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Investment Properties for Sale in Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Cottonwood Heights sits at the mouth of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons on the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley, which makes it one of the more interesting investment markets in Utah for buyers who care about location-driven demand. The city's roughly 33,000 residents skew professional and established — think engineers at the nearby tech corridor, medical staff commuting to Intermountain and the U, and remote workers who picked the address for the 20-minute drive to Solitude and Brighton. That tenant pool is stable, credit-worthy, and willing to pay a premium for proximity to the canyons, which is why long-term rental vacancy here tends to run below the county average.
Investment plays in Cottonwood Heights generally fall into three buckets: single-family rentals in the $650K-$1.1M range targeting professional families, basement-apartment or ADU properties that let you offset a mortgage with a second unit, and ski-season furnished rentals aimed at travelers heading up the canyons. Multi-family inventory is thin — the city is mostly zoned residential — so most cash-flow strategies here lean on house-hacking, mid-term furnished rentals, or appreciation rather than classic duplex math. Property taxes run around 0.6% and the city's short-term rental rules are stricter than unincorporated county areas, so it pays to read the zoning before writing an offer. Browse the active listings below to see which Cottonwood Heights properties currently fit an investment thesis.
May 2026 · Cottonwood Heights market
Live from the Utah MLS — what's actually happening in Cottonwood Heights right now.
Median sale
$728,500
26 closed in May 2026
Median DOM
16 days
listing → contract
Sale-to-list
98.8%
of final list price
Unsold inventory
69
active + pending
16 matching · page 1 of 1
Active listings
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Common questions
About investment properties in Cottonwood Heights.
What kinds of investment properties does Cottonwood Heights actually have? ▾
The bulk of the inventory is single-family rentals in subdivisions off Fort Union Boulevard, Bengal Boulevard, and around Butler Middle School. There's a smaller pool of townhomes near Old Mill and a handful of walk-out rambler basements legally set up as accessory units. True multi-family (duplex/fourplex) listings are rare here — most investor activity is SFR or short-term rental conversions.
Are short-term rentals (Airbnb/VRBO) legal in Cottonwood Heights? ▾
Cottonwood Heights regulates short-term rentals through a city licensing process, and operators generally need to occupy the property or meet specific zoning conditions. Rules have tightened over the last few years, so anyone buying with an STR plan should verify current city code and HOA restrictions before writing an offer. Ski-season demand from Solitude and Brighton skiers is the main draw.
What kind of rent can a single-family home pull in Cottonwood Heights? ▾
A typical 3-4 bedroom home in the $650K-$850K range tends to rent in the $2,800-$3,800/month band depending on finishes, garage, and yard. Homes closer to Big Cottonwood Canyon or with mountain views push higher, especially if marketed to traveling medical staff at nearby Intermountain facilities or seasonal ski tenants.
Do the numbers actually pencil for long-term rentals here? ▾
Cottonwood Heights is an appreciation play more than a cash-flow market — at current prices and rates, most long-term SFR rentals run break-even or slightly negative on a fully financed purchase. Investors typically come in with 25%+ down, target homes with basement apartment potential, or plan for medium-term furnished rentals tied to ski season and corporate stays.
What about basement apartments and ADUs? ▾
Many ramblers and split-entries in the city have walk-out basements that work well as internal accessory units. Utah's statewide internal ADU law applies, but Cottonwood Heights still requires permitting, owner-occupancy in most cases, and parking compliance. Properties with an existing legal second kitchen are worth a premium because the conversion work is already done.
How does Cottonwood Heights compare to Holladay or Sandy for investors? ▾
Cottonwood Heights sits between the two on price and rent, with stronger ski-tenant appeal than either because Big Cottonwood Canyon starts at the city's east edge. Holladay tends to attract longer-term affluent renters; Sandy has more inventory and slightly better cap rates. Cottonwood Heights wins on appreciation history and proximity to both canyons.