A typical Watson home is worth roughly $269,000
Home prices around Watson have risen about 64% over the past 5 years. Builders were permitted 12 new homes in 2025.
What kind of housing town is Watson?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
Home prices up 64% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Watson rose 64% over the past 5 years, faster than across Michigan (52%). Last year prices rose 9.6%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Watson home at roughly $269,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $269K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Watson, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
12 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 12 new homes in Watson in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $4.2 million to build. That's 5.7 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Michigan (2.3). Over the past 10 years, Watson has permitted 83 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Watson gained 113 residents while 45 new homes were permitted: about 2.5 new residents per new home. Building and growth moved roughly in step. Across Michigan: 1.2 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 3 | 3 | 0 | $900,000 |
| 2025 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2024 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $988,000 |
| 2022 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $3.7 million |
| 2021 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2020 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2019 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2018 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2017 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2016 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2015 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2014 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $787,000 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $270,000 |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $428,000 |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $765,000 |
| 2010 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $765,000 |
| 2009 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $406,000 |
| 2008 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $541,000 |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $521,000 |
| 2006 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2005 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2004 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2003 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $821,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
95% of Watson households own their home
Half of Watson’s homes were built before 1986.
Michigan: 73% own.
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024.
A typical home costs 4.1 years of income
More than across Michigan (3.7 years). Try your own numbers below.
That’s $19K short of a typical Watson home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,190 a month here, $440 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Watson’s typical property tax (0.99% 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 $1,190
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Allegan County, MI): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Watson vs. its neighbors
Watson is the 2nd least expensive of 5 neighboring towns. Tap one to see its housing page.
Compare more
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 Watson 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. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits 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.