Washington Home Buyer Guide & Resources

At Sammamish Mortgage, we take consumer education seriously. That’s why we work so hard to produce helpful, high-quality content for home buyers and mortgage shoppers. This page is a compilation of our most useful reports and guides for Seattle home buyers.

Washington Home Buyers Guide.

We’ve created a highly informative Washington home buyers guide. First-time and experienced buyers alike will benefit from this valuable resource.

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Housing Market Updates:

Seattle Is a Seller’s Market

This is one of our most important guides for Seattle home buyers. It will help you enter the real estate market with the right mindset. Due to the current supply and demand situation, the local housing market tends to favor sellers. But you can still succeed when buying a home!

Three Housing Market Trends

Double-digit price gains throughout the past few years reduced affordability for Seattle home buyers. However, price increases have now slowed, although interest rates have skyrocketed. That said, rates have peaked and are now starting to dip. Limited inventory is still keeping things competitive. Learn more in this helpful market guide for Seattle home buyers.

Most Affordable Cities Near Seattle

The local real estate market is very competitive right now, with home prices that exceed the budgets of some buyers. Not to worry. There are some more affordable cities in the area, and they’re ideal for those who want to live near Seattle but for less money.

Home Prices Expected to Fall After Sharp Increases

House values across the metro area were stable the last year. They have finally started dropping, albeit slowly, over the past few months. If interest rates continue to come down as experts expect by the end of 2025, cash-strapped homebuyers may find Seattle a more affordable city.

Is Now a Good Time to Buy?

Is it a good time to buy a house in Seattle? What is the market like right now, and what might the future hold? These are frequently asked questions among home buyers, and we’ve created a helpful guide that answers them in detail.

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Mortgage Loan Guides for Washington Home Buyers

Home Loan Options in Washington

Do you have questions about the different types of mortgage loans that are available to Seattle home buyers in 2025? This informative, up-to-date guide is a great place to begin your research. It explains the key features of popular financing options.

Best Mortgage for First-Time Buyers

As a home buyer, you have your own unique financial situation and long-term goals. So, you want to choose a type of mortgage loan that supports those goals. This guide explains some of the best mortgage options for first-time buyers in Washington State.

Mortgage Requirements at a Glance

What does it take to qualify for a home loan these days? This is another common question among Seattle home buyers, and this guide will bring you up to speed. It covers some of the basic requirements for credit scores, down payments, and more.

Loan Limits in Washington State

FHA, VA, and conventional mortgage loans have maximum size limits. They are based on median home prices, which means they can vary from one county to the next. We’ve created a loan limit guide for Seattle home buyers.

Seattle FHA Loan Guide

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans have long been a popular financing option among borrowers. They’re especially popular among first-time buyers with limited funds, due to the 3.5% down payment. Our FHA guide explains how this unique program works.

Washington State Jumbo Loans

By definition, a “jumbo” mortgage is a conventional home loan that exceeds the maximum size limits used by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. These conforming loan limits vary from one county to the next. The limits are higher in more expensive markets, like the Seattle metro area.

Washington VA Loan Eligibility

If you’re a home buyer, and a military member or veteran, you should seriously consider using the VA loan program. It offers 100% financing, which eliminates the need for a down payment. This Seattle buyer’s guide explains the VA program in more detail.

A Home Buyer’s Guide to PMI

If you take out a loan for more than 80% of the home’s value, you might have to pay for private mortgage insurance (PMI). But there are ways to avoid PMI. This helpful guide explains what this insurance is, and why some Seattle homeowners have to pay it.

Need a Home Loan in WA State?

Do you plan to buy a home in WA State sometime soon? Do you need a mortgage loan to finance your purchase? We can help. Sammamish Mortgage has been serving borrowers in the Pacific Northwest since 1992 including WA, OR, CO, CA and ID. We are a family-owned mortgage company located in Seattle & Bellevue, Washington. We offer a wide variety of loan programs, including both FHA and conventional. Please contact us with any mortgage-related questions you have.

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