When playing Monopoly, the conventional wisdom is that the best property to own is Boardwalk because it commands the highest rent. However, savvy players know the most valuable property is actually Illinois Avenue. How can that be? Well, one of the biggest reasons is that Illinois Avenue’s board position — two “seven” rolls from Jail — gives it the distinction of being the game’s most-landed on property; Boardwalk is ranked fourteenth.
The bottom line: When buying real estate, the three most important factors are always location, location and location — regardless of whether you’re paying for it with Monopoly money or real cash.
Photo Credit: Mark Strozier
My favorite properties have always been the light blue squares. Oriental, Connecticut and the last one escapes me at the moment. It doesn’t cost a lot to put 4 houses and a hotel on them so the return on your investment is good and they seem to catch their fair share of players.
Vermont is the other property, Becky. As for me, I’ve always preferred the Orange properties: Tennessee Ave, New York Ave and St. James Place. Don’t ask me why. (Because I can’t really say.)
As a former landlord, I definitely agree it is always location when it come to real estate. It doesn’t have to be Beverly Hills to be agreat location! It should be where there high demand!
True. There are plenty of places in “low-rent” districts that provide better returns than ritzier places in the “high-rent” ones.
It’s the orange properties that are most landed on. I didn’t believe it at first, but then I Googled it and it’s due to: 1. Go to Jail, 2. Advance to St. Charles Place (Pall Mall), 3. Advance to Reading Railroad (King’s Cross Station) and 4. Go Back Three Spaces. You have to pass by those oranges a lot.
I still like Boardwalk and Park Place though, you’ll at least come in second if you get those!
Well, Aunt Jenny, the website I linked to was from a nerd who ran detailed probability analyses (you can see his results there) that show it’s indeed Illinois Avenue — not those Orange properties. The official Monopoly FAQ agrees with those results too! ๐
I don’t know what color they are…maybe orange…but I always liked the row between jail and the money stash!!!!
Great minds think alike, tracee.
And there’s a card that sends you to Illinois Ave!
We’re board game geeks around here, and my husband and I have already sussed all this out ๐
You bet there is, Angie. One more reason to go for Illinois Ave!
Frankly, I’d go for any of the cheaper properties, so you can get a monopoly fast, build, and wipe out your opponents. Of course, that’s just my humble strategy!!
Great advice for real estate investors and cool tie in with Monopoly. Park Place and Boardwalk, you feel like a high roller, but in real life, the quicker you get your monopoly going, that’s when the money starts rolling in!
Len, Aunt Jenny is VERY correct. The orange properties are the most landed on properties in total ranking #4, #7 and #12 in the listing of “most landed upon.” Illinois is the most single landed on property, ranking only behind Jail.
Kentucky is #10 and Indiana is #13. Adding everything up, orange is 4+7+12 or 23. Red properties are 2+10+13, or 25. Therefore, you’ll hit the oranges slightly more than the reds. (FYI: Go is #3)
In aggregate, yes. But the subject of my post is the most landed on property (singular).
I sit with my kids to teach me Monopoly. It’s so confusing but when they play it among themselves it’s very interesting even if I don’t understand it completely.
To understand it completely: Kids invent a microcosm of our economy, when they play Monopoly.
They borrow from the bank and the game goes on interminably.
It’s been awhile since I played but I would always try to target the orange properties, the light blue properties, and then the railroads.
Have you ever played Monopoly where a fight at the end hasn’t happened? Monopoly is a cool game, but it usually ends in hurt feelings and someone walking away mad. And of course the occasional board flipped upside down with cards, money, hotels and houses flying all over the place. I wish someone would come up with a set of rules and game playing that it would make it fun for everyone until the end.
Rick, I can’t speak for everyone here, but I personally hate too see this thread end on such a sour note. I can only say bad sportsmanship can be observed in all kinds of contests every where and we have tried to teach our children to be good sports.
I’m afraid refining the rules of the game wouldn’t help; The problem is with a lack of ability to accept losing in good grace. It’s an acquired psychological skill that’s not unique to Monopoly.