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How high and low can you go?

Some Mercer Island properties are among the highest valued on the current market.
Bing.com
Some Mercer Island properties are among the highest valued on the current market.

It's that time of year again when KPLU's John Maynard and real estate appraiser Richard Hagar look at the least expensive and the most expensive homes on the market. This time around, they're zeroing in on King County.

The Extremes are Dramatic

The least expensive home is in White Center near West Seattle. It's on the market for $48,000.  It's small and tilting a little.  But the land is woodsy and private.

In comparison, the most expensive is  a mansion sitting on a large parcel of waterfront property on Mercer Island. That's on the market for $26,880,000.  Richard Hagar says there's one thing both of these properties have in common:

About 80% to 90% of the value of these properties is in the land, not the house.

Land is in Demand

Hagar points that in that in King County, the demand for property is high. That often leads buyers to tear down or rebuild their purchases within the first 10 years of purchasing them, just to get their hands on the dirt under the foundation.

He also says that there are quite a few houses on the market in King County for under $100,000. But it's likely no surprise that the majority of them are "fixer uppers," or even "tearer downers!" 

 

 

 

John Maynard started working in radio in the seventies as a DJ at Seattle’s KJR AM which at the time was the dominant AM station in the Seattle market. After a brief stint as a restaurateur and night club owner, Maynard returned to radio with Robin Erickson, creating the hugely popular “Robin and Maynard Show.” In the more than 20 years under that marquee, Maynard flew with the Blue Angels, piloted the Goodyear Blimp, sang with Donny Osmond and hung out in a Universal Studios bar with Kojak (Telly Savalas).
Richard Hagar's real estate career spans more than 30 years. He currently serves as a real estate investor, real estate agent, appraiser, and an SRA with the Appraisal Institute.