Executives relocating to the Seattle area often arrive with a neighborhood already in mind, chosen from a map, a colleague’s suggestion or a list of top-ranked zip codes. Many end up somewhere else. The region’s housing choices divide less by price than by daily experience, and those differences are hard to judge from a distance.
Eric Akines, a REAL Residential broker who works with relocating buyers across Seattle and the Eastside, said out-of-state buyers most often underestimate how different those experiences are.
Two Different Daily Lives
Seattle proper offers city neighborhoods with distinct personalities, established architecture, water views, and restaurants, shops and cultural institutions within walking distance. The Eastside, which includes Bellevue, Kirkland, Medina, Clyde Hill, Mercer Island and surrounding communities, generally offers newer housing stock, larger properties in some areas, proximity to major employers such as Microsoft, and a suburban or small-city pace.
Akines avoids telling clients which is better. He tours relocating buyers through both before narrowing a search, and the area they ultimately choose is frequently not the one they expected to choose before they arrived.
Starting With the Household
Rather than asking newcomers which neighborhood they want, which he considers an unfair question for someone new to the city, Akines starts with routine. Where will they work? Where do the people they are moving closer to live? Do they want to walk to dinner, or do they want privacy and land? Do they boat, fly frequently or want quick access to the mountains? Do they want to replicate the life they have now or build a different one?
The answers typically point to several areas worth exploring. A few rounds of touring homes across those neighborhoods usually do the rest, as preferences that seemed fixed on paper shift once buyers experience each place.
Personal Timing and Market Timing
Relocating buyers routinely ask whether now is a good time to buy. Akines said the more useful question is whether this is the right time in their life to make the move, and that the two should be evaluated separately.
Market conditions, including inventory, recent sales, competition, interest rates and negotiating leverage, sit on one side. Personal circumstances sit on the other. A move driven by a new job comes with a fixed timeline; one driven by family or lifestyle usually allows more flexibility. Markets can be negotiated, he tells clients, but time with family cannot be made up later. The goal is to separate what a buyer can control from what they cannot, rather than trying to predict the perfect moment.
A Relocation in Practice
A Chicago couple Akines represented this year illustrates both points. They were moving to be closer to their daughter, with one spouse retiring and the other continuing to work, so no employer deadline applied. They searched for several months, initially hoping for an architecturally distinctive house, and chose a West Seattle home with unobstructed views of Puget Sound and Mount Rainier, a renovated interior and private beach access through its community.
Because their timing was flexible, they could also use the market. After touring the home, they waited about a month to see whether it would sell, then returned and bought it well below the asking price.
The Tax Variable
For executives and founders who can live almost anywhere, Washington’s new 9.9% tax on household income above $1 million adds another factor. The tax takes effect in 2028, and voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to repeal it through Initiative 645. Akines said some high-net-worth clients are comparing Washington with Nevada, Florida and Arizona, though he has not seen a wave of listings driven by the tax.
For many, the region’s concentration of technology, AI, biotech and medicine, combined with access to mountains and water, still carries more weight. Akines cites a Bay Area buyer who recently purchased a Seattle waterfront home because his company is now based in the region, while his family remains in California.
As more executives gain flexibility over where they live, the relocation decision is becoming less about proximity to an office and more about fit. In a region where neighboring communities offer very different lives, that fit is usually found on the ground rather than on a map.
About the Expert: Eric Akines is a luxury real estate broker with REAL Residential in Seattle. He works with relocating and local buyers and sellers across Seattle, Mercer Island and the Eastside, with a focus on architecturally significant and design-driven homes.
Disclaimer: This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.
