Chelan Homes for sale

Search Chelan homes with a plan before the showing.

RexMont helps serious Chelan buyers compare neighborhoods, filter noisy listings, prepare financing, and write stronger offers when the right home appears.

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Lake Chelan is the Chelan County market where a Seattle investor can still get a non-owner-occupied short-term rental permit: the county's August 2026 statistics show openings under the 6% cap in both the Chelan and Manson areas, but permits do not transfer, so the purchase has to be timed to the June–July application window.

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Local strategy

Chelan decisions depend on the street, not only the city.

Lake Chelan combines a fifty-mile lake, wineries and a hard summer peak with a three-and-a-quarter-hour drive from Bellevue. RexMont helps buyers separate the city's license zones from the county's tiered permit, confirm the cap status for the exact ZIP, and price the property on its residential value with the rental upside stated honestly.

Curated matches by neighborhood, budget, timing, and lifestyle fit
Offer strategy before homes hit peak competition
Early-access and pre-MLS opportunity monitoring

Lake Chelan city hub

Start with Chelan, then narrow to the right neighborhood.

Use the city hub for the broader market, then compare the most active neighborhoods by property type, condition, commute, schools, lifestyle, and resale depth.

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Search all Chelan listings and micro-areas →

Live NWMLS data

Homes for sale in Chelan

246 of the latest active NWMLS homes listings, refreshed hourly. Click any property to see photos, history, and a per-listing mortgage estimate.

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Median price: $414,700
Median $/sqft: $502
Avg days on market: 160
Listings for sale: 246+

246 homes on the map

All 246 homes as a list

Listing data courtesy of NWMLS. Provided for the consumer's personal, non-commercial use. Market stats are calculated from the active NWMLS listings shown here for Chelan; individual neighborhoods and property types may vary.

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Buying on Lake Chelan as a short-term rental: city license or county permit

Inside the City of Chelan, Chapter 5.15 requires an annual operating license ($600 new, $300 renewal) and Chapter 17.77 allows it only in the downtown mixed-use, tourist mixed-use, highway and waterfront commercial and tourist accommodation zones, plus agricultural parcels by conditional use since 2025. There is no percentage cap in those zones. The license is in the owner's name and does not transfer, but a new owner has 60 days to update the contact information, may finish the calendar year, and then applies fresh; because the zones are uncapped, that path is usually open.

Outside the city, Chelan County's tiered program applies. Owner-occupied Tier 1 permits are uncapped; non-owner-occupied Tier 2 and Tier 3 permits are limited to 6% of housing stock, and the county's statistics updated August 11, 2026 show 64 openings in the 98816 unincorporated area, 35 in unincorporated Manson and 31 in the Manson urban growth area for the 2027 permit year. Applications are accepted only June 1 through July 31, permits expire December 31, and conforming permits never transfer. Minimum lot sizes and a 200-foot spacing rule apply to new Tier 2 and 3 permits, bedrooms rented cannot exceed the septic-approved count, and the Manson UGA's cap was cut from 9% to 6% in 2025.

RexMont's approach on Lake Chelan: confirm the exact jurisdiction and zone, check the current cap figure for that ZIP, time the closing so you can apply in the next window, and write the offer with a permit contingency. The Washington STR laws page has the county table, the cash-flow calculator models a summer-heavy calendar, and the best markets comparison puts Chelan next to Leavenworth and Suncadia. The Department of Revenue reports the City of Chelan's transient rental tax receipts rose 6.9% in 2025 over 2024.

Washington STR laws & county permits Airbnb cash-flow calculator Buying a short-term rental: the investor's guide Leavenworth homes for sale Financing a short-term rental in Washington Selling a short-term rental in Washington

RexMont STR Market Pulse · Lake Chelan & Manson

NWMLS snapshot October 2026 · Chelan County · about 3¼–4 hours from Seattle

Active listings

285

+0.7% y/y (RentCast)

STR-marketed share

21.8%

+1.4% m/m

Median close, 12 mo

$572K

242 closed sales

Days on market

136

median sale $457K, −0.5% y/y

Lodging-tax receipts y/y

+6.9%

Chelan, DOR 2025 vs 2024

STR-marketed share = share of active NWMLS residential listings whose remarks market the home as a short-term or vacation rental (RexMont signal). Full table and methodology on the Washington STR market report.

FAQ

Lake Chelan seller questions

Can I get a short-term rental permit on Lake Chelan in 2026?

Outside the city, yes where the ZIP is under the county's 6% cap: the August 2026 statistics show openings in unincorporated Chelan and Manson. Applications are accepted June 1–July 31 for the following year. Inside the City of Chelan, an annual license is available in the downtown, tourist, highway, waterfront and tourist accommodation zones, with no percentage cap.

Does a Lake Chelan short-term rental permit transfer when I buy?

No. County permits are not transferable; a buyer applies in the next June–July window if the area is under cap. The city license is also personal to the owner, though a new owner may update contact information within 60 days, finish the calendar year, and then reapply.

How far is Lake Chelan from Seattle?

About three and a quarter to four hours via US-2 and US-97 or via I-90 and Blewett Pass, depending on the route and season.

What does a Chelan County short-term rental permit cost?

For 2026, $728 for Tier 1 and Tier 2 and $1,092 for Tier 3, expiring December 31 regardless of issue date. The City of Chelan's license is $600 new and $300 on renewal. Fire and life-safety inspections apply in both.

Get matched

Tell us what a strong Chelan match looks like.

Include budget, timeline, financing status, preferred neighborhoods, must-haves, and deal-breakers. RexMont will help separate real opportunities from noisy listings.

Search Chelan homes with a plan before the showing.

Chelan decisions depend on the street, not only the city.

Start with Chelan, then narrow to the right neighborhood.

Downtown Chelan

Lake Chelan Shores

Chelan Falls

Manson

Wapato Point

Lakeside