Being close to the city, shopping, the highways, and the airport is a rare combination of advantages. Here’s a quick tour of listings for five affordable homes in Tukwila.
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It can pay to squint at the photos in a listing. Is that actually a view of Seattle’s skyline? Is that really a corner wood-burning fireplace? Details like those can make this 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 600 square-foot condo from 1967 more appealing. Some may find it based on price, $112,950, or others on the location, but the possibilities are why tours and visits can be worth their time. Enjoy being in a top corner unit with few shared walls.
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Here’s a condo that is almost as old, 1968, at a slightly higher price, $131,000. It’s also slightly larger, 656 square feet. It is a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom condo as well, but it demonstrates the value of updating a kitchen. Whether in a condo or a mansion, new appliances (stainless steel) and counters (granite) make a place look much newer. Updated bedrooms and living rooms rarely produce the same effect.
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1967 must have been a busy time for condos; it was one of Seattle’s Boeing booms and Tukwila was central to many of the plants. Scale up to 829 square feet and find enough room for two bedrooms and one bathroom. A corner fireplace looks like a match for the one from the first condo on our list. The extra size helps explain the extra cost, $159,000. Convenient access to highways may help.
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The next step up is a move to a 1,400 square-foot house and a much higher price, $264,999. It is a classic, probably contemporary for its time, but with hints of being a Craftsman. Inside are three bedrooms and one and three-quarter bathrooms. Built in 1920, the most obvious period detail is subtle, sweeping archways between the rooms. Outside is a 9,000 square-foot lot wrapped by a fence and equipped with a shed.
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The house may be smaller (1,160 square feet), so is the lot (7,686 square feet), and the price may be higher ($324,950), but that may be because there are more rooms. Three bedrooms and two bathrooms form the basis of this stucco one story. Inside, the paint is bold, which can be fine as-is or easily repainted. A glass tile backsplash demonstrates an update since the 1942 original. A fence for privacy and a lawn for playing complete the package.
- 13560 37th Ave S APT 30 [Zillow]
- 15156 65th Ave S APT 1010 [Zillow]
- 13550 37th Ave S APT 4 [Zillow]
- 12812 E Marginal Way S [Zillow]
- 13423 48th Ave S [Zillow]