Seattle Houseboats For Sale:  Current Seattle Floating Homes Market:  

Ever wonder how the Seattle houseboat real estate market might be going with all the ups and downs of Seattle real estate. 

 Lake Union Floating homes and also Portage Bay for that matter have actually held up quite well.  You see there is a greater "weeding out" process when it comes to financing a floating home.  Houseboat financing requires at lest 25% down in most cases and exemplary credit ratings.  The decision on whether or not to finance a Houseboat buyer rests in the hands of a few private bankers around town. Getting a mortgage from one of them is the only way to really finance a houseboat similarly to a traditional land home. 

Other factors?  Houseboats have been a safer bet on getting return on investment - if you could ever leave one once you live there.  Many people can't leave their lovely Seattle floating homes once they have lived there which brings us to another factor of why sales and values have held up and weathered the surrounding real estate environment.  The fact of the matter is that most people stay in the houseboats once they live there.  The last average I saw was around 20 years on average.  I think that number has gone down somewhat, but the longevity is still evident as they are few and far between in availability.

A Common Downside ( I should say downsize here:)):

Space has always been an issue on Seattle houseboats - even in the larger houseboats, there is still a need to downsize for most people who are used to having at least a small yard, garage, or both.  Having a yard and/or garage can lead to sprawl in possessions and letting go of some of those can be grueling, but once done is so freeing. 

A Little known Perk:  Although there are dues on owned docks for floating homes around Seattle, these usually cover the moorage of the home and the taxes on the dock itself.  The home unless fee simple like Roanoke Reef for example is taxed through King County separately and the taxes are quite low when compared to land homes.  The result is usually actually more affordable contrary to many reports. 

So the jury is in and buying a Seattle houseboat is not so unconventional as it may have once been. Want to see what is available now?

Seattle Houseboats For Sale