From the AskAnton archive. This report retains its original figures and source dates. It is not a live market feed. Confirm current prices, rates, rules and property details before acting.
Mount Vernon has quietly become a buyer's market on the margin. In the 98273 ZIP code the number of homes for sale was up about 30 percent year over year in May 2026, months of supply rose to 2.5, and year to date days on market climbed about 57 percent to 44 days (Northwest MLS, June 2026). Roughly 43 percent of Skagit County homes sold below asking in early 2025 and about 1 in 6 listings now shows a price cut. That is real negotiating room for the first time since 2022. But this is not a discount everywhere: the median is still in the high 500,000s, well priced homes go fast, and three things can make or break a purchase here, namely flood zone, school boundary, and commute. Get those right and 2026 is a genuine opening for buyers.
$579,900 Year to date median sale price, down 2.5% year over year | 52 Homes for sale, up 30% year over year, more choice | 44 days Year to date days on market, up 57%, more time to decide | 2.5 mo Months of supply, up 47%, leverage shifting to buyers |
01 · Prices
What you'll actually pay in Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon home prices have flattened after the 2021 to 2022 run up, which is good news if you are buying. The Northwest MLS year to date median sale price for the 98273 ZIP code was 579,900 dollars through May 2026, down about 2.5 percent from a year earlier, even though the single month of May printed a higher 610,950 dollars on a small sample. The monthly median has churned in a 480,000 to 665,000 dollar range over the last year, so the month you shop matters less than the home you choose.
Different sources quote different numbers because they use different windows, so it helps to see them together rather than anchor on one headline.
| Source | Price | Year over year | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest MLS (YTD median) | $579,900 | down 2.5% | through May 2026 |
| Zillow (avg home value) | $590,838 | +1.8% | early 2026 |
| Redfin (median sale) | $577,000 | +0.8% | October 2025 |
| Movoto (median list) | $639,000 | n/a | May 2026 |
The honest working number for a single family home is a median in the 575,000 to 590,000 dollar band. Price per square foot was about 324 dollars in May 2026, down roughly 3 percent year over year (Movoto), so on a per foot basis you are paying slightly less than a year ago. The deepest part of the market, where you will find the most choice, is the 500,000 to 700,000 dollar band.
02 · Your Leverage
Why buyers finally have room to negotiate
The biggest change in this market is not price, it is leverage. Inventory in 98273 was up about 30 percent year over year in May 2026, months of supply rose to 2.5, and year to date days on market jumped about 57 percent. Across Skagit County, active listings rose roughly 18 percent from 2024 to 2025. More homes plus more time on market equals more negotiating power for you.
The split above is the headline for buyers: a near even three way split, with the largest single share, about 43 percent, selling below asking, and roughly 15.8 percent of current listings showing a price cut (Zillow, June 2026). That is a very different world from 2022. The important caveat, and the reason this is a market for prepared buyers rather than bargain hunters, is that the best homes have not slowed down. Northwest MLS shows 98273 sellers still received about 102.6 percent of list in May 2026 on the homes that sold, and supply at 2.5 months is still below the four to six month range that defines a truly balanced market. Translation: there is room to negotiate on homes that have sat, and almost none on the fresh, well priced, move in ready listing that everyone else also wants.
03 · Affordability
The income you really need, and the gap that defines this market
The single most important structural fact in Mount Vernon is that the typical local household cannot afford the typical local home on its own income.
Buying the roughly 580,000 dollar median home takes about 155,000 to 160,000 dollars in income to stay inside a conservative 28 percent payment rule, and even on a lighter principal and interest only basis Homes.com puts the figure near 134,000 dollars. The Skagit County median household income is 89,263 dollars (U.S. Census, 2024). The gap runs from roughly 45,000 dollars to more than 65,000 dollars depending on assumptions.
What this means in practice: most successful buyers here are dual income households, buyers bringing equity from a King or Snohomish County sale, or relocating and remote workers earning a metro salary while paying Skagit prices. If you are a first time or single income buyer, the path is usually a larger down payment, a lower price tier, a 3-bed in the 450,000 to 525,000 dollar range, or down payment help, plus a lender who can show you what a rate buydown does to the monthly. The good news is that today's softer, more negotiable market is exactly when that math gets a little easier.
04 · Total Cost of Ownership
Budget past the mortgage: taxes, insurance, and upkeep
The payment is only part of the picture. The effective property tax rate in 98273 is about 1.12 percent, the highest ZIP code rate in Mount Vernon, which works out to roughly 6,440 dollars a year on a 575,000 dollar home (Ownwell). On a 580,000 dollar purchase with 20 percent down at about 6.75 percent, a realistic all in monthly payment looks like this:
| Monthly cost | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Principal and interest (loan $464,000) | about $3,010 |
| Property taxes (1.12%) | about $541 |
| Homeowners insurance (excludes flood) | about $150 to $200 |
| Total PITI | about $3,700 to $3,750 |
Two line items catch buyers off guard here. First, flood insurance, covered in the next section, which can add 1,000 to 3,000 dollars a year on parcels in a FEMA flood zone. Second, HOA dues: planned communities such as Eaglemont carry them, often 50 to 250 dollars a month, while many rural parcels have none. Budget another roughly 1 to 2 percent of value a year for maintenance. Put together, plan for non mortgage ownership costs in the 25,000 to 35,000 dollar a year range on a median home, and always verify the specific tax bill, HOA, and flood status before you remove your inspection contingency.
