Houses are available in most price ranges throughout the city — except that houses available for less than $300,000 have almost disappeared. Only about 1% of all houses sold recently in the City of Seattle sold for $250,000 or less, and virtually all were in Area 140. More houses sold for over $1,000,000 than for under $300,000.

Condominiums continue to provide a less expensive alternative. About 10% of all condominiums sold for $250,000 or less, the average price is $200,000 less than the average price of houses — $370,000 vs. $570,000 — and 80% of all condominiums sold for between $200,000 and $500,000.
Although the bottom of the market is pretty high, some areas tend on average to be more affordable than others. The following charts will help you to identify the areas most likely to offer houses in your price range. Each chart shows the percentage of total Seattle house sales in each price range that occurred in each map area. Once you have identified the areas most likely to suit your needs, click on the map to the right for hotlinks to information.

While the most expensive condominiums cluster downtown (Area 701), the location of condominiums in other price ranges generally follow the same pattern as houses. The great difference is that condominiums are much more heavily concentrated. Sixty percent of all Seattle condominiums are in the band north of downtown and south of the Ship Canal; 30% are located in Areas 705 and 710, with only 10% located south of downtown.