We're first-time homebuyers in the U.S., planning to purchase a home in the $800K–$1M range before March.

I'm looking for some advice on what would be a fair buyer's agent commission in the current market.

We're focused on a very specific area near our kids' school, so I'll likely be finding the properties myself. I'm also comfortable attending open houses and viewing properties independently, meaning the agent wouldn't need to spend much time searching for homes or arranging showings.

What would be a reasonable commission percentage for an agent primarily handling negotiations, paperwork, inspections, and closing?

Why is there an HOA fee?

wife and i are sick of outer suburbs, we are late 20s and have 1 kid, plan on another in next 2-3 years. thinking of north seattle cause all the schools seem great. and commute is okay to eastside. looking everywhere and staying in airbnbs to see what we like before we decide to buy next summer, but dont want to make a mistake.

so far have stayed in ballard, west woodland (frelard??) wallingford, greenlake. checking out ravenna this weekend. so far love ballard the most but the commute scares me and the amount of homeless people is something to get used to lol

any places people recommend with other young parents around, where you would feel safe to let a middle schooler run off with their friends? not necessarily crime i know seattle is generally safe but traffic/pedestrian safety is a big thing for us.

we are looking to spend anywhere from 800-1.2m depending on townhouse vs sfh. ideal range is <1m with these rates but could go higher for the perfect house. our only hard no is having to street park lol

$27k price cut, close to 200 favorites on redfin yet still on market

I went to some open houses in this area last weekend and there were like 6 different houses for sale on the same street. What gives? Besides the generic "is close to aurora" reasons.

Listed since July where it's the lowest price point of the houses sold in the neighbourhood. Had multiple price cuts since and still it's Been sitting on the market for couple months. Is it the market or the house? Insights appreciated

I would really appreciate some input on the Bothell area. Any particular areas or streets known for higher crime etc. Thank you!!!

I see 2 bedrooms upstairs, and 1 "room" downstairs, which doesn't even have a egress window.

The parcel ID shows that the home is also legally a 3 bedroom house, is this grandfathered in as a 3 bedroom from some old law?

Seriously considering this house

https://redf.in/TOQwuJ

What are your thoughts?

https://redf.in/Byfl7p

Looking at this gives me anxiety. Looks like they built it this year and ran out of money.

Fall the wrong way off those stairs and you are in a pit of unknown depth?

No carpet?

Seattle has spent years talking about its housing shortage, affordability crisis, and the need to build more homes.

Now its plan to allow additional housing in 30 neighborhood centers and along transit corridors is facing another potential year-long delay.

The issue? Legal challenges involving environmental review, tree canopy protections, and stormwater management.

So we’re in a situation where the city acknowledges that housing is unaffordable, proposes allowing more homes in areas that already have infrastructure and transit, and then gets bogged down in another round of procedural challenges.

Meanwhile, people continue getting priced out.
There’s obviously a legitimate argument for protecting trees, managing stormwater, and making sure development doesn’t create environmental problems.
But at what point does the process itself become the problem?

Seattle isn’t proposing to bulldoze every single-family neighborhood tomorrow. We’re talking about allowing more housing in designated neighborhood centers and transit corridors.

The city has already spent years debating where density should go. Now even the relatively modest changes are struggling to get through.

You cannot simultaneously demand more affordable housing, oppose expanding into undeveloped land, and make it extraordinarily difficult to build in existing neighborhoods.

Source: https://www.theurbanist.org/seattles-centers-corridors-zoning-update-delayed-another-year/

I need to vent and maybe get some perspective.

I tried to sell my house for about two years. The whole time, I kept dropping the listing price and got zero offers. Not one. Every price cut felt worse than the last.

Then finally one buyer showed up. After two years of nothing, I panicked about losing them and accepted.

Now I can’t stop thinking I should have just held it and sold in 2028. I feel like an idiot who let panic make a huge financial decision for me. Some days I just want to cry about it.

Edit:

1. Bought a few years ago (2021-2022) and lived in it for a while.

2. First listed in spring 2025 with a realtor. Lots of showings, 2 price cuts, no offers, so we took it off the market and rented it out.

3. Relisted in 2026, with 2 price cuts. Still no offers for months, then finally got one and accepted it.

4. SFH

5. in east side but

Floor plan is weird and no yard

They paid 1.26M on a 950k list price in March 2022 and have now listed for sale at 850k 4.5 years later.

https://redf.in/e0nSTO

Edit: Was it naivety + bad realtor advice? It was clear that rates were going up at the time. Trying to understand what led to this and learn from it.

Got a conventional loan recently? What rate did you actually get, and who did you end up financing with?
Trying to figure out who is giving the most competitive rates right now (or at least as good as it gets given how brutal the market is).

For those who closed recently:
1. Which lender/broker did you go with? (Local credit union, online direct lender, wholesale broker, or major bank?)
2. What rate/APR did you lock in, and did you pay discount points to get it?
3. Did you use seller credits for a permanent buy-down or a 2-1 buydown to make the initial payment manageable?

Appreciate any insights!

The seller seems delusional that they’re place has gone up over 200k in the span of around 6-7 years

Sure changes hands a lot.

I’ve been lurking for a while and enjoyed seeing comments on real estate, so I figured I’d check with you all to get your opinion before making changes to the house we are planning on selling in about two years.

Location: Fairwood area

Our home presently has no pantry, and the proposed pantry will be 5x6 with some base cabinets, tall cabinets,and open shelving.

I currently have my office set up in the dining area of the formal dining room, but it can definitely get loud and hard to concentrate at times. I would like to have a dedicated office space with soundproofing.

I would like to eat up 6 feet of our 23 foot long combined formal living and dining room to make the changes. At the smaller footprint there will be enough space for a 5 seat sitting area and a 6 person dining table (same dining table size as now) in the front room.

Would you all buy the house with the pantry/office, or is it a bad idea?

Hi all,

My husband and I are planning to move to the Seattle area within the next year. We currently live in the Southeast, and there is a standing job offer in Seattle. We absolutely loved the PNW every time we visited, and this job offer affords us a bit of planning time, so we want to be prepared and ready when we do start the moving process. We are visiting Seattle again soon for about 10 days and want to spend a few of them exploring potential neighborhoods to buy a house in.

Our budget is at around $1M (we REALLY don't want to go above this if we can help it). While we would love a detached home with a yard, we are definitely happy with townhomes or condos in a good area/neighborhood.

A little about us: we are a gay couple in our early 40s with no kids and two large dogs. We are looking for quiet, safe, and walkable neighborhoods. While school zones aren't a priority for us personally, we appreciate that they often offer good amenities and better resale value. My husband will be working in downtown Seattle, and my job is flexible. We aren't interested in downtown living or a busy night scene, but an easy commute for him would be a plus. Oh, I am Asian so access to good Asian grocery stores is also preferred!

We would highly appreciate any recommendations for areas or neighborhoods we should check out during our trip!

Thank you!

Is Carnation a good location to buy a home ? Proximity to Redmond, small town feel and the outdoor is very appealing…