Currently, only 23 states and the District of Columbia offer statewide laws explicitly prohibiting housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. That means for LGBTQ+ homebuyers who are looking to own homes in said protected areas, homeownership comes with a premium.
According to Zillow, the typical cost of buying a home in areas with explicit legal protections for the LGBTQ+ community is $435,884—about 46 percent more than areas with no protections. Of those that have statewide non-discriminatory housing protections, California, Hawaii, and D.C. have the highest premiums compared to areas without legal protections. (California’s premium is noted to be 148 percent higher.)
These protections include safeguards against eviction, from being denied housing and/or from being refused the ability to rent or buy housing based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Zillow also notes that many of the states with non-discriminatory housing protections also offer legal protections beyond housing, including employment and public accommodation protections.
Despite reporting similar incomes to their cisgender heterosexual counterparts, LGBTQ+ buyers are also more likely to purchase multifamily home types, according to Zillow, which can often offer relatively low-cost options in higher-cost markets. They were also about three times as likely to report buying a du/triplex (8 percent vs 3 percent of cisgender heterosexual buyers) or condo (15 percent versus 4 percent).