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Great Falls is Virginia’s most expensive community for entry-level homebuyers, with the typical starter property valued at $1,233,946, according to a new Zillow analysis.

It was the only Virginia locality where the median value of a starter home exceeded $1 million. Zillow defines a starter-level home as one priced within the bottom third of its community’s housing market.

Nationwide, the typical starter home is valued at $198,649.

Great Falls is now among 242 communities across the country with million-dollar starter homes. That figure has climbed from 226 communities a year ago and just 80 in 2020.

Zillow analysts attributed the surge to a years-long housing shortage colliding with intense demand when mortgage rates were at historic lows, causing home values to rise at a record pace.

The million-dollar threshold has also spread well beyond the coastal markets that once dominated the list. Twenty-six states now have at least one qualifying locality, compared with nine before the COVID-19 pandemic. Colorado was previously the only interior state represented, but Texas, Wyoming and Illinois now have multiple communities on the list.

California leads the nation with 105 communities, one fewer than a year ago but more than triple its February 2020 total.

New York and New Jersey recorded the fastest growth, adding a combined 15 communities during the past year. New York now has 41, up from 12 before the pandemic, while New Jersey has 26, compared with just one previously.

The New York City metropolitan area leads all metro regions with 63 communities where a typical starter home costs at least $1 million. San Francisco follows with 37, Los Angeles with 33, San Jose with 13, and Miami and Seattle with eight each.

Across the Potomac, Maryland also has several communities above the threshold. Those identified in the analysis include Gibson Island at $2,228,653, Chevy Chase View at $1,179,596, Glen Echo at $1,042,465 and Potomac at $1,013,216.