Housing in Brown

A typical Brown home is worth roughly $239,000

Home prices around Brown have risen about 73% over the past 5 years.

Typical home value

$239K

▲ 5.9% in a year · MI $266K

Estimate

2-bedroom rent

$1,140

a month, utilities in · HUD

Median tax bill

$2,381

MI $2,904

What kind of housing town is Brown?

Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.

A town of owners95% of households own their home.A second-home town26% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes.

★ What stands out · The homes

95% of Brown households own their home

Half of Brown’s homes were built before 1975.

Owners and renters

Own 95%Rent 5%

Michigan: 73% own.

1975

typical home built · MI 1972

$2,381

median property tax bill · MI $2,904

1.00%

of a home’s value, a year in tax · MI 1.25%

26%

of homes are seasonal or vacation homes

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 · figures for a place this size carry wide margins of error.

Price trend

Home prices up 73% in 5 years

The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Brown rose 73% over the past 5 years, faster than across Michigan (52%). Last year prices rose 5.9%.

Brown areaMichigan

+5.9%

past year

+73%

past 5 years

+129%

past 10 years

Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Brown, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.

Affordability

A typical home costs 3.9 years of income

About the same as across Michigan. Try your own numbers below.

You could afford about

$234,000

Typical Brown home $239K

That’s $4K short of a typical Brown home.

The typical home, each month

$1,450

Loan $1,180Tax $200Insurance $70

A two-bedroom rents for about $1,140 a month here, $310 less than owning.

Where your budget reaches nearby

Bear Lake$321K Dickson$157K Stronach$166K Manistee$267K

An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Brown’s typical property tax (1.00% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.

Renting

A two-bedroom rents for about $1,140

Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included

Studio$810

1 bedroom$870

2 bedrooms$1,140

3 bedrooms$1,450

4 bedrooms$1,520

of households rent · MI 27%

renter households

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Manistee County, MI): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Next door

Brown vs. its neighbors

Brown is the 3rd least expensive of 5 neighboring towns. Tap one to see its housing page.

Bear Lake$321K Manistee$267K Brown$239K Stronach$166K Dickson$157K

Compare more

Town	Typical value	1-yr change	2-bed rent	New homes 2025	Median income
Brown	$239K*	+5.9%†	$1,140	—	$60,938
Bear Lake	$321K	+11.1%	$1,230	—	$72,958
Dickson	$157K*	—	$1,260	—	$55,781
Stronach	$166K*	+6%†	$1,060	—	$80,417
Manistee	$267K	+9.6%	$1,040	6	$65,461

Typical value: Zillow Home Value Index; * Census median home value where Zillow has none. † FHFA price index change where Zillow has none. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. New homes: Census building permits.

Neighbors talk housing

What Brown buyers, sellers and renters are saying.

Town Square →

Weigh in

Is Brown still affordable for young families?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Start the conversation

Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer.