America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes

America's 25 Most Expensive ZIP Codes

A neighborhood in Duarte, Calif., tops our annual list of the most expensive ZIP codes. As usual, California, Manhattan and wealthy New York suburbs dominate the list, with all but one of the top 25 ZIPs located in those areas. Ahead, homes currently on the market near the median price of the most expensive ZIPs.

No. 1: 91008

Duarte, Calif.
Median Home Price: $4,276,462
This newly built nine-bedroom, nine-bathroom, 10,486-square-foot mansion with two swimming pools, a spa, gym, screening room, library and wine cellar, is on the market for $4,680,000. It's just across the city limits from Duarte, but still in the 91008. ZIP Sheng Development has the listing.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 2: 94027

Atherton, Calif.
Median Home Price: $4,010,200
This remodeled mid-century four-bedroom, four-bathroom, 4,010-square-foot ranch with a cathedral ceiling, fireplace, media room, two-car garage and gardens sells for $4,488,000. It is listed with Alain Pinel.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 3: 90274

Rolling Hills, Calif.
Median Home Price: $3,892,456
This sprawling five-bedroom, four-bathroom, 4,320-square-foot compound atop a hill with two fireplaces and a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean is selling for $3,999,000. Shorewood Realtors has the listing.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 4: 07620

Alpine, N.J.
Median Home Price: $3,814,885
This seven-bedroom, five-bathroom colonial-style home with a double-height foyer, expansive lawn and three-car garage is on the market for $3,950,000. It is listed with Plawker Real Estate.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 5: 10014

New York , N.Y.
Median Home Price: $3,785,445
This one-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,500-square-foot loft in a full-service building with views of the city is on the market in Manhattan's West Village for $2,049,000. Clickit Realty has the listing.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 6: 90210

Beverly Hills , Calif.
Median Home Price: $3,684,150
This five-bedroom, four-bathroom 4,700-square-foot Mediterranean-style home features a pool, large deck and views of the surrounding mountains costs $3,695,000. It is listed with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Beverly Hills.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 7: 10065

New York , N.Y.
Median HomePrice: $3,626,001
This two-bedroom, two-bathroom condominium on Manhattan's Upper East Side, occupying a full floor and featuring access to a private garden, gym and garage is selling for $975,000. Fenwick Keats Goodstein has the listing.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 8: 94920

Belvedere, Calif.
Median Home Price: $3,283,269
This three-bedroom, four-bathroom 4347-square-foot Spanish-style stucco home in the section of 94920 that's in neighboring Tiburon offers views and a fireplace and sells for $3,195,000. William J. Smith has the listing.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 9: 10012

New York, N.Y.
Median Home Price: $3,221,371
This downtown three-bedroom, two-bathroom with two terraces and a washer/dryer goes for $1,500,000. It is listed with Eychner Associates.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 10: 93108

Santa Barbara, Calif.
Median Home Price: $3,151,220
This four-bedroom, four-bathroom stucco home in Montecito with cathedral ceilings, two fireplaces and a pool is on sale at $3,250,000. It is listed with Prudential California Realty.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 11: 11568

Old Westbury, N.Y.
Median Home Price: $3,110,769
This shingled 6,500 square-foot five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home built in the colonial style has crown moldings, hardwood floors and two fireplaces and is selling for $3,299,000. Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty has the listing.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 12: 10013

New York, N.Y.
Median Home Price: $3,101,848
This two-bedroom, two-bathroom downtown Manhattan loft offers ample light, designer amenities and an office for $3,175,000. It is listed with East Egg Realty.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 13: 92067

Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Median Home Price: $3,055,740
This 8,000 square-foot five-bedroom, four-bathroom villa has four fireplaces, a pool, hot tub and a four car garage and is listed for $2,999,000. The The Guiltinan Group has the listing.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 14: 91302

Hidden Hills, Calif.
Median Home Price: $3,055,538
This 4,135 square-foot four-bedroom, five-bathroom gated ranch has a main home with three-bedroom suites, a dance studio, office and gourmet kitchen, plus a guest homes, pool garden and tennis court and is listed for $3,150,000. Jane Cudworth has the listing.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 15: 94022

Los Altos Hills, Calif.
Median Home Price: $3,048,846
This 4,000 square-foot, five-bedroom, six-bathroom Mediterranean-style home has a stucco exterior, vaulted ceilings, a fireplace and study and is selling for $3,195,000. Alain Pinel has the listing.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 16: 92661

Newport Beach, Calif.
Median Home Price: $3,036,601
This four-bedroom, three-bathroom in the Peninsula Point neighborhood near the shore has a gourmet kitchen, rooftop deck with barbecue, a master suite with vaulted ceilings and a balcony. It is listed for $2,995,000 with HOM Real Estate Group.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 17: 11976

Water Mill, N.Y.
Median Home Price: $3,006,849
This four-bedroom, three-bathroom farmhouse in an upstate New York cul-de-sac featuring an in-ground pool and 1.87 acres of land is on sale for $2,750,000 with Hulse Realty Group.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 18: 94024

Los Altos Hills, Calif.
Median Home Price: $2,974,058
This 4,673 square-foot six-bedroom, four-bathroom home has hardwood floors, a fireplace, vaulted ceilings and a swimming pool. It is listed for $2,899,000 with Campi Properties.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 19: 11932

Bridgehampton, N.Y.
Median Home Price: $2,959,231
This shingled seven-bedroom, four-bathroom beach house is 6,100, offers a swimming pool, three-car garage, two fireplaces, and vaulted, exposed-beam ceilings for $3,745,000. It is listed with Hulse Realty Group.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 20: 94010

Hillsborough, Calif.
Median Home Price: $2,948,423
This 4,190-square-foot, six-bedroom, five-bathroom home has a double-height foyer, two-car garage, fireplace and swimming pool, and is offered at $3,095,000 by Alain Pinel Realty.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 21: 11765

Mill Neck, N.Y.
Median Home Price: $2,835,000
This colonial-revival five-bedroom, four-bathroom home has a two-car garage and 6.7 acres of gardens and horse stables and is on the market for $2,399,999. Daniel Gale East Norwich/Blookville has the listing.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 22: 10003

New York, N.Y.
Median Home Price: $2,825,587
This 800-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in New York's Chelsea neighborhood offers stainless steel appliances, a marble-decked bathroom and a large terrace, and is listed for $899,000 by Argo Residential.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 23: 21056

Gibson Island, Md.
Median Home Price: $2,765,385
This four-bedroom, three-bedroom Cape Cod-style home has waterfront access, a fireplace and garage, and is listed for $2,750,000 by Barbara-Ann Watson.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 24: 90265

Malibu, Calif.
Median Home Price: $2,730,577
This 2,809 square-foot three-bedroom, three-bathroom craftsman has three fireplaces, hardwood and stone floors, a cook's kitchen and ocean views, and is offered at $2,650,000. Paul Randall has the listing.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

No. 25: 10021

New York, N.Y.
Median Home Price: $2,671,667
This one-bedroom condominium overlooking Central Park and the New York City skyline is large, sunny and designed by Emory Roth. Its sellers are banking that the prime location justifies a $2,350,000 price tag. It is listed with Eychner Associates Inc.

Related Video: Inside Alpine's $68 Million Home

13 of the Wackiest Beauty Trends Ever

13 of the Worst Beauty Trends

Sure, in retrospect, not every beauty trend is spot-on sexy. Some make us laugh about our silly decisions, but others…well, let’s just say they’re not among our prouder moments. Behold, 13 of the craziest beauty trends we can’t wait to forget.

Mega-Pastel Eyeshadow

Time machines may not be real, but one look at seriously pastel eyeshadow, and we feel like we’ve been transported to an 80s prom. Did this look totally wash out our faces? Yep. Did it sorta make us look like we were wearing cupcake frosting on our lids? You betcha.

How to wear trendsetting eyeshadow

Perms

Miss Bradshaw, we’ll forgive you: Even some of the chicest stars make some beauty mistakes. Not only were perms were kinda funny looking, as evidenced here, but does anyone remember how completely gross they smelled? We’re glad this trend took a nosedive (get it?!).

Sarah Jessica Parker's style

Teased Bangs

Teased bangs, how did we ever think you were a good idea—especially with a straight hairstyle? Oh, the horror of having a creampuff sprouting from the hairline! We can barely recall this look without needing to sit down.

Million Mile-Long Nails

Loooooong nails were something we never quite understood—how does one press the elevator button? Brush her teeth? Use chopsticks? In the name of all things functional, we declare this one of the most insane beauty trends e-v-e-r.

Get the new polish trends

Nail polish for pretty hands 

Super-Bleached Out Hair

Not only do we have the mega-nail situation going on here, but this is a double DON’T! Those poor, poor bleached-out tresses: No look is worth totally destroying your hair. Trust us.
 
Women transformed by color and cuts

Tanning with Baby Oil

Who can resist a way to get a good tan? Um, we can when it comes to baby oil: Hel-lo, skin cancer. Just say, “No, thank you” and reach for the SPF instead.

Shop for sun-free tanning lotions

Beehive Hair

While the ’50s and ’60s were a serious revolution in style, some trends are better left in the past. Case in point: the beehive, ‘cause it’s really no fun to hit your hair on the doorframe.

Amy Winehouse's hairstyles

Drawn-On Eyebrows

True story: Some hair just wasn’t meant to be shaved off. We’re relieved au natural is back on-trend, because this “It’s three o’clock and my eyebrows have melted off” thing just wasn’t cutting it.

Skunk-Inspired Highlights

One terrible trend we’re still seeing too much of? Skunk-y highlights. Why not opt for other ways to celebrate the animal kingdom besides turning your pretty locks into a streaky mess?

Colored Tips

If you’re Katy Perry or Rihanna, color can be a bold way to make a look-at-me statement. But for those of us who dunked our tips into a jar of Manic Panic? Well, let’s just take a sec to celebrate the ability to untag photos, shall we?

Cupid’s Bow Lips & Goth Makeup

Here’s a beauty double-whammy. Cupid’s bow lips might have been ultra-romantic in the olden days, but they’re not quite fit for the 21st century—especially when they’re in a color that should never land on your pucker.

All-Over Crimped Hair

If only we could take a bullet train back to the ’90s and snatch those crimping irons straight from vanities across the country while yelling, “Control yourselves, ladies!” A little touch of texture here and there can work, but we’re all for ditching the waffle fry takeover look.

Alanis Morisette's current style

The ’60s Flip

If this doesn’t channel our mothers’ old yearbooks, then nothing does. We just can’t understand the idea behind this one, since we’re having a hard time remembering the last time we needed handlebars on our ‘do.

Jessica Simpson's sexy hairstyles

The Best US Cities for Starter Homes

  With depressed prices across America’s real estate market, many first time home buyers are in a position to purchase a home that will rise in value over the long term. But since every local market is different, some places are significantly better than others for starter homes.


To understand the country’s best cities for first time buyers, real estate website Zillow.com analyzed data from 125 local markets, comparing median home values, average mortgage payments as a percentage of household income (affordability) and improving trends in home prices.

In addition to the housing data, the unemployment rate and overall cost of living was taken into account, with cost of living data from demographer Bert Sperling’s Best Places, which uses 100 to denote the national average. For example, if a city has a cost of living of 90, it costs a resident 10% less to live in the area, compared to the country as a whole.

These cities are all highly affordable when average incomes are taken into account, and also have an employment landscape that is much more favorable than the rest of the country, making them prime locations for those looking to buy their first home.

So, what are the best US cities for starter homes? Click ahead to find out!

 1. Augusta, Georgia
Zillow median home value: $107,900
Month-over-month change: +0.42%

Avg monthly mortgage payment: $524.17
Mortgage payment as % of income: 14%

Unemployment rate: 9.3%
Cost of living: 77.4

The best US city for starter homes, Augusta has now seen four consecutive months of significant monthly appreciation, but median home prices remain very low, at less than 60% of the national average, providing a good opportunity for first time home buyers.

Although Augusta home prices have decreased 5.63% since this time last year, trends in recent months show significant upward movement, signaling that the city has just come off the bottom.

In addition to having an unemployment rate that is better than most of the nation, Augusta’s cost of living is 22.6% lower than the national average, while home buyers can expect to devote only 14% of their annual income to paying off their mortgage. 

