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Major corporations can change nearly everything about their surrounding areas and their effect on residential real estate can be truly substantial. The concentration of wealth in areas like Silicon Valley and Seattle has influenced even the most basic properties, causing otherwise unremarkable homes to be worth over a million dollars based on their location alone. We'll look at the patterns of residential real estate from the past and the predictions of the future.
The Boom & Cool
Much like the stock market, there's a flurry of activity in the real estate market when anticipation is in the air. Just the announcements that Amazon's HQ2 would be in Long Island City caused a major influx in properties both in and around the area. But the long-term effects for real estate aren't quite as extreme.
Once Amazon switched their allegiance to Arlington, the value of the Long Island City cooled back down to its original levels. Even in the D.C. area, the effects have been moderate. After a year, Arlington saw some increases in value for homes near the future campus, but its mid-2030s arrival is causing some degree of hesitation for owners and developers.
The Steady Rise
The areas that see a steady climb are typically those that bring in a stream of businesses. These cities and towns attract diverse populations who contribute their talents and create a personality that others want to be a part of. Los Angeles made headlines for becoming its own haven for tech talent, creating the so-called Silicon Beach that spans through Santa Monica, Hermosa and Venice.
Google, YouTube, Snap, Inc. and Hulu are just a few corporations with offices in Silicon Beach. With San Francisco pricing even successful companies out of the market, the demand for luxury real estate in the LA area has increased due to the influx of well-paid engineers, developers and leaders.
A single industry, such as oil or tech, can quickly raise the average salary to epic proportions. In Gillette, WY, a city dominated by fossil fuels, the average cost of a home increased from $236,978 to $272,100 over the course of just 7 years. So while Arlington may not have seen the immediate jump they were looking for, it may only be a matter of time.
You can see prices being pushed up all over the country due to corporate investment. From Boston to Miami, it starts with the areas directly surrounding the area of the business before being pushed out to the suburbs and beyond.