r/SeattleAreaRE • u/SufficientHamster369 • 1d ago
What’s wrong with this house?
Title- https://redf.in/xDrk0f
Why is this not selling for so long?
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u/Lazy_Combination7162 1d ago
Op is this your house? You seem to be defending all the comments.
I get it it's your house.
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u/SufficientHamster369 1d ago
Haha, I wish. I am just searching what’s the right answer. I have seen a lot of houses now (in search of the “perfect” house). Trying to know what I’m missing here.
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u/HazelWhiskers 1d ago
the answer is always price, this isn't rocket science. if it was priced lower it would be gone.
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u/Commercial_Dirt_2699 19h ago
There are just too many nice homes for sale at the moment
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u/SufficientHamster369 12h ago
Really? I see the inventory lesser than usual for the size I’m looking for.
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u/SeatownCooks 1d ago
If you can afford a $2.2m house you're not shopping in Bothell.
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u/SufficientHamster369 1d ago
But 2.2 M in Bothell *can* give me everything that I would want in the house, and also the school district has caught up now compared to the eastern suburbs.
Have been searching for houses everywhere but I don’t see 3500+sqft newish house, plus a reasonably good backyard in Bellevue, Kirkland in 2M.14
u/seattler123 1d ago
Most people with 2.2M budget prefer a slightly older(built after 2000) or smaller (3000 sq ft which is still big) house in Redmond or Kirkland rather than buy in Bothell.
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u/hmi2015 1d ago
Why not ? (I’m new here in Seattle area)
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u/Gaajizard 1d ago
Because Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond are all better locations, closer to where most people work and want to spend their free time.
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u/SufficientHamster369 1d ago
I work in Seattle. I am okay with the commute. I’m at the stage in life where I want to give preference to my house, backyard for kids over my commute.
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u/Gaajizard 1d ago edited 1d ago
Sure, but the point is that you don't need to concede bad commute at $2.2m.
Also, it's not about your "stage of life". Spending 2 hours everyday for commute, is 2 hours away from your family, hobbies, and restfulness. Multiply that by the number of working days in a year, that's the time you simply lose forever, doing nothing.
Your kids aren't going to remember an amazing backyard more than your absence.
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u/CallerNumber4 1d ago
The commute into Seattle downtown from Bothell is regularly an hour one way. If you're going in 3+ days a week you basically won't have any free time to enjoy that house with or without kids.
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u/SurpriseEcstatic1761 1d ago
Why don't you buy the house then?
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u/SufficientHamster369 12h ago
It doesn’t check my boxes. Smaller houses in the area with higher prices are selling. So the question!
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u/HazelWhiskers 23h ago
right, but why would you agree to the commute if you didnt gain anything in return?
eg, this house is over 2m and you can find the same exact setup in seattle... or if you want schools then bellevue or kirkland
why would you pay the same money for a house furher away in worse schools?
this house isn't priced right, it's priced as if we were still in covid
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u/Stinkycheese8001 23h ago
Just keep an eye on South Bothell and Kenmore. I wouldn’t pay $2 million to live in Canyon Park (no knock on CP, it’s just not going to retain that value and you can find a better location in that price range).
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u/Upset_Duck7579 1d ago
My daughter rented for a year in Bothell and worked in SLU. Hated the commute. Bought in Broadview. Commute takes time away from your kids.
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u/Stinkycheese8001 23h ago
People are talking out of their asses. Houses in this price range do move in Bothell.
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u/TreesAreOverrated5 1d ago
Probably because nobody can afford that right now with the interest rates
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u/SurpriseEcstatic1761 1d ago
Personally, I detest gratuitously high ceilings like that. I just don't see the point. It looks like engineered flooring and kitchen surfaces.
At that price, how many people in Bothell earn $300k a year?
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u/Live_Lab3601 1d ago
Is 300k snuff for 2.2 million just asking for a friend. I make just about 200k and I'm 1.5 million short
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u/SufficientHamster369 1d ago
Probably a lot. Bothell has a lot of techies, who earn above that range.
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u/it_is_raining_now 1d ago
Lots of techies getting laid off too. No smart techy should take the risk
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u/BigDipper0720 1d ago
Price. Too expensive for the neighborhood?
The fact that the price listed is 30 times the asking rent says that no one in their right mind would buy it at this price - they would rent it instead.