 2. Dayton, Ohio

Zillow median home value: $102,300
Month-over-month change: -0.03%

Avg monthly mortgage payment: $496.96
Mortgage payment as % of income: 12%

Unemployment rate: 11.2%
Cost of living: 76.70

In Dayton, the monthly rate of decline has shrunk significantly over the past 7 months and has dropped to less than -0.10% for the past three months. Although home prices are still decreasing slightly, overall home values are among the lowest on this list, while buyers can expect mortgage payments to only take up 12% of their annual income.

 3. Tulsa, Oklahoma
Zillow median home value: $117,400
Month-over-month change: +0.29%

Avg monthly mortgage payment: $570.32
Mortgage payment as % of income: 15%

Unemployment rate: 7.5%
Cost of living: 79.3

Tulsa has now seen five consecutive months of monthly appreciation, with year-over-year appreciation at 2.39%. Both unemployment and cost of living are also significantly lower than the national average. 

 4. Akron, Ohio

Zillow median home value:$117,400
Month-over-month change: +0.15%

Avg monthly mortgage payment: $570.32
Mortgage payment as % of income: 14%

Unemployment rate: 10.1%
Cost of living: 75.2

There have now been four consecutive months of monthly appreciation in Akron, a city where residents enjoy a cost of living nearly 25% lower than the national average.

 5. Spartanburg, South Carolina
Zillow median home value: $105,800
Month-over-month change: +0.26%

Avg monthly mortgage payment: $513.97
Mortgage payment as % of income: 14%

Unemployment rate: 11.8%
Cost of living: 78.4

Spartanburg has seen five consecutive months of monthly appreciation, and although the unemployment rate is at 11.8%, the city’s cost of living and median home values are significantly lower than the national average. First time buyers in this South Carolina city can expect to pay about $514 in monthly mortgage payments. 

 6. Utica, New York

Zillow median home value: $100,900
Month-over-month change: +1.07%

Avg monthly mortgage payment: $490.16
Mortgage payment as % of income: 13%

Unemployment rate: 7.1%
Cost of living: 88.40

In upstate New York, Utica has seen five consecutive months of significant monthly appreciation, with the most recent month-over-month increase above 1%. Both cost of living and the unemployment rate are much lower than the national average, while median home values stand at just over 55% of the national average.

 7. Cleveland, Ohio
Zillow median home value: $120,400
Month-over-month change: +0.55%

Avg monthly mortgage payment: $584.89
Mortgage payment as % of income: 14%

Unemployment rate: 9.3%
Cost of living: 80.7

In Cleveland, there have now been six consecutive months of flat or monthly appreciation, with a positive increase of 0.55% in the most recent month-over-month change. Although unemployment is relatively high compared to other cities on this list, Cleveland’s cost of living is 19.3% lower than the national average. 

 8. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Zillow median home value: $121,100
Month-over-month change: +1.55%

Avg monthly mortgage payment: $588.29
Mortgage payment as % of income: 15%

Unemployment rate: 6.4%
Cost of living: 83.1

There have now been seven consecutive months of significant monthly appreciation in Oklahoma City, which also has a relatively low unemployment rate of 6.4%. In addition, median home values are over $60,000 less than the national average in the city.

 9. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Zillow median home value: $107,700
Month-over-month change: +0.46%

Avg monthly mortgage payment: $523.20
Mortgage payment as % of income: 13%

Unemployment rate: 8.5%
Cost of living: 87.7

Pittsburgh has seen flat or positive monthly appreciation for the past five months, while home prices are at about 60% of the national average of $182,200. With this taken into account, first time buyers can expect to devote only 13% of their annual income to mortgage payments, on average.

10. Des Moines, Iowa

Zillow median home value: $145,700

Month-over-month change: +0.81%

Avg monthly mortgage payment: $707.80
Mortgage payment as % of income: 15%

Unemployment rate: 6.3%
Cost of living: 81.5

For home prices in Des Moines, there have now been six consecutive months of flat or monthly appreciation, with values that are about 20% lower than the national average. In addition, the city has an unemployment rate that is almost half the national average and a low overall cost of living.