Best Places to Buy Rental Property in Vermont (2026)

Vermont closed 4,058 homes in the last six months at a statewide median of $425,000, the smallest transaction volume of any state in this dataset. Ten Vermont towns cleared at least 100 sales in that window, and this ranking covers all ten, cheapest first, using median sold price and closing count from actual recorded sales.

What this ranking is, and what it is not

The list ranks on two measured things: entry price (median closed sale price over the last six months) and transaction volume (recorded closings in the same window). The list does not rank on rent, rent-to-price ratio, cap rate, or cash-on-cash return. This dataset contains no rent data, and Vermont carries costs a generic yield calculation would miss entirely, including municipal property tax rates that vary sharply by town and heating as a real line item. Rent and cash flow must be verified property by property, and the closing section explains how. Why volume sits next to price: closings are your exit. The busiest town in Vermont recorded 264 sales in six months, so every market here is thin by national standards. Your holding period assumption should be generous and your exit plan should not depend on selling quickly.

All ten qualifying Vermont markets

1. Bennington, $275,000 median, 113 closings

The cheapest entry in Vermont with real volume, 35.3% below the state median and $515,000 below Stowe at the other end of the list. At this basis a 20% to 25% down payment is roughly $55,000 to $69,000, against $85,000 to $106,000 at the state median. Southwestern Vermont is a distinct regional economy, oriented toward the Albany and Berkshires corridor rather than Burlington, with a local employment base and a college presence. Housing stock is old, which is true statewide but bites hardest at the lowest price point, where a mechanical or envelope replacement can consume a large fraction of your basis. At 113 closings, roughly 19 a month, comps are limited and the exit is patient.

2. Brattleboro, $344,500 median, 109 closings

Southeastern Vermont on the Connecticut River, $344,500 with 109 closings, the lowest volume on this list and $80,500 below the state median. A well-established downtown, a regional hospital and arts economy, and proximity to the Massachusetts and New Hampshire borders broaden the labor market supporting local demand. At 109 closings, a single unusual transaction can move the town median, so do not treat $344,500 as a precise value for any specific property. Comp at the neighborhood and property-type level.

3. Hartford, $407,000 median, 117 closings

Eastern Vermont, the town that includes White River Junction along with Quechee and Wilder, $407,000 across 117 closings. It sits at the junction of two interstates and is tied to the Upper Valley economy that spans into New Hampshire, including a major medical and academic employment base across the river. That cross-border anchor is the most durable demand story on this list outside Chittenden County. The town contains several distinct villages with different housing profiles, so town-level medians are a starting point only.

4. Essex Junction, $420,000 median, 157 closings

The cheapest way into the Burlington metro, $420,000 with 157 closings, just $5,000 under the state median. Chittenden County holds six of Vermont's twelve busiest markets and about 27.0% of all state transactions, making it the most liquid region available. Essex Junction offers that depth at the lowest price in the county, with a large semiconductor manufacturing presence locally and the broader Burlington labor market behind it. If your priority is durable demand rather than the lowest possible basis, this is the balance point on the list.

5. Milton, $442,500 median, 138 closings

Northern Chittenden County, $442,500 with 138 closings, $17,500 above the state median. A more rural and residential profile than Essex Junction, with commuting access to Burlington. Volume is moderate, and the town's housing mix is varied enough that comps should be selected carefully by property type and age.

6. South Burlington, $471,500 median, 264 closings

The busiest market in Vermont at 264 closings, priced at $471,500. If liquidity is your first concern, this is the most active market in the state, which means the deepest comp set and the widest buyer pool on exit. The basis is $46,500 above the state median, so you are paying for that depth rather than getting a discount. South Burlington's economy is anchored by the airport, healthcare, retail and proximity to Burlington's employment base. It is the closest thing Vermont has to a conventional suburban rental market.

7. Colchester, $480,000 median, 151 closings

Chittenden County, on Lake Champlain, $480,000 with 151 closings. A mix of lakefront property, suburban housing and a college presence. The lakefront component pulls the median upward and creates two very different sub-markets inside one town, which is exactly the situation where a town-level median misleads. Comp within the specific neighborhood.

8. Burlington, $515,000 median, 259 closings

The state's largest city and second-busiest market at 259 closings, priced at $515,000, $90,000 above the state median. Burlington has the most diversified employment base in Vermont, a substantial university population and the strongest year-round tenant demand in the state. It also has the most active local regulatory environment for rental housing, including registration and inspection requirements you would not encounter in a small town. Research those obligations before you buy, not after.

9. Williston, $525,000 median, 128 closings

Chittenden County, $525,000 with 128 closings, $100,000 above the state median and the second-highest entry price here. A commercial and retail hub for the region with newer housing stock than most Vermont towns, which improves the capital expenditure outlook but raises the basis you have to support.

10. Stowe, $790,000 median, 118 closings

The most expensive market on this list by $265,000, at $790,000 with 118 closings. Stowe is a resort town, and its price level reflects second-home and lifestyle demand rather than local wage-earning capacity. That distinction is the whole analysis: the buyer pool setting these prices is not the tenant pool that would pay to live here year-round. Anyone considering Stowe as a rental needs to research local rental regulations, seasonal demand and the year-round tenant market specifically, without extrapolating from any other market on this list.

What entry price and volume can and cannot tell you

These two numbers tell you how much capital you need and how patient your exit has to be. They tell you nothing about whether a deal works. Three factors outside this dataset regularly decide that in Vermont: municipal property tax rates, heating and weatherization costs on old housing stock, and the achievable rent, which should never be assumed. Three steps before you commit. Value the property, not the town. Resideline freezes its estimate at listing and grades it later against the real closing price, with the record published on a public accuracy dashboard. The comps behind each estimate are visible and adjustable, which matters in a thin market where the model may have to reach for comparable sales; if a comp came from a town with a different profile, remove it and see the number change. Condition is estimated from listing photos, decisive given the age of Vermont housing. Live valuations run in 31 states. Verify rent yourself. Pull actual signed leases and current listings for the same property type and bed count in that specific town, then run the real numbers through the rental property calculator with taxes, insurance, heating, vacancy, management and debt service included. Test the whole deal. The deal analyzer carries purchase price, rehab and financing through to an outcome you can compare across towns, and the ARV calculator sizes after-repair value for renovation exits. Ground your assumptions in ZIP-level pricing from the market pages. The free calculators work without a signup. In a state with 4,058 six-month closings, being right about one house matters more than being clever about which town.