Price History
Median Home Price
Median Rent
Stored observations from 2016-07-31 to 2026-06-29. Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI. Missing rents are shown as gaps.
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Purchase
Monthly Cash Flow
* Based on metro-wide median values. 35% expenses include taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, and property management. Individual counties and properties vary significantly.
Score Breakdown
Based on 3.57% rent-to-price ratio. Higher ratios indicate stronger cash flow potential.
Based on -2.0% YoY price growth. Moderate growth (3-8%) scores highest.
Based on 0.0% population growth. Growing areas indicate economic stability.
Based on price relative to estimated local incomes.
Scores are calculated using real Zillow metro-level home value and rent data, Census population data, and economic indicators. The weighted average produces the overall investment score. This metro score represents area-wide averages; individual counties may vary significantly.
Investment Outlook
Strengths
- +Low unemployment (0.0%)
Challenges
- -Below-average rent-to-price ratio (3.57%)
- -Declining home values (-2.0% YoY)
- -Negative cash flow at typical financing (-$2,482/mo)
- -Negative leverage (cap rate 2.3% < mortgage rate 6.9%)
Counties in Seattle, WA
Section 8 in Seattle, WA: payment standards by ZIP, PHA waitlist status, and voucher counts are on VoucherMatch, the same HUD dataset with the tenant demand side attached.
Compare to Similar Metros
| Metro Area | Verdict | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Montrose, CO Montrose, CO | 51 | $498,133 | $2,140 | 5.15% | Hold | View | |
Jefferson, GA Jefferson, GA | 51 | $407,183 | $2,009 | 5.92% | Hold | View | |
Aberdeen, WA Aberdeen, WA | 51 | $325,833 | $1,449 | 5.34% | Hold | View | |
Pahrump, NV Pahrump, NV | 51 | $362,527 | $1,353 | 4.48% | Hold | View | |
Fort Morgan, CO Fort Morgan, CO | 51 | $332,588 | $1,415 | 5.11% | Hold | View | |
Current Seattle, WA | 31 | $750,279 | $2,232 | 3.57% | Avoid |
Rent vs buy in this metro
The Bottom Line
The Seattle, WA metro area scores 31/100, ranking #889 of 894 US metros (top 99%). The 3.57% rent-to-price ratio may require targeting specific counties or creative strategies for positive cash flow. Current metro-wide averages make traditional buy-and-hold investing challenging. Consider house hacking, value-add strategies, or drilling down to specific counties.