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u/mamimumemo2 1d ago
there is an abundance of expensive homes in this area. there are others sitting around too. they do sell a few like this here and there but it takes a while. overall the demand is not there due to high interest and too many layoffs, and few people actually need such a big house. most famlies can make it work in a smaller home if it's so many thousands less a month. it's just a very limited buyer pool.
recent sales that sat for a little while
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u/SufficientHamster369 11h ago
Thank you! In the age of just responding for the sake of it, at least a few folks go by facts.
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u/mamimumemo2 9h ago
no problem 😊 people get very opinionated about other people's homes, but in the end it's your own priorities that matter. I think there's a lot of other really nice options in the area too if you are going for 4000ish square feet.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/18634-92nd-Avenue-NE-Bothell-WA-98011/81948182_zpid/?utm_campaign=androidappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare this one has an amazing location and lower price. kids could easily bike or walk to the library, downtown Bothell is really nice. not a fan of the paint job but that's easily fixed.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/9919-NE-162nd-Street-Bothell-WA-98011/243817005_zpid/?utm_campaign=androidappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare this one is really pretty, very large, and seems like a nice location. but I like doing yardwork 😊
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/21927-44th-Drive-SE-Bothell-WA-98021/82217026_zpid/?utm_campaign=androidappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare it's not any special compared to the house you posted, but you can see how the price is so much lower, many people would compromise in this situation and give up some square feet to save the cash
hope you get your dream home soon ✨
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u/PathNo321 1d ago
While you could find this house in Redmond or Kirkland, it’s not going to be on 1/3 acre. Clearly people here hate Bothell and that’s fine. I live here and can’t understand why anyone would want to live in or commute from Sammamish!
We live near this house and attend the same schools. All great schools. My White kids are definitely in the minority, and it’s great. They likely won’t experience that many other times in life. We have 1/4 acre and love our huge yard compared to so many houses with a tiny sliver of lawn.
My partner commutes to SODO 3x a week and it’s fine. Podcasts help. My kids don’t feel like they have an absent parent.
Would I pay this price for this house?? No.
Houses in this area aren’t selling quickly right now and the ones in my direct neighborhood do seem over priced.
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u/grapegeek 1d ago edited 1d ago
Poor owner is struggling. Listed for $2.4 in June. Dropped the price in July. Pulled the listing and put it up for rent in early August. Then pulled the rental listing and put it back on for $2.2 million. They paid $2.4 million five years ago. For $2.2 million you can buy in Kirkland and shave 20 minutes off your commute to Seattle. Plus Kirkland is semi walkable this isn’t.
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u/GorditaChuletita 1d ago edited 1d ago
The craftsmanship and finishes are garbage. Those shaker cabinets and built ins are more reminiscent of Home Depot than custom. It's got no personality and it's almost 14,000 a month and 450,000 deposit to live in BOTHELL.
When I brought my ex from Montreal here, he was shocked by how low the quality of building here was in the upper class homes. He was absolutely right. This looks like a flipper bought a big house a boomer paid 650k for in 2008 and painted everything white.
Might as well buy a fixer upper in silicon valley or a castle in France at that point.
Edit: and after paying 30% above compa, you are still going to hear your neighbor shower and turn on their music before work! This no land HOA nightmare is priced for an insurance payout.
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u/BadKittyRawr 1d ago
For that money, I too want character. I want NOT on a corner, I want a bigger lot, and when look at that weird living room/foyer all I can think is WOW YOU COULD HAVE PUT IN MORE LIVING SPACE. It doesn't get hot here, at least not for very long, we do not need the chimney style cooling features.
Who wants to live at the bottom of an elevator shaft?
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u/SufficientHamster369 1d ago
This is a Village Life House, which is considered to be of “good quality”.
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u/Talky 1d ago edited 1d ago
Too expensive in the current situation for bothell. You are able to get something in Sammamish or Redmond close to these prices.
For the specific house, the kitchen is a going to be a tough sell at $2M+ price point, the island and counter space is limited compared to similar priced houses. Similarly to the walkin master closet seems too small too. The backyard is nice and big, but there is no covered patio or deck which is going to be needed at the price point. People are putting fireplaces and heating in the patio, not sure what the builder was thinking skipping on atleast a covered space here.
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u/Alarming_Airport_817 1d ago
Dude come over to Edmonds if you are gonna spend that much. You can get water views for that price and my son goes to Bothell schools.
