Buying Before Selling in Seattle
Program and regulatory figures verified September 19, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Seattle is fast enough that the overlap is manageable. What deserves attention here is the exit, because high values and a graduated tax compound.
The numbers
Typical home value of $727,359 for the month ending August 2026, down 1.5% over the year, with a mean 39 days to pending that rose 6 days year over year.
Thirty-nine days is comfortably inside the national benchmark of 53, so the overlap itself is not the problem. What stands out is that Seattle is the only large Washington metro where values declined, and the only one carrying a typical value near three quarters of a million dollars.
Why high values and a graduated tax compound
Washington's excise tax is bracketed. Through December 31, 2026 the portion of the price at or below $525,000 is taxed at 1.10%, and the portion above that to $1,525,000 at 1.28%. Above $1,525,000 the rate is 2.75%.
On a $727,359 Seattle sale, the first $525,000 produces $5,775 and the remaining $202,359 produces about $2,590, for roughly $8,365 in state tax. King County levies the full 0.50% local REET, adding about $3,637. Combined, roughly $12,000.
In a lower-priced Washington market the same percentage structure produces a much smaller absolute number, because less of the price clears the first bracket. Seattle sellers lose more to the exit both in dollars and as a share, and they are doing it while values drift down rather than up.
Above $1,525,000, which is common in parts of the Eastside, the 2.75% bracket takes over on the excess. That is more than double the rate on the first half million. Worked through on the net proceeds page.
The loan limit that exists only here
King, Pierce and Snohomish are the only Washington counties above the $832,750 baseline, all at $1,063,750. With a metro typical value of $727,359 the limit is not binding for most buyers, though it comes into play across much of the Eastside and north Seattle.
Above it, jumbo reserve and equity expectations tighten at the same time the excise tax on the exit is at its largest. That combination is the Seattle planning problem. See the jumbo page.
What tends to work here
At 39 days, carrying both payments and recasting is realistic for households whose income supports roughly two months of overlap, and it avoids adding financing cost on top of an already expensive exit. Just model the recast on the net figure.
Where equity has to do the work, Washington charges no state transaction tax on the financing itself, so a bridge loan or a line is untaxed at origination. The cost is entirely at the sale. That makes the structure decision unusually clean: choose on terms and timeline, then size against net proceeds. See line versus term.
Frequently asked questions
How long do homes take to sell in Seattle?
A mean of 39 days to pending for the month ending August 2026, inside the US benchmark of 53, though that figure rose 6 days over the year. Days to pending measures list to pending, so closing time is additional.
How much excise tax will I pay selling a Seattle home?
On a sale at the metro typical value of $727,359, roughly $8,365 in state excise tax, being 1.10% on the first $525,000 and 1.28% on the remainder, plus about $3,637 for King County's 0.50% local REET. Roughly $12,000 combined, before the mortgage payoff.
What is the conforming loan limit in King County?
$1,063,750 for a one-unit property in 2026, shared with Pierce and Snohomish. They are the only three Washington counties above the $832,750 national baseline.
Are Seattle home values falling?
Modestly. The typical value was $727,359 for the month ending August 2026, down 1.5% over the year. Seattle is the only major Washington metro where values declined; most of the state was flat to slightly positive.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or real estate advice. Excise tax treatment, rent-cap exemptions, and county relief thresholds change and depend on your facts; your closing agent, your county assessor, your CPA or a Washington attorney, and your real estate agent each handle their own part. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.