Homeowners Who Bought Near Seattle’s Peak Are Reportedly Starting to Sell at a Loss with No Other Options

For years, selling a home around Seattle could come with a noteworthy payday. Now, however, some homeowners who bought more recently are finding out such a boon is no longer guaranteed.

Kristafer Vale and his wife bought a four-bedroom townhome in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood for $945,000 in April 2025. After Vale lost his job at DreamWorks in March and struggled to find another full-time position, the couple decided they needed to cut expenses and put the home up for sale.

More than two months later, they had dropped the asking price to $40,000 below what they paid. Their experience reflects a small but growing share of Seattle-area sellers taking losses, according to The Seattle Times.

Citing data from real estate research firm ATTOM, The Seattle Times reports that about 5% of Seattle-area single-family homes sold in 2025 went for less than their owners had paid, more than twice the share in 2022. Among condo and townhome sellers, roughly 1 in 10 took a loss.

Some Sellers Feel They Can’t Afford to Wait It Out

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For Vale, waiting for the market to improve may not be an option. The Seattle Times reports that he and his wife fear foreclosure if the home does not sell.

“We’ve only had a handful of people even view it,” Vale said, according to The Seattle Times.

The experience marks a reversal from when the couple was buying. Vale recalled homes attracting multiple bidders and disappearing from the market quickly.

Homeowners who do not need to move can wait for better conditions. Sellers facing a job loss, relocation or other financial pressure may not have that luxury.

Buyers May Have More Room to Say No

Buyers in King County have considerably more homes to choose from than they did a year ago. In its August King County report, Northwest Multiple Listing Service recorded 7,703 active residential and condominium listings, up from 5,925 in August 2025.

The same Northwest MLS report shows closed sales in King County fell from 2,073 in August 2025 to 1,791 this August, a 13.6% decline. The median sales price fell from $875,000 to $845,000, or about 3.4%.

With 7,703 active listings and 1,791 August sales, King County had about 4.3 months of inventory. Northwest MLS says four to six months of inventory is generally considered a balanced market.

Losses are still far from the norm. ATTOM found that the typical Seattle-area home sold in the first quarter of 2026 for $284,450 more than its previous purchase price. That figure measures the raw difference between purchase and resale prices, rather than a seller’s net proceeds after other costs.

Those averages may offer little comfort to homeowners who bought recently and now need to move. For sellers such as Vale, waiting for the market to improve may simply cost more than taking the loss.