How Much Value Does a "Master on Main" Add?

Greenville buyers ask it constantly, sellers wonder about it before they list, and builders hear it at every design appointment: how much value does a “master on main” add? The answer isn’t just a vibe or a sales pitch—it shows up in the numbers.

In a recent episode of Selling Greenville, the host dug into a year’s worth of closings across three Upstate production neighborhoods—Dogwood Ridge (Piedmont), Brookside Farms (Greer), and Anderson Grant (Woodruff)—to isolate how floor plan choices actually price out. These are classic production communities (generally in the $200k–$400k range), which makes them perfect case studies: similar build years, similar finishes, and enough sales to smooth out one-off quirks.

What emerged is a clear, consistent pattern: single-story homes and two-story homes with the primary suite on the main level command materially higher dollars per square foot than two-story plans with the primary upstairs. Below, the specifics—and what they mean for anyone buying, selling, or building in the Upstate.

Understanding How Much Value Does a "Master on Main" Add?

How Much Value Does a "Master on Main" Add?

Short version: a lot.

Longer version: in these communities, the primary suite on the main level was worth roughly $20–$25 more per square foot compared with otherwise similar two-story plans with the primary upstairs. That premium stacks on top of another reliable pattern: larger homes sell for less per square foot than smaller ones within the same neighborhood.

Let’s walk the data street by street.

Case Study 1: Dogwood Ridge (Piedmont)

One-story (primary on main)

• Average size: 1,681 sq ft

• Average sold price: $301,666

• Average $/sq ft: ≈ $180

A quick look inside the sheet shows the smallest plan (about 1,559 sq ft) bringing the highest $/ft (~$193/ft), while homes over 1,700 sq ft tend to slip into the high $170s per foot. That “small = higher $/ft” effect is normal in production neighborhoods: there’s a price floor buyers will pay to live there, and shaving a couple hundred feet mostly trims closet size and a bit of breathing room rather than functionality.

Two-story (primary upstairs)

• Average size: 2,489 sq ft

• Average sold price: $332, xxx (roughly $30k above the ranches)

• Average $/sq ft: ≈ $134.45

Here’s the punchline: adding ~800 square feet and a second level didn’t add another $100k; it added about $30k. Why? The two-story plans were valued at ~$45 less per square foot than the ranches. Buyers will pay more in total for a bigger house—but not linearly, and not per foot.

Why the spread shows up (as discussed on the show):

• Many buyers explicitly avoid stairs—for aging in place, toddlers, or even pets with joint issues.

• Modern two-story plans often carve out lofts that go underused, so some of that extra square footage feels “soft.”

• That neighborhood price floor props up the smaller ranches.

Case Study 2: Brookside Farms (Greer)

One-story (primary on main)

• Average size: 1,741 sq ft

• Average sold price: $313,800

• Average $/sq ft: ≈ $180.75

Two-story (primary upstairs)

• Average size: 2,512 sq ft

• Average sold price: $350,265

• Average $/sq ft: ≈ $141

Different city, same story: nearly $40/ft separates ranches from two stories here. On a value basis, that means a buyer who’s okay with stairs can purchase ~800 extra feet for about $36–$40k more—a bargain in total dollars, but a clear per-foot discount relative to ranches.

Case Study 3: Anderson Grant (Woodruff)

Anderson Grant is helpful because it offers both two-story plans with the primary upstairs and two-story plans with the primary on the main, alongside classic ranches. That lets the data isolate the master-on-main premium inside a level product.

All “primary on main” (mix of ranch and 2-story)

• Average size: 2,028 sq ft

• Average sold price: $335,000

• Average $/sq ft: ≈ $167.32

• Range runs from the high $180s/ft for the smallest plans to the low $130s/ft for the largest (~3,000 sq ft), again showing the size vs.-$/ft curve.

Primary upstairs (two-story)

• Average size: 2,590 sq ft

• Average sold price: $340,000

• Average $/sq ft: ≈ $132

Two-story with primary on main (isolated)

• Average size: 2,469 sq ft

• Average sold price: $383,000

• Average $/sq ft: ≈ $156–$157

That’s the cleanest apples-to-apples signal in the entire review. In the same neighborhood, two-story homes with a main-level primary averaged about $25 more per square foot than two-story homes without it. Despite being smaller on average, they sold for about $45k more.

