Central Iowa home values did not move in one direction across the metro this fall. Zillow's typical home value for September 2026 shows Story County up 2.7% from a year ago, Polk County essentially unchanged at 0.2%, and Dallas County down 0.5%. For buyers, sellers and house hackers, the county you shop in changes the story.
Bottom line: the Ankeny to Ames corridor is not one market. Story County is rising fastest of the big three, Polk County is flat, and Dallas County has slipped slightly from a year ago. Here are the numbers and what each one means for your strategy.
Zillow publishes a Home Value Index for every county, which estimates the typical value of all homes (not just the ones that sold) and smooths out seasonal swings. The figures below are Zillow's, through September 30, 2026, compared with the same month a year earlier. They are rounded to the nearest $100.
Zillow's number estimates every home in the county, so it will not match a median sale price from the MLS. Use it to compare counties with each other and with last year, not to price a specific house.
Three things in the table are worth a second look.
The gap between Polk and Dallas County is about $75,900. Zillow's typical Dallas County home sits at $355,000 against $279,100 in Polk. Dallas County includes Waukee and Adel, and Polk County includes Des Moines, where Zillow's typical value is $208,100. The county figure blends very different neighborhoods, so it describes the whole county and not any single town.
Story County is where the year-over-year gain is largest among the three biggest counties. Ames came in at $301,900, up 2.6% from a year ago, per Zillow. That is a steady climb, not a spike.
The smaller counties around the metro are moving faster in percentage terms. Jasper County rose 4.2% and Marshall County 3.6%. Both start from lower price points, so a few thousand dollars shows up as a larger percentage.
If you are comparing counties, the typical entry price differs a lot, and so does the direction of the trend. A flat Polk County and a slightly lower Dallas County mean buyers there are not chasing a rising market, which can give you more room to compare several homes and negotiate on terms before you decide. In Story County, values are climbing steadily, so waiting carries a different cost than it does in Dallas County.
For a first-time buyer, the right move is to pick the town first and read the town-level numbers, because a county average blends every town in it. Zillow's September figures for Des Moines ($208,100) and Waukee ($344,600), both sourced from the same file, show how far apart two towns can be. You can browse every Central Iowa community I work and open the town that matches your search, and the Central Iowa buyer's guide walks through the steps in order.
Sellers in a flat or slightly softer county should plan on pricing to the most recent comparable sales, not last year's headline. Sellers in Story County have a steadier tailwind, but a county average does not set your price. Your street, your condition and your timing do. A written pricing plan built on recent sold comps in your own neighborhood is the strategic place to start, and the Central Iowa seller's guide lays out how that plan comes together. If you want a number for your own address rather than your county, start with a home value request and I will pull the comps.
For an investment-minded buyer, a lower typical entry price is only one input. Look at the purchase price, the number of units you can rent out and the rent each would bring in your specific town. Counties with values that are flat to slightly down can be a good place to be a buyer with patience, while counties with steady appreciation reward a long-term hold. If the strategy itself is new to you, the house hacking guide covers how buyers here use it. Run each property through the deal calculator before you make a decision, and compare the county trend with the town trend.
Start with the Central Iowa market hub, which carries these Zillow figures for each community, then open the town page for the community you are watching. If you would like a no-pressure look at what your own home or a target neighborhood is doing, get in touch and I am glad to walk through it with you.
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (all homes, smoothed and seasonally adjusted), Zillow Research data file through September 30, 2026, accessed October 26, 2026. This is a typical-value estimate, not an MLS closed-sale median. Jackson Krile, Flanders Team, RE/MAX Real Estate Center.
Jackson Krile | Flanders Team | RE/MAX Real Estate Center
515.490.8614 · Jackson@FlandersTeam.com
Let's talk through your specific situation - no pressure.