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Looking to buy a home in Seattle sometime soon? This article offers five helpful tips for Seattle home buyers who are planning to enter the real estate market in 2024.
Are you considering making a home purchase in Seattle in the near future? If so, you’ll want to put your best foot forward. Here are some helpful tips to ensure your Seattle home purchase is a successful one in 2024.
The Seattle real estate market is still a relatively competitive one, with home prices have risen quite a bit over the past couple of years, and are expected to rise quite a bit over the next few months. But home buyers can still succeed in this market.
Here’s how to get off on the right foot.
Home buyers tend to go into the market with an extensive wish list of features, location, etc. That’s fine, as long as you balance those expectations with the realities of the housing market. And the reality is that the Seattle real estate market is very competitive.
Prices of homes in Seattle have increased over the past year, and the housing market in Seattle is very competitive.
Related: Buying a Home in the Seattle Metro Area in 2024 Vs Later
And then there’s the inventory situation. A “balanced” real estate market has somewhere around five or six months worth of supply. But as of early 2042, Seattle has around a 1-month supply of homes for sale, even though inventory has eased over the recent past compared to last year, which is well below what’s considered a balanced market.
That’s a serious inventory crunch, and it underscores the importance of having realistic expectations when buying a home.
Related: Single Family Home in Seattle: What is The Best Option For You?
Buyers are lining up for homes in the Seattle area – literally, in some cases. So it’s crucial to stay on top of the market. As a home buyer, you want to review the big real estate listing websites once or twice a day.
And be ready to pounce when the right house comes along. Try to get your offer in as quickly as possible, and make sure it’s a strong offer backed up by comparable sales data. An experienced real estate agent can help with this.
A lot of home buyers want to purchase a house in Seattle but simply can’t afford it. That’s understandable, given that the median home value for the city is over the $815,000 mark. Home prices in Seattle are well above the state and national average.
But there are relative bargains to be found in the surrounding cities and communities. Check out the median home values in some of the cities surrounding Seattle, and you’ll be surprised by how much prices drop off.
In a competitive real estate market like Seattle, home buyers need to pull every possible thread when searching for a property. Viewing the real estate listing websites is a good place to start. But don’t stop there.
Find a good agent who can help you spot properties before they hit the market, through word-of-mouth. Use your social network (friends, families and coworkers) to get a jumpstart on properties that might be coming onto the market soon.
Drive through your desired neighborhoods and look for those for-sale signs. Some sellers put up a sign but don’t list their properties online. In short, be aggressive.
This is a topic we’ve written about before, but it bears repeating. In 2024, Seattle home buyers would be wise to have their financing lined up ahead of time, before entering the market.
Remember, current market conditions favor sellers or buyers. So anyone selling a home in Seattle can be picky and selective as it relates to financing. Among other things, they will expect buyers to have their financing all set up. This is one of several reasons why it’s a good idea to get pre-approved by a mortgage company, early on in the process.
If you’re in the market to buy a home in Seattle, Sammamish Mortgage is available to help. We offer a wide variety of mortgage programs and tools with flexible qualification criteria. We’ve been helping buyers obtain the mortgages they need in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and Idaho since 1992, and we’d love to help you too. Please contact us today to get started.
Whether you’re buying a home or ready to refinance, our professionals can help.
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No Obligation and transparency 24/7. Instantly compare live rates and costs from our network of lenders across the country. Real-time accurate rates and closing costs for a variety of loan programs custom to your specific situation.