A typical Fair Plain home is worth roughly $209,000
Homes typically sell in 30 days, close to asking.
What kind of housing town is Fair Plain?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
Home prices up 58% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Fair Plain rose 58% over the past 5 years, faster than across Michigan (52%). Last year prices rose 7.7%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Fair Plain home at roughly $209,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $209K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Fair Plain, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A strong seller's market
Homes are selling faster than new ones are listed: less than two months of supply. Well-priced homes can draw several offers.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 4 years of income
More than across Michigan (3.2 years). Try your own numbers below.
That’s $8K short of a typical Fair Plain home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,070 a month here, $220 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Fair Plain’s typical property tax (1.11% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,070
Renters already here pay a median of $1,019.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Niles, MI MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
70% of Fair Plain households own their home
Half of Fair Plain’s homes were built before 1960.
Michigan: 73% own.
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024.
Fair Plain vs. its neighbors
Fair Plain is the 3rd least expensive of 6 neighboring towns. Tap one to see its housing page.
Compare more
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Plain | $209K* | +7.7%† | $1,070 | — | $52,817 |
| Benton Harbor | $160K | +7% | $1,080 | 30 | $31,117 |
| St. Joseph | $341K | +5.8% | $1,300 | 2 | $94,926 |
| Benton | $149K* | +7.7%† | $1,070 | 10 | $38,688 |
| Royalton | $357K* | +1.6%† | $1,300 | 25 | $128,750 |
| St. Joseph | $299K* | +2.9%† | $1,370 | 68 | $84,057 |
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 Fair Plain buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. 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.