With prices in the greater Seattle area continually rising, and rising, and rising some more, many homebuyers are super-frustrated. And for good reason! It’s tough to love and lose a home repeatedly, all the while watching as interest rates rise. Not to mention shelling out for preinspection after preinspection! As much as I would love to say there is an end in sight—there’s not. (See previous posts for the last three years).
King County home prices have been rising steadily over the last 3 years.
So where does a frustrated buyer go when a $700,000+ home is over the home-buying budget?
Get Out of Town
No one likes a long commute, that’s true. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, and for many, that means getting out of the city. Given that the median sale price for a 3-bedroom home in King County is now over $580,000 (not to mention $730,500 in the city of Seattle), getting out of the closer-in Seattle and Bellevue neighborhoods could offer some relief.
Consider the Commute
Would you rather a) sit in traffic for an hour getting from Bellevue to Seattle, or b) spend that hour on a train or a ferry, working, sleeping, or enjoying your morning coffee?
Sometimes we forget that just outside our major metro areas, there are still pockets of affordability. Kitsap and Pierce Counties still average less than HALF the average price of a Seattle 3-bedroom home. Snohomish County isn’t far off either, with the median price of a 3-bedroom home at just over $400,000.
Check out Kitsap County:
Alternate Transportation
Granted, a ferry commute may not work for everyone. But the light rail situation is improving and there are also Sounder trains to consider. When you add in Uber or ride sharing options (not to mention potential telecommuting), there really options!
Think Outside the (Seattle/Eastside) Box
If you are renting and want to buy, or looking to upsize but can’t quite swing it in the city, ping me. Let’s discuss what else is out there. You never know: your happy home might be out there, just a little outside the box you’ve been searching in.
Pierce County 3-bedroom homes:
Snohomish County 3-bedroom homes: