If the Founding Fathers were alive today, they’d probably have a lot to say. They’d also be very rich.
That’s because many framers of the Constitution owned some spectacular real estate. And if these properties were currently on the market, they would command a pretty penny (while also possibly being pictured on the back of a nickel).
From George Washington‘s Mount Vernon estate to Alexander Hamilton’s Manhattan home known as The Grange, these homes are iconic pieces of American history that deserve to remain held in the public trust in perpetuity, to educate and inspire future generations.
But if they did hit the market, how much would these homes sell for today? The truth is, it’s almost impossible to exactly pinpoint what they would go for on the open market, as there are no true comparable sales to consider.
As a purely hypothetical exercise in honor of America’s 250th birthday, some of the nation’s top historic home valuation experts have agreed to share their insights on what these pieces of American history might fetch if they were for sale in this century.
How to put a value on the priceless
Typically, when pricing a home for resale, appraisers and real estate agents look at a variety of factors including location, acreage, condition, and replacement cost as well at what similar homes in the area have sold for, known as “comps.”
“What makes these difficult to value is there’s nothing to compare them to,” says Doug Van Soest, co-owner of SoCal Home Buyers who has also worked as a certified residential appraiser. “No appraiser has three sales of a founding father’s house on the same block to work from, so you back into it instead—what’s the land worth, what would it cost to rebuild the structure, and then you sit there guessing at what the name adds.”
That being said, Van Soest says the land alone is what would make the founding fathers millionaires (if not billionaires) today. And our other experts agreed.
“You’ve got premium land plus a story that is irreplaceable,” says Ryan Smith, founder and lead investor of Cinch Home Buyers, a North Carolina real estate investment company. “That combination is where the price stops behaving like normal real estate and starts escalating very quickly.”
Even if they didn’t have the “name value,” however, these homes would still be worth a fortune today.
“These homes are truly impossible to value in the traditional sense,” says Erica Collica Swink, an associate broker with Max Broock Realtors in Detroit, who has two decades of experience specializing in architecturally significant and historic homes. “There are no comparable sales for a founding father’s estate, so you’re balancing luxury real estate fundamentals with something that’s essentially priceless.”
Chad Barker, CEO of Velox Valuations calls homes like these “beyond the market.” Meaning that though our experts are offering their best estimates for this piece, the following should not be interpreted as formal appraisals. Instead, these are educational observations based on generally accepted appraisal principles and publicly available information.
“Every appraiser understands that location influences value, these homes remind us that history does too,” says Barker. “Two hundred and fifty years later, we are no longer talking only about exceptional homes on exceptional land—we are talking about places where the story of America was written.”
Mount Vernon (former home of George Washington)
Though Mount Vernon began as a modest one-and-a-half story home built by Augustine Washington in 1734, when George Washington inherited it twenty years later, he began turning it into what would eventually become a spectacular Virginia mansion.
Over the course of 45 years, George—who was very involved in all aspects of the design, construction, and decoration—built out Mount Vernon until it was approximately 11,000 square feet with 21 rooms sitting on over 7,600 acres of land. In other words, an estate worthy of the nation’s first President.
Today, Mount Vernon sits on roughly 500 preserved acres of prime Virginia property overlooking the Potomac River. And thanks to its size and location, it would be worth a small fortune.
“Mount Vernon is in a league of its own,” says Swink. “Without the historical significance, you’re still talking about an incredible waterfront estate outside Washington, D.C. with hundreds of acres, which could easily command $100 million to $150 million in today’s luxury market.”
Smith agrees that the property alone would be worth around $75 million to $100 million. “That’s a half square mile of some of the most valuable real estate in the country,” says Smith. “Add in that it belonged to one of the most iconic names in American history and I would think if this was on the market we’re talking $483,777,000, at least.”
Northern Virginia has definitely demonstrated that it’s an active trophy estate market with Potomac waterfront properties recently being offered in the $20 to $30 million range, or more.
One notable example is River View Estate, a portion of George Washington’s original Mount Vernon lands, consisting of approximately 16,000 square feet on 16.5 acres with Potomac River frontage. It was just re-listed for $49.9 million in 2026 by Dan Snyder, former owner of the Washington Commanders.
With that in mind, purchasing the estate of Washington’s original commander would cost you even more.
“Fairfax County waterfront on the Potomac carries real money even without the history…averaging like high $200s an acre on the larger holdings, so that math puts the house and grounds of Mount Vernon around $125 to $200 million before you count whose it was,” says Van Soest, who ventures that putting Washington’s name back on it could add another $100 million to the price.
Monticello (former home of Thomas Jefferson)
Though also located in Virginia, Monticello—the former home of Thomas Jefferson—would likely not pull in the same prices as Mount Vernon. But it still would command a hefty price.
Monticello is approximately 11,000 square feet with 43 rooms and today sits within roughly 2,500 preserved acres overlooking Charlottesville, Virginia.
