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House prices have steadily risen across the country and show no signs of slowing. While location is often considered the most important factor in determining home’s price, the house’s style also plays a role.
American Home Shield (AHS) conducted a survey of sold homes on Zillow, taking note of homes’ sale price and style to find the average price for each style of home in every state and nationwide. AHS used Zillow’s “architectural style” filter to determine the most popular house style in each state and based its findings on these style categories. Read on for a summary of these findings and details on the most (and least) valuable home styles in the U.S.
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The 10 Most Valuable House Styles of 2022
AHS determined that the following ten house styles were the most valuable across the country. They are listed in order, with the most valuable appearing at the top.
- Beach house: It may come as no surprise that the most valuable homes in the nation are beach houses, coming in at an average sale price of $1,223,310. Since this style of home typically comes with beach access or ocean views, its high value makes sense—especially considering that the land itself comes at a high cost.
- Mediterranean: Mediterranean-style homes take inspiration from Spanish and Italian architecture, with clay barrel tile roofs, stucco walls, and arched designs. They are typically found in coastal states with high property values, and they’re sold for an average of $991,408.
- Shingle: Shingle-style homes are emblematic of coastal areas of the eastern United States, and, like beach houses, they are often situated close to the ocean. They are known for their wood cladding and gambrel roofs and sell for an average of $960,638.
- Spanish: Spanish-style homes are inspired by colonial Spanish architecture, sharing a similar aesthetic with Mediterranean houses. They’re typically found in Florida, California, and the Southwest and sell for an average of $841,784
- Northwest contemporary: This architectural style is most often found in the Pacific Northwest and sells for an average price of $806,731. These homes incorporate natural elements and often have an asymmetrical design with large windows that bring in the outdoors.
- Mid-century modern: This architectural style encompasses a number of different home styles built between the 1940s and 1970s. Mid-century modern houses often feature open floor plans, large windows, and a low-slung design. These homes are found across the country and sell for an average price of $799,541.
- Mountain contemporary: Selling for an average of $794,574, mountain contemporary-style homes feature both modern and rustic elements and are often inspired by their natural surroundings.
- French country: French country architecture has a whimsical, fairy tale feel, taking inspiration from homes found in the French countryside, specifically Provence. Their average sale price in the U.S. is $780,230.
- Raised beach house: Raised beach houses have high values for the same reason as standard beach houses: location. Selling for an average of $734,697, these homes are elevated on risers to prevent water damage, but they otherwise share many characteristics with standard beach houses.
- Brownstone: Brownstones are usually found in highly populated urban areas, and are popular thanks to their historical aesthetic. This building style peaked in the mid-1800s, and today brownstones often retain their period character. They sell for an average of $733,890.
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The 5 Least Valuable House Styles of 2022
AHS found that these five styles were the least valuable in the nation. They are listed from least to most valuable.
- Mobile home: With an average price of $118,689, mobile homes are the least valuable style of home nationwide. Their smaller size and stigmatized reputation contribute to this low price, making them an affordable housing option.
- Manufactured home: Manufactured homes are similar to mobile homes in that they are pre-fabricated and typically have less square footage. In fact, the two terms are sometimes used synonymously. Technically speaking, however, manufactured homes are not actually movable, though they are built on a chassis rather than a permanent foundation. They sell for an average of $121,641.
- Shotgun: Shotgun homes, which are typically found in Southern cities like New Orleans, Charlotte, and Houston, are only a single room wide, meaning you must walk through one room to get to another. They were designed to maximize living space on small plots of land, and their average sale price is $140,831.
- Early American: Early American homes are the most popular home style found in Detroit and Fort Worth, selling for an average of $148,617.
- Conventional: Conventional style homes sell for an average of $173,536, and they are exemplified by their typical building materials and floor plans.
House Styles That Sell the Most Often
While we’ve covered the home styles that are the most and least valuable, we haven’t touched on which style is the most commonly sold. When it comes to popularity, there’s one style that stands out from the rest. Ranch-style houses are the most sold style in eight states, and they’re typically found in landlocked regions where homeowners have larger plots of land and can afford to spread out their homes on a single level.
Ranch-style houses are followed in popularity by traditional-style homes, which are largely found in the Southeast and Central U.S. Colonial homes are popular in New England, while contemporary homes are the West Coast’s favorite. Craftsman-style houses sell the most in the Pacific Northwest, and pueblo-style homes are the most common in New Mexico.