Bellevue: New Construction, Under Construction

The house signs leading to a property I wanted to see recently said “new construction.” When I arrived, the house appeared to still be under construction. I noticed a dirt driveway and I don’t think they even had a front door up yet.

If it can be hard to see a house objectively when it’s filled with the seller’s stuff, I think it can be even more difficult to make a buying decision before a house is completed. (Unless you’re having your own custom house built, of course.) On the other hand, a not-yet-completed house may create an opportunity for the buyer to pick out finishes, colors and other elements to create a more custom end product.

A quick perusal of new construction in Bellevue turned up 13 homes in the million-plus range, the majority of which are in the West Bellevue area, from Enatai north to Clyde Hill, and one home near Robinswood Park (East Bellevue) listed at $829,000.

Looking at the buyers for these high end homes, Drew DeSilver’s recent Seattle Times article attributes the local housing boom to economists’ observations of “fundamental growth: people moving in to take good jobs. That will stand the local economy in good stead in 2007.” The leading industries creating these jobs are, no surprise, aerospace (Boeing) and software (Microsoft). The article goes on to say, however, that “Construction…almost certainly will slow next year, along with the housing sector, though (commercial) construction will take up the slack.”

For now, for the six-figure-and-above house crowd, there are plenty of new homes to choose from. I can’t help but wish that the new, environmentally considerate, modern pre-fab home design trends will one day result in sustainable, truly affordable new homes for a wider range of the population.