Inside the luxury Amish homes in Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky that are selling for up to $1MILLION: Progressive communities show taste for modern decor and 'flip' properties for profit

With their austere clothing and stubborn rejection of modernity, the idea that the Amish could be living in luxury may once have seemed impossible.

But an increasing number of high-end properties have started flooding the Anabaptist market in recent years as certain communities have grown increasingly wealthy.

The Amish have traditionally stuck to agricultural lifestyles, working the land handed down through generations, while shunning materialism for a plainer, simpler aesthetic. 

But with farming becoming less profitable, many have turned to small businesses, such as furniture and even cannabis stores.

The switch has proved fruitful for some, leading to greater revenues and exposure to modernity, which is now on display in their fashionable homes.

It is now not uncommon for some Amish properties to sell for more than $1million, with one realtor telling DailyMail.com that such real estate comes with a 50 percent premium to due to their reputation as 'quality builds'. 

This sprawling 20-acre estate (pictured above) boasts five bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and some surprisingly modern flourishes, including marble tabletops, floral rugs and chic decor.

It sold for $1,050,000 in Geauga County, Ohio, last summer, an area home to an increasingly middle class and progressive Amish community that has seen a number of more modern properties come to market in recent years.

The kitchen is a particular standout, with the realtor's listing hailing its 'stunning features', which include 'custom cabinetry, sleek countertops, and subway tile backsplash'.

But Erik Wesner, author of 'Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive', is still able to spot the traditional elements: it has a propane refrigerator made by Crystal Cold, a brand popular with the Amish.

The living room rebels against traditionally plain Amish interiors, with patterned rugs, colorful cushions, canvas wall art, vases and luxurious leather sofas.

It features a stove, in keeping with traditional heating methods, but Wesner also notes the modern-looking lighting, which he says is most likely powered by a battery inverter, common in more progressive Anabaptist homes.

The Amish have a number of ways of lighting or heating their homes depending on how progressive their particular church is, so long as their method means they remain 'off-grid'.

The Ohio home is accessible from the main road through a long, private driveway, according to its listing by estate agent, Brokers Realty Group, which describes it as 'one-of-a-kind property' and an 'unforgettable gem'.

The master bedroom features sliding barn doors that open to reveal two walk-in closets, while the ensuite includes 'a soaking tub, twin vanities, and a walk-in shower', the listing adds.

Hydronic radiant heat is installed throughout the home for 'added comfort and efficiency'. 

This system pumps heated water from a boiler through tubing laid throughout the floors and walls of the property, which also features a large basement to store farming machinery. 

This leads out into a 'covered patio and pathway to an impressively crafted pavilion for entertaining'.

There is also a workshop and 'walnut' wood-paneled office.

Wesner says on his website AmishAmerica.com that this is one of 'the most un-Amish' homes he has come across and surmises that the property's former owner is in the building trade, with the interior design suggestive of someone with knowledge of modern tastes.

He adds that the high price tag is indicative of the desirability of the surrounding area, given that the 20-acre estate is not big enough to house a full-size dairy farm.

Geaugua County is home to the second-largest Amish settlement in Ohio and fourth-largest nationwide, with a population of more than 20,000 as of 2023, according to The Young Center for Amish Studies.

The community here has become increasingly middle-class, running small businesses from furniture and machine stores and construction companies, according to Wesner.

Others take advantage of the plentiful maple forests to supplement their income by selling syrup.

There are two distinct groups of Amish in the county: 'Geauga I', the more progressive types likely to own these fancier homes; and 'Geauga II', a more conservative tribe likely to still live in plainer dwellings.

This 40-acre, ten-bedroom Amish property in Gladwin, Michigan, (pictured above) was listed for $575,000 in 2021.

Despite this being a conservative community, Wesner says the property still looks 'downright fancy' by Amish standards.

The property was listed by Ayre Rhinehart Bay Realtors, which described it as a 'horse lover's dream' and a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'. 

The master bedroom breaks away from conservative Amish coloring with bright splashes of baby blue and is notable for an unusually high number of decorative flourishes, including wall art and wind chimes. 

