Buying a Home in the Poconos: Prices by Town, HOAs, Well and Septic, and Second Homes

In short: To buy a home in the Poconos, get pre-approved, then choose the township as well as the town, because property taxes, school districts and short-term rental rules change from one township to the next. Most Pocono homes have a private well and septic system and many are in POA or HOA communities, so plan for water, septic and radon tests and read the community's rules and fees before you commit. In Monroe County, the median sale price was $337,000 from October 2025 to September 2026 (Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS® MLS), and a second home can be bought with as little as about 10% down on a conventional loan.

How do I buy a house in the Poconos?

1. Get pre-approved, and decide how you will use the home. A main home, a second home and a rental each get a different kind of loan, with a different down payment.
2. Choose the township, not just the town. A Pocono mailing address can sit in more than one township. Property taxes, the school district and the rules on renting the home out all follow the township.
3. Check the community. Many Pocono homes are in POA or HOA communities with lakes, pools and private roads. Read the rules and the fees before you offer.
4. Make an offer with the right contingencies: the home inspection, the well water test, the septic inspection, radon, the appraisal and your financing.
5. Inspect. Your inspector checks the house; a water test, a septic inspection and a radon test cover what is underground and in the air.
6. Get insurance quotes early. Wooded lots, homes far from a fire hydrant and homes that sit empty part of the year can cost more to insure.
7. Close. The title company handles the closing, usually 30 to 60 days after your offer is accepted.

Buying your first home? Monroe County has its own program with up to $25,000 toward the down payment and closing costs. See the Monroe County first-time homebuyer program.

Home prices by town

Homes sold from October 2025 to September 2026. Source: Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS® (PMAR) MLS, pulled October 2026.

Prices change a lot from one area to another. Lake communities and homes near the resorts usually cost more; homes in communities without amenities, or that need work, usually cost less. Ryth sends you recent sales for the exact areas you are looking at.

POA and HOA communities

Communities are a big part of buying in the Poconos. Many have lakes, beaches, pools, clubhouses and their own roads, paid for with yearly dues.

• Read the rules. They can limit short-term rentals, sheds, fences, boats and pets.
• Ask about the money: yearly dues, any capital contribution charged when you buy, and any special assessments coming.
• The resale certificate. The seller must give you the association's resale certificate. Under Pennsylvania law, you can cancel the agreement until 5 days after you receive it.
• Roads and snow. Find out whether the association or the township plows and repairs your road.

Prefer no association at all? There are homes outside communities across the county; tell Ryth and he will focus the search there.

Well, septic and radon

• Private wells. Pennsylvania is one of only two states with no statewide rules for private well construction or water testing, so testing is up to you. Test the water before you buy.
• Septic systems. Most homes outside the boroughs use an on-lot septic system. An inspection shows its condition, and a failing system is one of the most expensive surprises a Pocono buyer can run into.
• Radon. About 40% of homes tested in Pennsylvania are above the EPA's action level of 4 picocuries per liter. A test is standard, and if it is high, a mitigation system fixes it.

Buying a second home or vacation home in the Poconos

The Poconos are a popular place for a second home, with New York City about 75 to 100 miles away depending on the town.

• The loan. Under Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rules, a conventional second-home loan can go up to 90% of the price, so about 10% down. The home must be a single unit, you must live in it for part of the year and control it yourself, and rental income cannot be used to qualify you.
• If you will rent it full time, it is an investment property, which needs about 15% down or more. See Buying an Airbnb in the Poconos.
• FHA, VA and USDA loans are only for a home you live in as your main home.
• Property taxes. Pennsylvania's homestead exclusion, which lowers school taxes, only applies to your primary residence, so a second home pays the full amount.
• When you are away. Plan for snow removal, heat and someone local to check on the house in winter.

What the Poconos offer: outdoor life through the year

• Winter: skiing and snowboarding at Camelback in Tannersville and Shawnee Mountain near East Stroudsburg, with Jack Frost and Big Boulder just over the Carbon County line, plus snow tubing.
• Spring and summer: hiking the Appalachian Trail through the Delaware Water Gap and the trails of Big Pocono State Park; swimming beaches at Tobyhanna and Gouldsboro state parks; canoeing, kayaking and tubing on the Delaware River; and water parks at Camelback and the indoor resorts.
• Fall: foliage across the mountains, golf, and the lakes at their quietest.
• All year: The Crossings Premium Outlets, Pocono Raceway in season, Mount Airy Casino Resort, and the restaurants and shops of Stroudsburg's Main Street.

Each area has its own mix. Compare the towns in the Monroe County guide.

Sources

• Fannie Mae: Eligibility Matrix, maximum loan-to-value by occupancy (PDF)
• Fannie Mae Selling Guide: occupancy types, including second homes
• Freddie Mac: maximum loan-to-value ratios
• Pennsylvania Uniform Planned Community Act: resales of units (68 Pa.C.S. § 5407)
• Pennsylvania Department of Health: private well water fact sheet (PDF)
• Pennsylvania DEP: radon in the home
• Pennsylvania DCED: homestead exclusion, primary residences only
• Monroe County: homestead and farmstead exclusion

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