Where to Live Near Seattle With a $1 Million Budget

If you had $1 million to buy a home anywhere around Seattle, where should you look?

The answer depends heavily on what you want that $1 million to do for you.

For some buyers, highly rated schools are the priority. Others need an easier commute into Seattle or Bellevue. You might want brand-new construction, quick access to the mountains, or simply as much house and land as possible.

And the difference between what $1 million buys in North Kirkland versus North Bend, Lake Tapps, or the South Sound can be enormous.

I’m Jon Hodgson, a local real estate agent born and raised in the Seattle area. I work with buyers relocating here regularly, and one of the biggest things I try to help people understand is that your budget can create completely different lifestyles depending on where you choose to live.

Here’s where I’d look around Seattle with a $1 million budget based on five different priorities.

 

1. If Highly Rated Schools Are a Priority

School districts are often one of the first things relocating buyers research.

For this comparison, I’m using GreatSchools.org as a benchmark. School ratings certainly aren't the only factor you should consider, but they give us a consistent starting point for comparing different areas.

Issaquah School District

The Issaquah School District is one of the first districts many Eastside buyers ask me about.

GreatSchools currently shows 100% of schools in the Issaquah School District as above average, compared with 38% statewide.

The challenge is home prices.

With a budget under $1 million, you can still find single-family homes within the district, but you're likely going to compromise somewhere.

For example, recent options around this price point included:

• A 2,340-square-foot home with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on nearly an acre

• A 1,340-square-foot home with 3 bedrooms and 1.75 bathrooms on roughly 35,000 square feet

Those larger lots tend to be farther south around Tiger Mountain, Squak Mountain and the Issaquah-Hobart corridor.

You gain land, but you may sacrifice convenience, proximity to downtown Issaquah, or the size and condition of the house.

The takeaway: $1 million can still get you into the Issaquah School District, but expect to compromise on either the home itself or location.

Northshore School District

Head north toward Bothell and the equation changes.

GreatSchools currently shows 82% of Northshore schools as above average, compared with 38% statewide.

Around the $1 million mark, examples included:

• 2,023 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a 2-car garage

• 1,930 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a 2-car garage

The major difference compared with our Issaquah examples is lot size.

These homes sat on lots of only around 3,500 square feet.

That's common in newer Bothell-area developments. You're often getting more bedrooms and a relatively modern suburban home, but with smaller yards and less space between neighbors.

For some buyers, that's actually preferable. You get four bedrooms, a garage and a manageable yard without spending every weekend maintaining the property.

Dieringer School District and Lake Tapps

Here's an area many people relocating to Seattle have never heard of: the Dieringer School District around Lake Tapps.

GreatSchools currently shows 100% of schools in the district as above average.

And your housing options can look dramatically different.

Around the same $1 million budget, examples included:

• 3,100 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2.75 bathrooms, a 3-car garage and an 11,925-square-foot lot

• A 2019-built home with 3,115 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 3.25 bathrooms, a 3-car garage and more than half an acre

Compare that with roughly 2,000 square feet on a 3,500-square-foot lot around Bothell.

So what's the catch?

The commute.

If you're commuting into Bellevue or Seattle five days a week, Lake Tapps can be difficult. But if you work farther south, work remotely, or only need to commute occasionally, it's an area worth knowing about.

That's why buyers shouldn't automatically limit their search to Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah and Sammamish.

Sometimes moving your search radius opens up options you didn't realize existed.

2. If Your Commute Is the Priority

If you're going into Seattle or Bellevue several days a week, spending less time in the car may be more important than having another 1,000 square feet of living space.

Two areas I would consider are North Kirkland and Kennydale in Renton.

North Kirkland

Around $1 million in North Kirkland, you can still find single-family homes, but you're paying a premium for location.

Recent examples included:

• 1,320 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 1.75 bathrooms, a 2-car garage and a 7,280-square-foot lot

• 1,880 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a 2-car garage and a roughly 4,000-square-foot lot

You're probably compromising on either the size of the house or the lot.

But you're buying into an area with convenient access to major Eastside employment centers and much closer proximity to Bellevue, Redmond and Seattle than many of the larger-home alternatives.

Kennydale, Renton

If you want more house without moving too far from the Eastside, Kennydale is another area I'd consider.

One of its biggest advantages is access to I-405 and I-90.

Around the same budget, examples included:

• 2,150 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a 3-car garage and a 7,760-square-foot lot

• 2,130 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2.75 bathrooms, a 2-car garage and a 5,367-square-foot lot

That's noticeably more house than our North Kirkland examples.

When you're relocating, don't look at commute distance on a map alone.

Actually test your commute.

If you'll leave for work at 7:30 on a Tuesday morning, drive the route at 7:30 on a Tuesday morning. A commute that looks easy on Google Maps at noon on Saturday can be completely different during weekday traffic.

3. If You Want New Construction Under $1 Million

This one surprises some buyers.

If you want brand-new construction under $1 million while remaining close to the city, I'd seriously consider Seattle itself.

New Construction in Seattle

Seattle has a large amount of townhome construction.

Under $1 million, you'll commonly see homes ranging from roughly 1,000 to 2,000 square feet, depending on the neighborhood, finishes and whether the property is attached or detached.