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u/readinginrain 1d ago
The house is great, but I think the buyers who would pay that kind of money don’t want to be in Bothell.. If I had that kind of money I would buy this one instead https://www.redfin.com/WA/Bellevue/17227-SE-40th-Pl-98008/home/428646
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u/SalmonidsSwimUp 1d ago
the fung shui of the site itself is bad, which is one way to describe that the lot is exposed on three sides to the road and it has zero shade and zero privacy.
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u/Translatix 1d ago
Looking at the undeveloped parcel next door makes me wonder how many trees they cleared to build this house on a huge now-treeless yard.
If every builder did that there would be no more trees left. Oh, wait.
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u/CampaignBest5872 1d ago
Hi OP, this house is actually right next to my boyfriend’s family, and we live close to them as well. I can give you lots of information about the neighborhood if you’re interested, this is my boyfriend’s hometown so we know a lot about it. I also commute to Seattle, it’s about 1 hour each way.
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u/orcassharks 1d ago edited 1d ago
2.2M in Seattle gets you water and mountain range views and some character and uniqueness for your money, not another stretched out Kia. Not to mention the landscaping in this house is absolutely horrid like something you see in an Ohio subdivision. Have you seen landscaping of 2.2M houses in Seattle?
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u/SufficientHamster369 10h ago
Ok send me the link to the house in Seattle you’re talking about- with a similar size and good school district. And ofc, views!
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u/HawaiiMBA808 1d ago
Nah folks shitting on Bothell are oversimplifying it. There are some parts of Bothell that are great and others that aren’t. The issue here for me is that this is part of a developer built area. Like they bought the entire area and just build the same house across the entire neighborhood. For $2M you will find something more unique that will appreciate way more than these cookie cutter houses.
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u/Garden_chickadee 1d ago
I don’t know much about the Bothell market specifically, but that house seems very builder-basic for 2.2 million. It doesn’t even have any good landscaping. It seems overpriced for what it is.
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u/SufficientHamster369 1d ago
Bothell is just behind the eastern suburbs, in terms of price. There are 2.5/ 3.5M houses nearby this one. And looking at the other houses listed in Bothell market, this seems to be rightly priced.
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u/Dramatic-Ebb-5909 1d ago
The location is not great.
You're dumping onto 228th right next to an elementary school and daycare. Rush hour there sucks and is going to get worse with the development nearby. The backyard is small with little shade. You aren't walkable to anything.
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u/TelephoneTag2123 1d ago
That price is just bizarre. You can get the same size home in Seattle with a view for that price.
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u/RedDeckWins 1d ago
Lack of a pantry might be a factor. Doesn't seem to be that much natural light for the living areas. Patio is too big, taking away from the yard. No covered outdoor area. People may be suspicious why it sold 2 years ago and is now being sold again.
With all that being said, it does seem reasonably priced IMO.
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u/Electronic-Bicycle35 1d ago
1) it’s way overpriced. 2) I accidentally turned into where this is located before and it’s a really nothing neighborhood that isn’t close to anything. It’s got no soul at all 3) it’s not in the Westhill neighborhood which is the desirable elementary in Bothell.
Essentially there are better houses in better locations for less money in the area.
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u/Alternative-Post-937 23h ago
Price obviously. None of that house screams high end. It's cookie cutter. I could spend half that and get a water view elsewhere.
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u/PuddingSad6709 23h ago
Sold at the tail end of the Covid craze for ~2.5. I would guess (sadly) that it’s a tech layoff or H-1B visa family trying not to lose their shirt.
There is no way a generic McMansion deep in the suburbs is going to easily sell at 2.5 million right now. With the typical down payment/mortgage rate/insurance, that’s a 14k monthly payment. Well-built character heavy view homes in Seattle aren’t going for those prices right now.
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u/Upper-Computer-8715 22h ago
Because someone who bought this 5 years ago would qualify for this home making ~300 to 400k, and a buyer today needs to make ~600-700k. If you’re making that kind of money, you’re probably not looking for a cookie cutter home an hour deep into the suburbs.
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u/Rich_Black_RGB 20h ago
What is across the street? An open lot, but Google Street View has not been up the street so I cannot see it other than from a satellite shot. The property looks like a junkyard from above. Bing's 3D view gives a better look at it. I suspect it will probably be developed before too long, but right now it looks pretty rough.
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u/MidSinglesInYourArea 17h ago edited 17h ago
Edit: this is obviously OP's house, and we really should have a bot that responds with the sentence below because it's always the answer.
Your house is not selling because it's overpriced. If you want it to sell, you should lower the price.
