twelve months, short-term real estate investors have found good fortune in Houghton Lake. Houghton Lake appreciation rates in the latest quarter were at 2.30%, which equates to an annual appreciation rate of 9.51%.

Importantly, this makes Houghton Lake one of the highest appreciating communities in the nation for the latest quarter, and may signal the town's near-future real estate investment strength.

Relative to Michigan, our data show that Houghton Lake's latest annual appreciation rate is higher than 60% of the other cities and towns in Michigan.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that these are average appreciation rates for the town. Individual neighborhoods within Houghton Lake differ in their investment potential, sometimes by a great deal. Fortunately, you can use NeighborhoodScout to pinpoint the exact neighborhoods in Houghton Lake - or in any city or town - that have the best track record of real estate appreciation, by the latest quarter, the last year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, or even since 2000, to assist you in making the best Houghton Lake real estate investment or home purchase decisions.

Average Home Values

Median Home Value

$141,812

Houghton Lake, MI Home Prices
> $1,332,000
$999,001 - $1,332,000
$666,001 - $999,000
$533,001 - $666,000
$399,001 - $533,000
$266,001 - $399,000
$133,001 - $266,000
$67,001 - $133,000
$0 - $67,000
0.7%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
0.2%
3.4%
3.4%
3.9%
3.9%
11.4%
11.4%
36.5%
36.5%
28.0%
28.0%
15.9%
15.9%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes
Very Low

for Michigan

Very Low

for nation

Number of Homes And Apartments:

2,681

Houghton Lake Appreciation Rates

Rent & Ownership

Average Market Rent:

$1,162 / per month

Homeownership Rate

Owners
Renters
75.2%
75.2%
24.8%
24.8%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Vacancy Rate

Vacant
Occupied
40.4%
40.4%
59.6%
59.6%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Housing Market Details

Age of Homes

2000 or Newer
1970 - 1999
1940 - 1969
1939 or Older
13.1%
13.1%
49.5%
49.5%
32.3%
32.3%
5.1%
5.1%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Types of Homes

Single-Family
Townhomes
Small Apt. Buildings
Apt. Complexes
Mobile Homes
Other
85.3%
85.3%
0.7%
0.7%
1.4%
1.4%
2.6%
2.6%
10.0%
10.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Home Size

No Bedroom
1 Bedroom
2 Bedrooms
3 Bedrooms
4 Bedrooms
5 or more bedrooms
1.5%
1.5%
6.0%
6.0%
40.8%
40.8%
42.1%
42.1%
8.8%
8.8%
0.8%
0.8%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Popular Communities Near Houghton Lake, MI

Zip Codes in Houghton Lake, MI