Trader Joe's vs. Whole Foods: Study Says One Gives You Better Home Values

We want a Trader Joe’s!

We want a Whole Foods!

In recent years the fight for these stores offering healthy, natural foods has developed huge followings, and everyone is loyal to a specific brand.

But according to a new study by RealtyTrac, one of these stores opening in your town may raise your home value.

The study showed homeowners near a Trader Joe’s have seen an average of 40-percent increase in home value since purchasing their home, while residents in towns with a Whole Foods have seen a 34-percent increase, which was the average for all ZIP codes nationwide.

Montgomery County is home to a few Trader Joe’s stores, including in North Wales, Jenkintown, and Ardmore. Whole Foods, meanwhile, is also in North Wales and Jenkintown, as well as Phoenixville.

The average home in a Trader Joe’s ZIP code, according to the study, was $592,339, a five-percent jump from a Whole Foods ZIP code, where home values were $561,840. The average home price across the country was $262,068.

But there was one positive for Whole Foods neighbors over Trader Joe’s: property taxes. According to the report, property taxes were an average of $8,536 in Trader Joe’s towns, versus $5,382 in Whole Foods’ towns.

See the full report here.