Areas to consider include:

• Fremont

• Ballard

• Crown Hill

• Mount Baker

• Capitol Hill

Some newer townhomes start around the $500,000s, while larger or better-located options can approach $1 million.

You won't necessarily get a big yard, but if your priorities are new construction + city access + lower maintenance, Seattle offers options that can be difficult to replicate on the Eastside at the same price.

Edgewood

If you want a big new-construction home, you'll probably need to move farther out.

Edgewood, located between Puyallup, Tacoma and Fife, is one area I'd consider.

For example, around our $1 million budget, you can find homes with specifications such as:

3,257 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 3.25 bathrooms, a 2-car garage and an 8,783-square-foot lot.

That's a completely different property than the 1,000–2,000-square-foot townhomes we were looking at in Seattle.

Again, though, location is the compromise.

If you're driving to Bellevue every day, Edgewood probably won't make much sense. If you work in Tacoma or elsewhere in the South Sound, or you're remote or hybrid, it becomes much more appealing.

Don't Ignore Builder Incentives

If you're considering new construction, pay attention to builder incentives rather than focusing only on the purchase price.

I've helped buyers take advantage of builder incentives that reduced their interest rate by as much as 3% below the prevailing market rate at the time.

Those incentives change constantly and can vary significantly from one community to another.

So when comparing new construction, look at the entire financing package, not just the advertised home price.

4. If Mountains and Outdoor Access Are the Priority

If hiking, skiing, mountain biking and being close to the outdoors are major reasons you're moving to Washington, I'd look east along I-90.

Two areas immediately come to mind:

Snoqualmie Ridge and North Bend.

Snoqualmie Ridge

Snoqualmie Ridge gives you a fairly traditional suburban environment surrounded by mountains.

You've got sidewalks, parks, schools, neighborhood shopping and newer homes, but with mountain views throughout the area and extensive outdoor recreation nearby.

Around $1 million, an example might look something like:

1,700 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2.25 bathrooms, a 2-car garage and a roughly 5,000-square-foot lot.

If you want traditional suburbia with the Cascades as your backdrop, Snoqualmie Ridge is worth considering.

North Bend

Keep heading east and the housing becomes more varied.

North Bend has newer construction, but it also has older established neighborhoods with more character and potentially much larger lots.

One example around our budget:

1,840 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 1.75 bathrooms, a 2-car garage and more than 16,000 square feet of land.

That's more than three times the lot size of the Snoqualmie Ridge example.

I'd simplify the comparison this way:

Snoqualmie Ridge: More traditional planned-suburban feel.

North Bend: More housing variety, older established neighborhoods and opportunities for larger lots.

Both put you farther from Seattle and Bellevue than areas like Issaquah or Kirkland.

But if easy access to the mountains is one of the main reasons you're moving to Washington, that may be a compromise you're happy to make.

5. If You Want the Most House for $1 Million

If my only goal were maximizing the amount of house and land I could get for $1 million, I'd start looking south.

Think Tacoma, Spanaway, Puyallup and surrounding South Sound communities.

Here's an example of how dramatic the difference can be:

4,849 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3.75 bathrooms, a large 3-car garage and nearly three acres.

Compare that with the 1,320-square-foot house we looked at in North Kirkland.

Similar overall budget.

Completely different property.

You aren't going to find a 4,800-square-foot home on three acres everywhere in the South Sound, of course.

But you'll generally find far more opportunities for 3,000-, 4,000- and even 5,000-square-foot homes under $1 million, depending on the exact location, age and condition.

The compromise is proximity to Seattle and the Eastside.

If you work remotely, work in the South Sound, or don't need to commute into Seattle or Bellevue regularly, your money can stretch significantly farther.

So Where Would I Spend My $1 Million?

For me personally, I'd choose Issaquah.

Not because it gives me the biggest house.

It doesn't.

For my situation, it offers the best middle ground.

As a real estate agent, I'm constantly driving around the Seattle area. One day I might be north, another day south, and the next day somewhere on the Eastside.

Being close to I-90 with access toward I-405 keeps me relatively central.

Outside of work, I've got restaurants, shopping and parks nearby. Bellevue and the rest of the Eastside are close. The mountains and hiking are right there. The area has highly rated schools, and I'm still close to friends and family.

Could $1 million buy me considerably more house around Tacoma or Puyallup?

Absolutely.

Could it buy a much larger brand-new house in Edgewood?

Yes.

But that's not necessarily what matters most to me.

And that's the bigger point.

Don't Just Ask What $1 Million Buys Around Seattle

Ask what you want that $1 million to do for you.

Do you want to minimize your commute?

Do you want highly rated schools?

Do you want a newer home?

Do you want land?

Do you want to be 20 minutes from hiking trails?

Or do you simply want the biggest house your budget can buy?

Once you answer that question, figuring out where to live around Seattle becomes much easier.

If you're thinking about moving to Seattle, Bellevue, the Eastside or anywhere in the surrounding area, I help relocation buyers compare these communities every week.

You can reach out anytime, or schedule a Zoom call with me to talk through your budget, commute, housing needs and which areas around Seattle make the most sense for your move.