If you’ve got your heart set on buying a new construction home in Seattle, you’ll need some insider knowledge on where to look. We are sharing our best tips and tricks for where to find a new construction home, which can be a bit of a treasure hunt in the Emerald City!
Tip #1: Hire a well-connected real estate agent (hint: yours truly!).
Your real estate agent should be someone who has great relationships with other agents and builders in the city. This is how you find out about new construction projects that are in the works. This is also how we make sure our clients are first in line once a home is ready to be sold.
We love helping our buyer clients find new construction homes, and this is in part why we’re tuned into where new construction is happening!
Tip #2: Most new construction in Seattle is going to be townhomes.
While there are also some new condo buildings and every now and then the rare new construction single-family home, most brand new builds in our city are townhomes. The interesting thing about townhome projects is that they often release 1-2 units at a time when they have several more townhomes in the same group that need to be sold. So it’s possible that what you’re looking for will never hit the market, because it’s conjoined to another unit in a project and someone else might get to it first behind the scenes.
A similar scenario can play out with condo buildings. The builder doesn’t always release the entire project at once, so you need some inside info as to when more units will be available.
Tip #3: There aren’t many brand new single-family homes, but we can do some digging for you!
If you know you want to buy a brand new single-family home in Seattle, just let us know—we have resources we can use to look into this for you!
Tip #4: SeattleinProgress.com will show you exactly where permits are being filed and which projects are in process.
This is an incredible resource that provides a picture of the new construction that’s happening in our city. There often aren’t a ton of details about a project, but we can do background research and connect with whoever is representing the project. We’ll be able to find out when a project is coming to market, although we always tell our clients to keep in mind that dates are always shifting with new construction projects. But at least we can give you an idea!
Also, here is a really important thing to keep in mind: Seattle in Progress will also include private builds (so, if someone is having their own custom home built). Just because you see a project on the website doesn’t mean it’s necessarily going to be open to the public.
Tip #5: There’s a huge single-family home project in the Greenbridge community in West Seattle.
It’s a true rarity to find a planned community in Seattle as land is so scarce here, but Greenbridge presents some fantastic new construction opportunities for buyers. It’s a mixed-income community that’s similar to Rainier Vista or High point, and different builders have built sections of the community. There’s a mix of townhouses, condos, and single-family homes here. And some of the single-family homes are around 2,300 – 2,700 square feet! Let’s us know if you’d like some more info on this one.
Tip #6: The Eastside offers some excellent opportunities for new construction.
Cities like Bellevue, Kirkland, Bothell, Newcastle, Renton, and Issaquah all have opportunities for new construction. It really depends on what your budget is as to where you should look. For example, in Newcastle you can spend under $2 million to get a MainVue house (a builder we love). If your budget is $2-4 million, you’ll be able to find a brand new home in Bellevue or Seattle.
A lot of the time, these new construction homes will be one-off homes in an already established neighborhood. So the home may not “match” the rest of the homes in the neighborhood, so this is something to keep in mind.
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If you’re interested in buying a new construction home, we can be on the lookout for your perfect property. Get in touch and we’ll make a plan!