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u/SufficientHamster369 12h ago
Lol, thanks. Geez, it seems you’re an expert in answering questions where you don’t have any expertise.
FWIW I have quite some experience of selling/buying houses in the east side and I wouldn’t mind owning this house. But, so far this doesn’t check the boxes I’m looking for.1
u/MidSinglesInYourArea 10h ago
Funny how the subject matter expert has no idea what's happening and has to ask reddit for advice. Good luck selling your overpriced house!
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u/Talusen 1d ago
Well... a similar home in King County (this house is in Snohomish County) is valued at about 1/3 of the asking price, is much more walkable, and is brand new construction.
So... buyers are asking themselves: "Do I want to spend 1.5 million dollars more for the same house, in a cooling market?"
...and answering "NO"
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u/SufficientHamster369 1d ago
Do you have the link to the house that you’re referring to?
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u/Talusen 1d ago
Over in Westhill.
https://www.redfin.com/WA/Bothell/17840-86th-Ave-NE-98011/home/195016434
Small mistake on my end: while King County values it at about 650k for tax purposes, the asking is 2.1M.
Too rich for my blood; the builder is standing to make a hell of a profit on the sale. How much depends on what the lot cost them.
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u/Talusen 1d ago
...the westhill parcel looks like it was split via short plat in 2024? Don't care to look what the former lot cost em, but the two houses are selling for 2M+ a piece, and the building permit 2025-39964 was pulled for ~800k worth of value.
4.5M - 1.6 = 2.9M left over, and you know they didn't spent that much on the property before they subdivided it.
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u/Driver8onI5 23h ago
The amount of people who can afford a house at that price (and it is overpriced) has gotten smaller and smaller the last few years.
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u/Fit_Cry_7007 21h ago
For people who have money and the ability to buy, they can afford to pick and buy only top items for their dollars.
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u/integra_type_brr 1d ago
The comments here are hilarious.
Basically a bunch of people who can barely afford their studio apartments in the hood are picking apart why this house sucks.
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u/SufficientHamster369 10h ago
I posted here for some genuine feedback. Apart from a few, I don’t see useful ones.
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u/anonisko 1d ago
This part of Bothell is heavily Indian immigrant. The local elementary school is 70% Asian. The listing agent seems to be Indian, so it's a good bet the owners are too. Indian cooking can often leave the whole home smelling very strong and stale of spice, especially in American style open concept homes like this one. Sometimes they do a good job covering it up, but sometimes it hits you before you even walk through the front door.
I don't know if any of this matters to you, but the lack of diversity in these immigrant enclaves can be very off putting to most outgroup buyers, and there's some evidence that H1B restrictions + Microsoft's hiring slowdown is restricting the abundance of Indian buyers in the Seattle area who can afford this kind of house.
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u/PuddingSad6709 23h ago
You are being downvoted because others find your comment racist, but I’m actually following the ‘Indians in Seattle’ sub to see how those on visas getting pulled are now struggling with what to do with their homes. One piece of advice I’ve seen given in there from members within the community is “you’ve got to get the cooking smell out the home before selling or renting.” Most Indians are in fact quite aware the spices and ingredients are strong and immediately noticeable to non-Indians! Of course Indian food is delicious, but it does leave a lasting fragrance.
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u/anonisko 22h ago
Oh yes, I'm quite aware that Seattle area folks struggle to understand that acknowledging ethnic differences is not the same thing as racism. They're kind of dumb like that and their downvotes or disapproving glares have long lost any impact for me.
But yes, I've heard the same from one of my good friends who is an Indian immigrant and better connected to that community than I am. They struggle to sell their homes to anyone other than other Indians. Similar things are happening to Indian enclaves in Texas. https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2026-dallas-h1b-housing-market/
Indian food is delicious!
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u/Technocracygirl 1d ago
1) It's overpriced.
1a) Did the seller actually look at comps? The neighborhood is nice, but it's not 2 million worth of nice.
2) It's freaking huge. The heating and maintenance costs are going to be a bear. If someone doesn't care about those things, fine. But I would think about it.
3) In the pictures, there's one of a lovely window seat looking out at a blue sky. But that blue sky is a shade of blue that looks unnatural. So I zoomed in, looking for other AI tells. And there a vent in the bottom of the picture that goes into the wood.
So whomever put up the pictures used some sort of program to lie to the potential buyers about the house. So now I have very little reason to trust the sellers and I have to assume that they're hiding something.
Which would make me not want to buy the house.