Accessibility, quality and diversity propelled Seattle’s status.

The pace of home-price appreciation declined to its weakest pace in 10 years, according to the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index. 

Homes on this month’s list of the priciest new properties on the Seattle housing market range from mid-century modern to new-construction.

Searches for “fixer-upper” on Realtor.com in July 2025 have more than tripled in volume compared to four years ago.

The pace of new-home sales hit an annual rate of 800,000, its highest level since January 2022. 

Fannie Mae also reduced its forecasts for home sales in 2025 and 2026. 

In Seattle, only 11% of women live below the poverty line — the 23rd-lowest percentage of any big city in the country.

The decline in sales came as a 17-month run of year-over-year increases in new listings came to a close.

The move was widely anticipated and is expected to be followed by additional cuts this year. 

Across the region, rentership increased in 37 of Seattle’s 66 largest suburbs from 2018 to 2023.

The jump in mortgage activity was driven in large part by refinancings, which surged 58% in the week ended Sept. 12. 

At the same time, completions of new single-family homes were on the rise last month, according to federal statistics. 

The National Association of Home Builders said its monthly builder-confidence survey indicated rising optimism that lower interest rates could spur new-home buying activity. 

Last month’s priciest home sale in the Seattle area was a modern, $26 million waterfront estate in Bellevue.

The surge comes as the rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to its lowest level since October 2024. 

The rate of home-price appreciation slowed to just over half the rate of inflation in July, Cotality noted.