Key Takeaways
- Land O’Lakes, Florida led 2026’s hottest neighborhoods with 36% sales growth and near-doubled listing views.
- Six of ten hottest neighborhoods are in the Midwest, driven by affordability compared to coastal markets.
- STR investors should monitor Tampa and Milwaukee submarkets as buyer migration creates new rental demand pockets.
Short-term rental investors chasing the next obvious vacation market may be looking in the wrong place.
Redfin has released its 2026 list of the country’s hottest neighborhoods, and the results might surprise you.
The winners aren’t packed with trophy beach towns, ski villages or luxury urban cores, according to Redfin’s analysis.
Instead, they’re led by suburbs in Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri and New York, where STR buyers are hunting for affordability, space and access to major metros without paying core-city prices.
These factors matter for operators because the same forces moving homeowners into these markets can also shape short-term rental demand which is driven by family travel, event weekends, hybrid work trips, sports tournaments, weddings, medical visits and overflow lodging near expensive cities.
What’s happening: Redfin ranked ZIP codes in the 100 largest U.S. metros using growth in listing views and its Compete Score, which measures how hard it is to win a home based on factors like days on market, homes selling above list price and sale-to-list ratios.
The data covers January and February 2026, compared with the same period in 2025.
Here are the top 10 hottest neighborhoods of 2026:
- Land O’ Lakes, Florida
- Plant City, Florida
- Oak Creek, Wisconsin
- Oceanside, New York
- West Bend, Wisconsin
- Lincoln Park, Michigan
- Lee’s Summit, Missouri
- Little Neck, Queens, New York
- Howell, Michigan
- Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Why it matters: For STR operators, this is less about copying a homebuyer list and more about reading demand before it becomes obvious. These neighborhoods are signaling where households with money, mobility and intent are already looking. That can show up later in guest demand, especially in markets close to Tampa, Milwaukee, Detroit, Kansas City and New York.
Zoom in: Florida took the top two spots, with Land O’ Lakes and Plant City leading the national ranking.
Both locations sit near Tampa, and Plant City also has access to Orlando – which who doesn’t love a good trip to Disney World. That is the kind of geography STR investors tend to like: lower acquisition costs than major tourist corridors, but still close enough to airports, beaches, theme parks, sports, business travel and family visits.
But the Midwest may be the bigger story.
Six of Redfin’s top 10 neighborhoods are in the region, including three Wisconsin suburbs tied to the Milwaukee metro.
These are not classic Airbnb gold-rush markets. They are practical, drivable, family-oriented places where affordability and quality of life are pulling in buyers. For operators, that suggests a different playbook: fewer Instagram houses, more durable lodging for visiting relatives, youth sports, relocations, weddings, and workers on temporary assignment.
“Midwest cities and lesser-known places in Florida are having a moment—and affordability is the reason,” said Redfin Senior Economist Asad Khan.
“Many of these neighborhoods sit just outside major hubs like Milwaukee, Chicago and Tampa, hitting a sweet spot: lower cost of living without giving up access to highly rated schools, shopping and dining. They have the convenience of big cities without the big-city price tags,” Khan continued.
By the numbers: Land O’ Lakes had a median sale price of $425,000, with home sales up 35.9 percent year over year and listing views up 90.9 percent.
Meanwhile, Plant City’s median sale price was $320,000, down 7 percent from a year earlier, while listing views rose 30.6 percent. Oak Creek, Wisconsin, posted a $381,200 median sale price, and 38 percent of homes sold above list price. Oceanside, New York, was much pricier at $725,000, but half of homes there sold above asking.
The operator angle: These are not automatic buy boxes.
A hot buyer market can make acquisition harder, compress cap rates and create more competition for investor-friendly homes. In several of these neighborhoods, a large share of homes are already selling above list price, which means STR buyers need to be disciplined on underwriting instead of chasing heat.
The better takeaway is directional.
Demand is moving toward suburban nodes with access, amenities and relative value. Operators who can find STR-friendly rules, reasonable insurance costs and homes that work for groups may have an edge before these markets become crowded.
Yes, but: Redfin’s ranking is based on homebuyer activity, not short-term rental performance.
A hot neighborhood for buyers does not guarantee strong ADR, occupancy or permissive local rules. Before making a move, investors still need to check municipal STR regulations, HOA restrictions, seasonality, hotel competition, cleaning availability, insurance costs and local event calendars.
The bottom line: The hottest neighborhoods of 2026 are not just a housing-market curiosity. They are a map of where American demand is drifting: toward space, value and access to major metros.
For STR operators, the opportunity is not to blindly follow the list. It is to use it as an early signal, then underwrite the neighborhoods where guest demand, regulations and purchase price still leave room for profit.
