Corcoran CEO Spots Five 'Quiet Luxury' U.S. Markets Drawing Wealthy Buyers

Pamela Liebman, president and chief executive officer of the Corcoran Group, identified five U.S. markets she says are quietly appealing to affluent buyers seeking luxury without paying for the most publicized enclaves such as the Hamptons, Palm Beach or Malibu.

Liebman told Mansion Global that “quiet luxury” can mean a property that delivers happiness and high-end finishes rather than the biggest estate on the block. She cited features now high on buyers’ lists — space, natural light, indoor-outdoor flow and wellness amenities such as filtered air and water, infrared saunas and cold plunges — and said many high-net-worth buyers have been priced out of legacy resort towns such as Aspen.

Park City, Utah, is one of the markets Liebman singled out. The town north of Salt Lake City is known for world-class ski resorts including Park City Mountain and Deer Valley, which received upgrades ahead of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Liebman noted Park City’s relative ease of access, pointing to a large international airport that makes travel simpler for buyers who do not use private aircraft. The U.S. Census Bureau reported a median household income in Park City of about $140,875. Zillow data showed the average home price in Park City had risen during the pandemic and cooled after summer 2022, sitting at just over $1.5 million as of July.

Lake Burton, Georgia, offers a different kind of draw: lakefront privacy and recreational amenities. The 2,775-acre man-made reservoir, created when the Burton Dam was finished in 1919, hosts private homes along its shoreline and year-round watersports. Local brokerage Lake Team, affiliated with Christie's, said there are roughly 1,200 private homes on the lakefront and that of 19 recent sales it tracked over 11 months, only one property was priced under $1 million; the average sale price among that sample was $3.1 million. Liebman pointed to private clubs such as the members-only Waterfall Club and to the lake’s appeal for buyers seeking a retreat with waterfront access.

Asheville, North Carolina, was another market on Liebman’s list. Positioned between Charlotte and Knoxville, Asheville is known for a strong arts scene, the River Arts District and a high concentration of craft breweries. The city is also home to the Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned home in the United States. Real estate activity in Asheville has been affected by weather events: flooding from Hurricane Helene in September caused damage in parts of the city, and Zillow reported a 1% decline in prices over the past year, with a median sale price of just over $510,000 as of June 30.

Naples, Florida, on the Gulf Coast, offers golf, high-end shopping and waterfront living while often operating under the radar compared with Miami and Palm Beach. The area recorded Florida’s priciest home sale in state history, a $225 million beachfront compound that closed this year. Liebman and local agents said Naples is attracting affluent buyers from the Midwest and Canada. Despite headline-setting trophy sales, average home values in Naples were about $556,000, down roughly 7% year over year amid a broader surplus of unsold homes in Florida.

The Hudson Valley, a 10-county region north of New York City, rounded out Liebman’s list. The region’s mix of suburban and rural settings, proximity to Manhattan and a growing roster of luxury amenities has drawn interest from buyers seeking weekend houses and permanent residences outside the city. Liebman pointed to new high-end hospitality and private-club offerings, citing venues such as Ranch Hudson Valley, Wildflower Farms and Silo Ridge Field Club. The Hudson Valley is dotted with scenic attractions — Bear Mountain, Storm King Mountain and the Walkway Over the Hudson — and contains notable historic estates including Kykuit, the former Rockefeller home.

Liebman framed the trend as a shift in luxury real estate demand away from the most famous high-price enclaves toward places that deliver a quality lifestyle at a range of price points. She said the No. 1 thing people seek now is space — “air, light, space, indoor-outdoor blending together” — and that smaller-scale luxury features can provide the same sense of opulence as a marquee address.

Market dynamics have supported the movement. Pandemic-era buying pushed prices higher in many resort and lifestyle markets, and some cooling has occurred since mid-2022. In addition to shifts in buyer preferences, local factors such as airport access in Park City, waterfront scarcity at Lake Burton and regional amenities in the Hudson Valley influence where wealthy buyers choose to concentrate their purchases.

Corcoran’s comments to Mansion Global underscore a broader industry conversation about how luxury is defined in real estate today and where value can be found. Brokerage and listing data cited by Liebman and others show a spectrum of prices within these markets, reflecting a mix of trophy properties and more modest high-end homes that meet the quiet-luxury criteria she described.