Never Ending Story – Saving For A Seattle Home

• Forget The Crime, Drugs, And Homeless, You've ALWAYS Wanted A Seattle Home

• How Long Will You Have To Save To Make Your Dream Come True?

• Single In California? - Don't Even Think About it!

The average American couple earning a median income and saving for a 20% down payment on that American Dream,16-hundred-square-foot, ranch-style home, with a white picket fence will have to put home ownership on hold for a little more than two years. But if Seattle is part of that dream, it's going to take more time, as a news report from Axios brings to light.

What Are The Details Concerning An Average Seattle House Hunt?

Let's start with the cash. According to an online real estate marketplace analysis by Point2

• Median income for Seattle singles - $68,941
• Median Income for Seattle couples - $154,767 
• A starter home is defined as the median-priced home in the cheaper third of listings 
• A Seattle area starter home is considered to be $560,000 at a 6.6% mortgage rate.

You Don't Need A Broker To Do The Math When Comparing Seattle To The Rest Of The American Home-Buying Landscape

Pick your average "Anywhere Else" address in the country and a couple will have to save for about 25 months to be able to afford a mortgage that doesn't eat up more than 30 percent of their take-home pay. That same couple will have to save for 42 months in Seattle. It is a more difficult proposition for single people who must save for 8.4 years in most of America and a ridiculous 27.1 years in the Emerald City! You literally need emeralds to afford to live there!

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While Seattle Is Among The Least Affordable Markets - California Says "Hold My Mortgage!"

So if we are going to talk ridiculous, let's do it right. These California cities are out of reach for most people. The list shows the city and how long a couple and a single would have to save before they could afford to live there.                   

• Anaheim Couple    29.3 years     Single  87.2 years
• L.A.                         25.5                           78.8
• San Jose                 18.3                           74,8
•   San Diego              12.8                           55.7

Anaheim Just Too Big To Climb

Let's say you wanted to live in the shadow of Disneyland and you started working and saving at 18.  You would be 105+ years old before you could afford a home in Anaheim!  By then, Mickey would be 205 and the only home for you both would be the nursing home!

READ MORE: 13 Things Locals Do To Have Fun In Seattle

All Of A Sudden The Rust Belt Doesn't Look Too Bad

If you can get by without being California Star-Struck or living in the home of Starbucks you can save time and a big bucks in the midwest. House hunters in Memphis, Cleveland, St. Louis, or Detroit can all expect to be mowing their own lawns and fixing their own leaky faucets after only 28 months of saving.