Why smaller homes (and ranches) command higher $/ft

The episode breaks this out clearly:

• Neighborhood price floors: In a given community, there’s a minimum price people will pay to live there. Trimming a couple of bedrooms by 10–12 square feet each, shrinking a closet, or losing a foot of living room depth doesn’t cut utility enough to slash the price proportionally.

• Usability vs. raw footage: An extra 200–300 feet often just translates to “slightly bigger rooms,” not a new bedroom or entirely new function. Buyers won’t value that increase per foot as highly as they value the first 1,500–1,800 feet.

• Stairs and lifestyle: Ranch living solves problems proactively—for mobility, safety, pets, sleep separation, and aging. That’s real demand, and demand sets the price.

What this means if you’re selling

• Ranches aren’t comped by two stories on price per foot. If you own a one-level plan (or a two-level with the primary downstairs), you can—and typically should—justify a higher $/ft than the two-story with the primary upstairs around the corner.

• Two-story with the primary upstairs? Price with realism. The market consistently values those homes at a discount per foot versus ranches. You’re likely to achieve a higher total price than a smaller ranch, but your $/ft will look lower—and that’s normal.

• Appraisals may not “save” you. As discussed, most appraisers don’t uniformly assign a big line-item adjustment for primary-on-main versus primary-up; they often keep comps within the same two-story set. The market notices the difference; valuation reports may or may not.

What this means if you’re buying (or building)

• On a budget? Two-story with the primary upstairs can stretch dollars. In these neighborhoods, buyers often gained ~800 extra feet for ~$30–$40k above the ranches—substantial “space per dollar.”

• Resale-minded? Put the primary on main. If you’re building and care about downstream value, the data makes it plain: primary-on-main sells stronger—whether the home is a ranch or a two-story.

• Don’t over-index on $/ft alone. In production communities, $/ft is a blunt instrument. A small ranch at $180/ft can be a better buy than a larger two-story at $141/ft—depending on your lifestyle and exit plan.

The big patterns—summed up

• Bigger homes = lower $/ft. Within the same neighborhood, every additional square foot typically earns less marginal value.

• Ranches (and two-stories with primary on main) = premium $/ft. In the examples reviewed, the premium ran roughly $20–$25 per square foot over two stories, with the primary upstairs.

• Total price still rises with size—just not linearly. Those Dogwood Ridge two-stories averaged ~800 more sq ft than ranches but only ~$30k higher sale prices.

• Buyer behavior explains the gap. Stairs, aging in place, pets, kids, and perceived “wasted loft space” push demand toward main-level living.

Practical pricing takeaways (by plan type)

If you’re listing a ranch (primary on main): Expect—and defend—a higher $/ft than nearby two-stories. Your total may be lower than larger homes, but your value density is higher.

If you’re listing a two-story with the primary on main, you sit in the sweet spot: more total space than a ranch while retaining much of the ranch premium. The Anderson Grant sample showed ~$156–$157/ft versus ~$132/ft for primary-up plans.

If you’re listing a two-story with a primary upstairs, price to the pattern. You’ll likely win on total square footage but trail on $/ft. Position the home on function (bedroom count, flex space, yard, schools) rather than trying to chase a ranch’s per-foot metric.

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Bottom Line

The question: How much value does a “master on main” add? —isn’t subjective in the Upstate’s production neighborhoods. In three separate communities, the premium was remarkably consistent:

• Ranches hovered around $180/ft.

• Two-story with primary on main landed mid-$150s/ft to high-$160s/ft depending on size mix.

• Two-story with primary upstairs trailed at low-$130s/ft to low-$140s/ft.

Layer on the universal dynamic that bigger = lower $/ft, and you have a reliable framework for pricing and purchasing. If you’re choosing finishes on a new build and care about resale, put the primary on the main level. If you’re buying for space, a two-story with the primary upstairs can deliver serious square footage per dollar. And if you’re selling a ranch, don’t let a lower-$-per-foot comp from a big two-story talk you down—the market doesn’t see them as the same.

Ien Araneta

Journal & Podcast Editor | Selling Greenville