For the Love of Chocolate Covered Bananas

We’re big fans of the diced bananas dipped in dark chocolate at Trader Joe’s.  We’re also big fans of the fact that Trader Joe’s is a stone’s throw away.  We’re even bigger fans of the thought that home appreciation may have a direct correlation to Trader Joe’s and Whole Food’s locations, and maybe our chocolate covered bananas.

Two of our most basic needs as humans are food and shelter.  RealtyTrac looked at home values, their appreciation and their adjoining property taxes in U.S. Zip Codes with a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s to determine the best combination of food and shelter.  Both stores have a cult following, but does that cult follow lead to greater appreciation?

The study found that homeowners near a Trader Joe’s have experienced better home value appreciation since their original purchase, but also pay higher property taxes on average.

Here’s what we also found in the report:

Homeowners near a Trader Joe’s have seen an average 40 percent increase in home value since they purchased, compared to 34 percent appreciation for homeowners near Whole Foods.

Homeowners near a Trader Joe’s pay an average of $8,536 a year in property taxes, while homeowners near a Whole Foods pay an average of $5,382 per year.

Included in the methodology of the report is the fact that only zip codes with at least one OR the other were taken into account.  Neither zip code had both.  There’s much more to take into account in considering average home value and appreciation, but the thought is interesting.

For more information visit www.realtytrac.com