Seattle home prices (US$/m²): returns since 2012
Seattle home prices, measured as the typical value per square meter (data: Redfin). This is the value of the property itself — bricks and mortar — not an investor's total return.
It excludes rent received and all costs (closing, property taxes, maintenance, vacancy). Compare it against U.S. inflation (CPI) and the S&P 500 below to see whether Seattle real estate kept up.
Seattle is an expensive Pacific Northwest market driven by a concentrated technology and aerospace economy, home to major employers whose hiring has repeatedly reshaped local demand. Prices climbed steeply through the 2010s as the tech sector expanded, with land and zoning constraints limiting how fast new housing could keep pace. The metro fell during the 2008 crash and then recovered strongly, and it became one of the fastest-appreciating large markets in the country during the second half of the decade. Like other coastal tech hubs, its prices are sensitive to the technology cycle.
Cumulative return by window (in U.S. dollars)
| Window | Cumulative |
|---|---|
| 1 year | -1% |
| 5 years | 3% |
| 10 years | 48% |
Largest historical drop: -16% · annual volatility: 11% . Typical home price per m² (Redfin). Excludes rent received, closing costs, property taxes, maintenance and vacancy — the value of the property itself, not the investor's total return.
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Descriptive, educational content computed from official public data. Not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.