It features white oak floors, with trim and cabinetry throughout the home, which is surrounded by large, wrap-around porches, the listing says.

It even has a 'porch lounging area', which painstakingly adheres to the property's blue color scheme through its curtains, table cloths and rugs.

In keeping with its rural setting, the property comes with a stable, barn, large garden, pond and wooded area. 

This Amish ranch home in Jackson County, Ohio, is a good example of an upmarket property that demonstrates its owner's wealth in a more traditional manner.

It is plain, minimalist and largely unremarkable, but its size and quality of furnishings show it belongs to a well-heeled family with a penchant for premium wood.

The $310,000, eight-acre property comes with three bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms and an accessory building, known as a 'dawdihaus', that features a bedroom, two bathrooms and workshop, according to its listing by Appalachia Reality.

A dawdihaus is usually occupied by grandparents or a young couple within the family.

The home, which was built in 1982 and is not wired for electric, is typically 'Amish', according to Wesner, who notes its traditional decor, flooring and ceiling as well as the 80s-style stove in the kitchen.

He adds that its spacious rooms are a 'hallmark' of Amish homes, which are understated and uncluttered compared to their modern equivalents.

Wesner says ranch-style homes are not common among the Amish, but are sometimes found in smaller communities where they might be more inclined to buy pre-existing regular homes.

This 26-acre, five bedroom Amish property in Munfordville, Kentucky, the state's largest settlement, is currently on the market for $649,000.

It is a prime example of how more progressive communities have embraced solar power, with each major building on this plot having panels on their roofs, according to its listing.

Solar panels allow homes to generate their own power and remain 'off-grid', sticking to Amish traditions while adopting modern technology.

The 'immaculate' property also has space for hunting as well as a 'huge garage' and 'large barn', its listing says. 

It displays a mix of traditional Amish and modern stylings: the spacious rooms and wooden floorings hint at the former, but a colorful blue and green color scheme and some surprisingly modern wall art, particular the 'LOVE' lettering in the living room, are a nod to 21st century tastes.

Bobby Stephens, 37, of United Country Down Home Properties which has listed the property, actually lived there as a teenager from 1999 to 2004, but says it has 'changed significantly' since it transferred into Amish hands, adopting a 'farmhouse chic'.

It was formerly a brick home, but this was torn down and replaced by natural hardwood throughout. 

He says the Amish community in Munfordville is more progressive than others and they all have satellite phones and solar panels.

'Amish properties always sell for more than English [the name the Amish use to refer to the non-Amish] properties,' Stephens told DailyMail.com.

'Their work is always solid. Amish-built is a term used here as a mark of quality. If you advertise a home as Amish-built it is more likely to be bought. People will go out of their way to see it.'

The realtor says an Amish-built home would often sell for up to 50 percent more than an English-built equivalent, once it is wired for electricity.

He adds that the Amish community in Munfordville, which has grown increasingly wealthy, will often be demanding with their asking price.

'They're ridiculous sometimes,' he says. 'They'll say 'oh, we want to sell it for this' and I tell them it will never for that. But they're usually not far off.'

Some are now even turning to flipping properties - the practice of buying a dilapidated home, renovating it and selling it at a profit - as a means of making money, Stephens says.

This is a further departure from Amish norms, in which communities tend to keep land in the family for generations.

This familial connection is thought by some to instill values viewed as more precious than the monetary value of the property itself.

This property in St Lawrence County, New York, home to a large, conservative Amish 'Swartzentruber' population, shows the contrast between the homes lived in by traditionalist communities compared to their more progressive - and often wealthier - neighbors.

Listed for $155,000 by NY Outdoor Realty, the 38-acre property has four bedrooms, a 'family room', a 'spacious' kitchen, two large barns, a milk house and a natural spring well.

It is off grid and there are no bathrooms, just an outhouse, and has no electricity or modern plumbing.

The dining area (pictured above) is the epitome of a plain, unflashy Amish interior, with a white plastic table cloth, humble wooden chairs and no decorative touches to speak of.

The sharp difference between this home and the relatively upmarket, modern dwellings elsewhere is emblematic of the growing class differences within Amish society.