Looking to buy a home south of Seattle? Here's what you need to know

Depending on which part of Seattle you work in, living to the south may represent a shorter commute.

As should be expected, areas with Puget Sound views still come with a bit of a premium, while the more inland suburbs offer a mix of livability, convenient access to Seattle and more affordable prices. If you happen to have a career requiring regular and frequent air travel, the southern suburbs have the most convenient access to Sea-Tac International Airport.

One of the most diverse neighborhoods when it comes to home availability is Fauntleroy. Technically not south of Seattle, but rather in West Seattle,  there are homes in this area well north of $1M with spectacular views of Puget Sound as well as lovely three-bedroom homes inland in the $500,000 range. Considered one of the most liveable neighborhoods in the Seattle area, it is also quite convenient to downtown Seattle.

Moving a bit inland of Fauntleyroy is Delridge. The northern portion of Delridge is one of the top neighborhoods in the region. It offers a great mix of families and young professions as well as lots of parks, pubs and coffee shops. For a similar feel, the southern portion of Delridge is also well-liked with a similar sense. Most notably, it is also a bit less expensive. While median prices in the north are in the mid-$400,000 range, you can expect to find similar homes in the southern portion of Delridge for approximately 10% less.

As you might expect, as you move further south, prices reflect the longer commutes.

Two areas that deserve consideration are Burien and Normandy Park. Both of these neighborhoods are incredibly close to Sea-Tac Airport if that is a consideration.

Burien is considerably larger, offering a large selection of affordable homes and some view properties that don’t carry quite the premium as some other areas. Normandy Park is a fraction of the size of Burien. With that, you gain good schools, lovely homes and one of the highest-rated neighborhoods in all of Washington. One consideration to note in Normandy Park is its high retiree population. Some of the housing areas have older adults primarily, while others are mostly families with small children.

Des Moines is an area that is nearly as large as Burien and, for the most part, a bit more affordable. Great convenience to I-5 and immediately between Seattle and Tacoma make this a perfect area should you have dual incomes from both Seattle and Tacoma.

As has been mentioned before, closer to the water is more expensive where prices are in the $700,000 range. Closer to I-5, it is possible to find a perfect home in the mid-$400,000 range.

Perhaps the most extensive area to the south of Seattle is the city of Kent. At nearly twice the size of Burien, it has some challenges. Though highly simplified, the north portion of Kent is considered more desirable. The top areas within Kent are North Kent and Riverview.

In Kent, home prices are all over the map, with a median price in the $300,000 range. Typically, you will find homes in the better areas ranging from above $400,000 up through the $700,000 and beyond. Proximity to I-5 and Highway 167 helps make Kent convenient for both Seattle, Renton and Bellevue.

Similar to Kent, Tukwila offers tremendous diversity. Included in Tukwila is Southcenter, which is immediately east of SeaTac and home to shopping and airport supporting businesses such as hotels and restaurants. In general, Tukwila has a wide diversity of housing ranging from the $500,000 range up through the $1M range.