How much are Bernie Sanders' homes worth and how has their value changed over time?
Executive summary
Bernie Sanders and his wife have owned between two and three houses in recent years: a Burlington primary home bought in 2009 for $405,000, a Washington, D.C. rowhouse purchased in 2007 (about $488,999 reported in some accounts), and a Lake Champlain–area vacation property bought for roughly $575,000–$600,000 in 2016–2023 reporting (purchase prices and contemporary valuations vary across outlets) [1] [2] [3].
1. Property list: which homes are in play
Reporting consistently identifies a Burlington, Vermont primary home; a Washington, D.C. townhouse/rowhouse; and a North Hero / South Hero (Champlain Islands) lakefront or vacation house. Business Insider and other summaries note two Vermont homes plus a D.C. townhouse [4]. AP confirmed Sanders bought a lakefront house for nearly $600,000 and that he and his wife also own a Burlington home and a D.C. rowhouse [2]. Older property profiles likewise list a $575,000 Champlain Islands purchase and the D.C. rowhouse acquisition [3].
2. Purchase prices reported in public accounts
Different outlets cite different original purchase figures: the Burlington house is frequently reported as bought in 2009 for $405,000 [1]. The D.C. rowhouse purchase is often listed around $488,999 in prior reporting and was described as costing about $489,000 in 2019 coverage [3]. The lakeside property in the Champlain Islands is generally reported as acquired for about $575,000 in earlier accounts and characterized as “nearly $600,000” in AP’s 2023 report [3] [2].
3. Contemporary valuations — divergent estimates
Modern valuation snapshots vary by source: Hindustan Times relays a Financial Samurai figure valuing the Burlington primary at roughly $699,000 [1]. TheStreet and other summaries cite Zillow valuations around $741,000 for the Burlington home [5]. Alternative estimates put the Burlington property lower — CelebrityNetWorth reported around $440,000 [6]. Financial Samurai aggregates real estate equity numbers that imply roughly $600k+ valuations for the Vermont and vacation properties in its estimate [7]. These discrepancies reflect differing valuation methods and dates [1] [5] [6] [7].
4. How values have changed over time — what reporting shows
Sources show clear appreciation since purchase: Burlington’s 2009 purchase price of $405,000 is compared to later quoted values from roughly $440,000 up to $741,000 depending on outlet and valuation service, indicating growth but not a single agreed number [1] [5] [6]. The Champlain Islands home, bought for about $575,000, was reported as “nearly $600,000” at sale/purchase reporting and remains cited at roughly that level in subsequent write-ups [3] [2]. The D.C. rowhouse was listed at about $489,000 in 2019 reporting and earlier valuations showed appreciation to about $562,500 at that time [3]. Analysts and blogs that total equity use those higher, more recent appraisals to conclude Sanders has roughly $1.7M+ in real estate equity [7].
5. Why the numbers differ — methods, dates, and implicit agendas
Discrepancies result from: (a) differing data sources (Zillow vs. local sale records vs. journalist summaries), (b) snapshot dates (values fluctuate with market cycles), and (c) editorial framing. Outlets emphasizing Sanders’ relative wealth (e.g., Financial Samurai, GazetteDirect) aggregate book income and equity to portray him as a multi-millionaire; others present lower Zillow-based values or earlier disclosure figures [7] [8] [5]. Political critics have used the three-home fact to question consistency with democratic socialist rhetoric; some outlets highlight this tension explicitly [9] [7].
6. What we can and cannot conclude from available reporting
Available reporting clearly documents the three properties and the approximate purchase prices for Burlington ($405k) and the Champlain Islands (~$575k–$600k) and the D.C. rowhouse (~$489k) [1] [3] [2]. Exact, current market values are inconsistent across sources: some cite Zillow estimates (about $741k for Burlington), others give lower or higher appraisals and different totals for real-estate equity [5] [6] [7]. Financial-disclosure nuances (pensions, book royalties, capitalized pensions) are treated differently by outlets, producing net-worth ranges roughly between $2 million and $3 million in many reports [9] [8] [7].
7. How to verify the most precise up-to-date values
For the most definitive figures, consult the local county property records for sale prices and current assessed values, and check real-estate services for current market estimates; those steps are not taken in the stories cited here. Available sources do not mention contemporaneous county-assessed values or recent appraisal documents in full (not found in current reporting). Reporters rely on public disclosures, Zillow-style estimates, and purchase-price reporting to build their summaries [1] [5] [3].
Bottom line: multiple outlets agree Sanders owns the Burlington house, a D.C. rowhouse, and a Champlain Islands lake property and that those properties have meaningfully appreciated since purchase; the precise current market values differ across sources because of methodology, timing, and different editorial emphases [1] [5] [3] [2].