“If Monticello were simply an extraordinary private estate with no association to Thomas Jefferson, it would still rank among the most remarkable residential properties in Virginia,” says Barker. “Charlottesville does not have the same ultra-luxury market level as Northern Virginia, but a private estate combining these characteristics could occupy or exceed the upper end of Virginia’s luxury residential market and command a value well into the eight-figure range.”
Van Soest agrees that Monticello would come in at a lower valuation than Mount Vernon simply because Charlottesville doesn’t carry Fairfax County land prices and has a different footprint.
“Most of those 2,500 acres are woods and farmland and though Jefferson designed the house himself, it wasn’t built to live in the way a buyer wants now,” says Van Soest, who would guesstimate Monticello would land somewhere in the $50 million to $100 million range. “It’s also a UNESCO site, and the house is on the back of the nickel, which is not the kind of thing that shows up on any appraisal I’ve ever filled out.”
Currently, there is a lot in Scottsville, VA at 2,470 acres for $8,750,000 and another 10,000 acres for sale in Eagle Rock, VA for $33 million, according to Smith. As such, adding in that Monticello is a World Heritage Site, his estimate is high. “You’re buying a work of art by one of the founders, so I’d guess $400 million,” says Smith.
“If Monticello were simply an extraordinary estate in Charlottesville with the acreage, architecture and improvements, I’d estimate somewhere in the $75 million to $125 million range,” says Swink. “Once you factor in the fact that it was Thomas Jefferson’s home and one of the most significant properties in American history, I honestly think it moves beyond what traditional market value can measure.”
Old House at Peace field (former home of John Adams)
Moving up north a bit, John Adams’ home located in the outskirts of Boston, MA, which he lovingly called the “Old House at Peace field,” seems more modest in relation to the southern estates. However, it would still sell for a bundle today.
The Adams’ family home is located in Quincy, MA, a smaller market outside Boston where according to Van Soest, regular single family homes trade in the mid-$700s, “so on paper you’re looking at maybe a $2 to $4 million dollar house.” But that’s before you add in its history bump.
“Though it’s down to five acres now, from the 75-acre farm Adams bought in 1787, nobody cutting a check at the top end is pulling Quincy comps—what they’re really buying is two presidents under one roof [Founding Father John Adams and later John Quincy Adams], and four generations of the same family after them,” says Van Soest, who adds that of the Founding Fathers’ properties, this is the one place where the name outruns the building.
As a normal estate, Smith says he thinks this Georgian mansion on 13 acres would go for around $6 million, but with the “history tax” he’d put it around $40 million. “The biggest draw here is the dynasty—it’s more about owning the home of the entire American founding family,” says Smith.
Swink also imagines someone looking to acquire this property would be seeking authenticity, since it has a quieter kind of significance.
“Buyers looking at homes like this aren’t chasing trends, they’re looking for craftsmanship, history, and a property that’s been thoughtfully preserved,” says Swink, who’d give Peace field a $25 to $40 million estimate. “The connection to both John and Abigail Adams absolutely adds value because buyers of historic homes are often buying the story just as much as the structure.”
Hamilton Grange (former home of Alexander Hamilton)
Alexander Hamilton didn’t throw away his shot when it came to acquiring property in Manhattan. And with the going price of real estate in New York City—not to mention his recent Broadway musical fame—Hamilton Grange (his former home) would sell for millions of dollars today.
“Unlike Mount Vernon and Monticello, Hamilton Grange derives much of its modern value from its Manhattan location rather than extensive acreage,” says Barker. “The home itself is considerably smaller, but it occupies one of the strongest real estate markets in the world where buyers are willing to pay tens of millions of dollars for exceptional townhomes and historically significant residences.”
Just the house itself, a Federal place around 5,000 square feet, might run $4 to $7 million today, as the restored townhouses in upper Manhattan go for about $950 per square foot, according to Van Soest.
But while the current Hamilton Grange home sits on three acres, Alexander Hamilton could have been even richer if he’d kept all the property he once snapped up.
“Hamilton is the one that gets me—he picked up 32 acres in what’s now Hamilton Heights in 1800, 32 acres of Manhattan!” says Van Soest. “Price that original footprint as raw Manhattan land and you’re into the hundreds of millions, probably past a billion, the building’s almost a rounding error next to the ground it sat on.”
Smith agrees that because the house is smaller and it’s a federal-style old home, as a normal property, the main value comes from the lot. “With the land, it makes it incredibly more valuable,” says Smith. “My guesstimate would be that the land could sell around $50 million and fairly quickly, given the fact that right down the road a 7,491 square foot lot is up for sale for $6.5 million.”
Manhattan real estate has always been its own animal, though. “As a historic townhouse on a sizable piece of land, I’d estimate $20 to $35 million based on location alone,” says Swink. “The Alexander Hamilton connection only makes it more desirable, especially with the renewed interest in his story over the last decade.”
The bottom line with all the Founding Fathers’ homes is that these men would have been very wealthy in today’s real estate market. “At the end of the day, the market still determines value, but when you’re talking about iconic historic properties, value goes well beyond square footage or the number of bedrooms,” says Swink. “You’re talking about something that can never truly be replicated.”
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