For buyers
Seattle home buyer guide
2026 is the friendliest market Seattle buyers have seen in years: more inventory, softer prices, and assistance programs most people do not know they qualify for. These guides cover the money, the trade-offs, and the process.
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Seattle First-Time Home Buyer Guide (2026)
Buying your first home in Seattle can feel out of reach. After all, the median home here runs around $850,000, and the down payment math alone stops most renters before they start. However, here's what most first-time buyers don't know:...
- 01
Seattle Schools and the 1-to-10 Score: What Ratings Miss
Every buyer with kids asks some version of the same question, usually in the car between showings: are the schools good here? It is a fair question and I understand why people ask me. It is also the question I answer least directly, and...
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- September 2026
- 02
King County Property Taxes, Explained for Homeowners
Here is a number that confuses almost everyone who gets a King County tax statement. In 2026 the median Seattle home's assessed value fell 3.6%, from $864,000 to $833,000, and its property tax bill rose 3.9%, from $7,944 to $8,254. Values...
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- September 2026
- 03
First Look Listings: The Seattle Homes You May Not See Online
If you are shopping for a home in Seattle, you have probably assumed that checking Zillow or Redfin means seeing everything for sale. As of September 4, 2026, that assumption has a gap in it. The Northwest Multiple Listing Service added a...
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- September 2026
- 04
Is It a Good Time to Buy a House in Seattle? What the Data Says
If you are asking whether 2026 is finally a good time to buy a house in Seattle, the honest answer is: better than any year in the past decade, with an asterisk. Selection is at a ten-year high, payments are down from last year, and prices...
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- August 2026
- 05
Moving to Seattle: An Honest Guide from a Local Broker
Most moving to Seattle guides are written by content farms that have never been here, and it shows: a rain statistic, a photo of Pike Place, a list of ten neighborhoods with adjectives attached. This one is written by a broker who lives and...
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- August 2026
- 06
Homes Near Light Rail in Seattle: The 1 Line, Stop by Stop
Search for homes near light rail in Seattle and you will mostly find listings sorted by neighborhood. That is backwards. If the train is the reason you are moving, the smarter way to shop is to start with the line itself: where it runs,...
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- August 2026
- 07
Renton Homes in the Issaquah School District: The Boundary Most Buyers Miss
Type "Issaquah School District homes" into a search bar and you will get Issaquah, Sammamish, and prices to match. What the search hides is that the district's boundary does not stop at the city line. Part of Renton, mostly the east side in...
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- August 2026
- 08
Where to Buy a Home in Seattle for Under $800K (2026)
If you are searching for homes for sale in Seattle under $800K, here is the honest starting point: $800,000 is now below the city median. Seattle’s median house closed at $1,010,000 in June 2026, and even Southeast Seattle, long the...
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- July 2026
- 09
Buying a Home in Seattle: What You Need to Know Before You Start
Buying a home in Seattle is not complicated, but it does have a specific rhythm. Inventory moves fast in some neighborhoods, slowly in others. The financing process has its quirks in Washington State. And the things that trip up buyers...
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- July 2026
- 10
Condo vs. Townhouse vs. House in Seattle: The Real Costs Compared
"Should I buy a condo or a townhouse?" is one of the most common questions Seattle buyers ask, and the honest answer is that it depends less on the building than on the math behind it. On paper, a condo, a townhouse, and a single-family...
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- June 2026