New Homes Now Cost Less Than Resale in Seattle
Article
4 min read
Manoj K
| Photographer and Active Businessman
For most of the last decade, buying a brand-new home in the Seattle area meant paying a premium for the privilege. That is no longer true.
A new Zillow analysis found that new-construction homes now sell for slightly less per square foot than existing homes in Seattle. Zillow's senior economist Kara Ng called new homes an "overlooked opportunity more buyers should be thinking about."
If you've been touring 30-year-old houses because you assumed new was out of reach, it's time to run the numbers again.
The numbers: new now beats resale on price per square foot
Market (July 2026) | New homes | Existing homes
Seattle: New homes $408 / sq ft | Existing homes $410 / sq ft
United States (median): New homes $205 / sq ft | Existing homes $212 / sq ft
This flips a long-running pattern. From 2018 through 2024, new homes sold for more per square foot than resale in 77 of 84 months, with the premium peaking at $25 per square foot in November 2022. Now builders have sold at a discount to resale in 17 of the past 19 months.
In other words: the price gap that kept many buyers out of new construction has closed.
Why the shift is happening
Resale supply is stuck. Many owners locked in low mortgage rates years ago and aren't selling, which keeps existing-home prices propped up.
Builders are motivated. Builders carry finished homes on construction loans, so they price to sell rather than wait for the market.
More new homes are coming online. Zillow found the biggest new-home bargains are in markets where builders have been most active.
For buyers, that combination means a rare window: new homes priced in line with, or below, the older homes they compete with.
Same price per foot, very different value
Price per square foot only tells you what you pay at closing. What you pay over the next ten years is where new construction pulls ahead.
A brand-new home | A typical resale home
Roof, furnace, water heater: New, under warranty | Often mid-life or near replacement
Builder warranty: Third-party structural warranty | Usually none
Energy efficiency: Built to Washington's current energy code | Built to the code of its era
Layout: Open plans, home offices, big kitchen islands | Often needs remodeling to match how people live now
Buying process: Negotiate with the builder, no bidding war | Competing offers, inspection surprises
First-year projects: Move in and live | Paint, flooring, repairs
When the purchase price is equal, the home that won't need a $20,000 roof or a kitchen remodel is the cheaper home.
A better price doesn't mean a lesser home
Some of the national drop in new-home prices comes from builders shifting to smaller, entry-level product. That's not what Casly Homes builds.
Casly Homes is a local Bothell builder focused on fewer homes, finished to a higher standard:
Premium finishes throughout, including oversized kitchen islands and luxury-grade materials
Family-sized floor plans, with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths as our standard
A third-party builder warranty on every home we sell
Communities, not just lots, with landscaped common areas, play spaces and mountain views
A builder you can actually reach. We're local, and we stand behind what we build
The market has made new construction competitive on price. We make sure it's still the better home.
Where to find it: two Casly communities
Duchess Townhomes, Bothell | now selling
Twelve new townhomes at 932 Duchess Road. Building B is available now, and Building A is coming soon from November 2026.
4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 2,222 to 2,255 sq ft
Huge kitchen islands with luxury finishes
Cascade Mountain views, play areas and a large landscaped garden
A quiet, green setting with easy access to the Eastside
Eden Ridge Residences, Kent | pre-sale now
Sixteen new single-family homes on Kent's East Hill, with delivery targeted for 2027.
Four floor plans from 2,310 to 3,167 sq ft, all 4 bed / 3.5 bath
Select homes with Mt. Rainier views
An optional private Casita suite, offered to pre-sale buyers only
Pre-sale buyers get first pick of plans and lots before public pricing is released.
Register your interest in Eden Ridge
Take a second look at new
If you've been weighing an older home against new construction, compare them on total cost, not just list price. Then come see what a new Casly home includes at the same price per foot.
Book a tour or contact our sales team online.
Sources
Seattle Agent Magazine (Seattle figures)