What Your Grocery Store Says About Home Values

 

Love Whole Foods, or do you swear by Trader Joe’s? Turns out your preference for grocery stores may say something about your home’s value and the real estate prices in your neighborhood.

RealtyTrac did an analysis of home values, appreciation and property taxes in zip codes where Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s do business.

It looks like Trader Joe’s sets up shop in pricier neighborhoods or maybe pricier neighborhoods grow up around the stores.

VALUE

Homeowners near Trader Joe’s saw a 40 percent increase in their property values since they purchased, compared to 34 percent for neighbors of Whole Foods.

The average value of a home near Trader Joe’s comes out to about $592,339.

That’s 5 percent more than the $561,840 average for homes near a Whole Foods.

PROPERTY TAXES

And guess who pays higher property taxes?

Trader Joe’s neighbors pay an average of $8,536 in property taxes. That’s 59 percent more than the $5,382 average for homeowners near a Whole Foods.