As the housing market continues to adjust, design and community strategy have become drivers of buyer preference, according to Jenni Nichols, vice president of design at John Burns Research and Consulting.

In this edition of Local Look, Windermere Principal Economist Jeff Tucker explains how homebuyers have increasingly gained leverage in the local housing market as home prices have softened.

“Congratulations to the 2025 top performers for another extraordinary year leading luxury for our brokerage and for our industry alike,” said President and CEO Dean Jones.

Affordable units — defined by RentCafe as those where rent doesn’t exceed 30% of the area median income — now make up nearly one in four new apartments in Seattle.

Zillow’s Home Value Index shows that in 13 of the past 20 years, home values in the metro area of the Super Bowl champion grew faster than the national average.

The priciest Seattle homes added to the market in the past month range in price from $3.298 million to nearly $10 million.

Seattle ranked No. 13 in the nation in RentCafe’s 2026 Most Livable U.S. Metro Areas report. That ranking would have been higher — if not for the city’s high cost of living.

Middle-income seniors stand to be affected most by projected shortages — those who don’t qualify for subsidized housing but can’t afford new construction.

NWMLS noted that the median home price reflects “a decade of sustained home value growth,” given the median of $310,000 in 2015.

These are the five most expensive homes sold in greater Seattle in 2025, as well as the brokers responsible for the transactions.

Affordability challenges continue to bedevil homebuyers, despite mortgage rates falling to a three-year low, the National Association of Home Builders reported. 

Buyers for two of the 10 most expensive homes sold in the greater Seattle area in December will be neighbors on the same street in Medina.

Research showed a disproportionately high share of foreign-born workers active in the construction trades nationally in 2024.

Sales of existing homes jumped 5.1% month over month, topping analyst expectations. 

Active listings in the area rose 23% year over year, with 11,718 properties on the market, but declined 24.7% month over month.

The priciest new listing in Seattle is a $6.5 million, 3,000-square-foot penthouse at The Nexus.