Community Spotlight: Queen Anne, Seattle

Queen Anne is one of those Seattle neighborhoods almost everyone recognizes, but describing the Queen Anne housing market with one set of numbers doesn’t really tell the story.

From the activity surrounding Seattle Center in Lower Queen Anne to the residential streets farther up the hill, Queen Anne offers a surprisingly broad mix of homes, lifestyles and price points.

And the numbers show just how different those options can be.

Lifestyle

Queen Anne sits immediately north of Downtown Seattle, giving residents easy access to the city while offering many areas that feel distinctly residential.

Queen Anne Avenue serves as one of the neighborhood’s primary gathering spots, with restaurants, coffee shops, neighborhood businesses and everyday conveniences. Throughout the hill, you’ll also find parks, tree lined residential streets and some of Seattle’s most recognizable views.

Kerry Park may provide the postcard view everyone knows, but the neighborhood offers plenty more. Seattle Center, Climate Pledge Arena and the Space Needle sit at the base of the hill, while the eastern side of Queen Anne looks toward Lake Union. The neighborhood’s stairways, parks and elevation are also very much part of its character.

North Queen Anne takes on a particularly residential feel, with convenient access toward Fremont, Ballard and Lake Union while remaining close to the heart of Seattle.

Queen Anne Isn’t Just One Housing Market

This is where Queen Anne gets especially interesting.

Looking at Northwest MLS sales over the trailing 12 months, there were 460 closed residential sales throughout the Queen Anne area.

But putting all 460 together hides some enormous differences between property types.

Single Family Homes

Queen Anne’s detached homes represent the upper end of the neighborhood’s market, ranging from smaller older homes to extensively renovated properties and luxury homes with incredible Seattle views.

Over the past 12 months:

205 single family homes sold

Median sale price: $1,450,000

Average sale price: $1,675,386

Those numbers help explain why Queen Anne has long been considered one of Seattle’s higher priced residential neighborhoods.

But that isn’t the only way to live here.

Townhomes

Townhomes provide another significant part of the Queen Anne market, particularly for buyers who want more living space than many condos provide without stepping all the way into detached home pricing.

Over the same period:

64 townhomes sold

Median sale price: $1,156,950

Average sale price: $1,158,157

Interestingly, the median and average are nearly identical, giving us a pretty good picture of where the typical Queen Anne townhome sale has been landing.

Condos and Co ops

And then the numbers change dramatically.

Queen Anne’s condo and co op market creates a much lower entry point into the neighborhood, particularly as you move toward Lower Queen Anne and Seattle Center.

Over the past 12 months:

191 condos and co ops sold

Median sale price: $475,000

Average sale price: $546,394

That’s nearly a $1 million difference in median price between a condo or co op and a detached single family home within the same general Queen Anne market.

What Does the Overall Number Tell Us?

Across all residential property types, Queen Anne recorded:

460 closed sales

Median sale price: $993,500

Average sale price: $1,134,647

At first glance, you might say Queen Anne is basically a $1 million housing market.

Technically, that’s not wrong.

But it’s also not particularly useful.

A buyer looking for a condo could be shopping hundreds of thousands of dollars below that figure, while someone searching for a detached home is entering a market where the median sale is closer to $1.5 million.

That’s why neighborhood statistics always need context.

Who Does Queen Anne Work For?

One of Queen Anne’s biggest strengths is that there isn’t one answer.

For some buyers, it’s the opportunity to own a condo close to Downtown, Seattle Center and neighborhood amenities.

For others, it’s a townhome that offers additional space while maintaining an urban lifestyle.

And for buyers shopping at the higher end of the market, Queen Anne offers historic homes, larger properties, remodeled residences and some pretty spectacular views.

Different housing types. Very different price points. All within the same Seattle neighborhood.

Question of the Week

If you were buying in Queen Anne, which would matter more to you: having a detached home on the hill, or spending considerably less for a condo and staying in the same neighborhood?

The nearly $1 million difference between their median sale prices makes that a pretty interesting tradeoff.