05 · Flood Risk
The one risk you cannot skip: flooding
The Skagit River is the largest river by volume in Washington State, and flooding is the most material risk in 98273. In December 2025, Level 3 Go Now evacuation orders were issued for parts of Mount Vernon as the river approached record levels. This is not a 30 years away hypothetical, it happened in the last year.
First Street data cited by Redfin shows about 33 percent of Skagit County properties at risk of severe flooding over the next 30 years. Some parcels sit in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (Zone A or AE) where a flood policy is federally required, typically 1,000 to 3,000 dollars per year. Higher ground neighborhoods such as Eaglemont, Fir Hill, Waugh Hill, and Centennial Ridge sit outside the primary flood zone; the river flats, the Bay View corridor, and low lying rural sections carry the most exposure.
Buyer action: pull the FEMA flood map for the exact parcel before you write an offer, get a flood insurance quote during your contingency period, and underwrite that cost into your monthly. A single level home in a flood zone is the most vulnerable profile of all.
Two secondary risks are worth a mention. About 69 percent of Skagit County properties carry some wildfire risk over 30 years (First Street), concentrated in foothill and rural east side parcels bordering wildland, not the valley floor. And like all of western Washington, the area sits in the Cascadia earthquake zone, so on any pre 1994 home ask about foundation bolting and seismic retrofits.
06 · Schools
Schools: do the boundary research before you fall in love
If you have or are planning school age children, this is the section to read twice. Mount Vernon School District ranks 194th of 247 Washington districts (SchoolDigger, 2025) and carries a GreatSchools rating of 3 out of 10. Average math proficiency is about 28 percent versus 41 percent statewide, and reading is about 34 percent versus 53 percent (PublicSchoolReview, 2025 to 2026).
District averages hide a lot of variation, though, and the practical move is to research the specific attendance boundary for any home, because in Washington the property line sets the school assignment. East side schools tend to perform better, and accessible alternatives from parts of 98273 include the smaller Conway School District and the stronger Burlington-Edison and La Conner districts nearby. Private options such as Mount Vernon Christian and Skagit Adventist Academy run roughly 8,000 to 15,000 dollars a year and are a common hedge for families buying in this market. For first time buyers and downsizers without school age children, this factor matters far less, and it can even be a source of negotiating leverage on homes that linger because of it.
07 · Commute and Lifestyle
The commute trade off, and the lifestyle you are buying
The honest constraint: a peak Mount Vernon to Seattle commute runs roughly 90 to 120 minutes each way (WSDOT 2023 data based estimate). This market works beautifully for remote and hybrid workers who head south one to three days a week, and it is punishing for a daily five day King County office commute. If your job could swing back to full time in office, stress test that before you buy. The bright spots: Amtrak Cascades stops at Skagit Station in downtown Mount Vernon, a real option for occasional Seattle trips, and the average commute entirely inside Skagit County is only about 26 minutes (DataUSA, 2024).
What you are buying in exchange is space and access to the outdoors. The Skagit Riverwalk Trail runs nearly 4 miles through downtown, Little Mountain Park offers about 10 miles of trails with valley views, and Bay View State Park, the North Cascades, and the Anacortes ferries to the San Juans are all close. Compared with Seattle above 900,000 dollars or Snohomish County near 747,000 dollars, Mount Vernon offers meaningfully more home and land per dollar, which is the entire reason the migration north keeps coming.
08 · Where to Buy
Where to buy in 98273, by budget and stage
Mount Vernon is several markets in one ZIP code. Here is how the money and the neighborhoods line up.
| Buyer stage | Typical range | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| First time | $399K to $550K | Downtown and South Mount Vernon entry homes, smaller 3-bed product; check flood and crime block by block |
| Growing family | $500K to $750K | Fir Hill, Centennial Ridge, east side; do the school boundary work |
| Move-up | $650K to $1.2M | Eaglemont prestige and custom homes, greenbelt and view lots, rural acreage corridors |
| Downsizer | $500K to $650K | Single level ranch homes, higher ground near Skagit Regional Health; avoid flood flats |
A few patterns hold across stages. The east side higher ground, Eaglemont, Fir Hill, Waugh Hill, and Centennial Ridge, is the sweet spot on both safety and flood risk; Mount Vernon's overall property crime runs above the national average, but residents consistently report the east side as the safest. Downtown and South Mount Vernon hold the most affordable entry points but warrant extra diligence on property crime and, in low spots, flooding. Rural corridors along Beaver Marsh, Bay View, and Best Road trade a higher price for acreage and views. Match the neighborhood to your three non negotiables, usually some mix of flood, schools, and commute, before you fall for a specific house.
09 · The Competition
Mount Vernon versus the markets you are also considering
Most buyers weighing Mount Vernon are also looking at Snohomish County or Bellingham. On price, Mount Vernon wins clearly.
| Metric | Mount Vernon (98273) | Snohomish Co. | Bellingham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $575K to $590K | about $747K | $650K to $700K |
| Commute to Seattle (peak) | 90 to 120 min | 45 to 75 min | 90 to 120 min |
| Schools | Below average (3/10) | Mixed by city | Average to above |
| Flood risk | High (Skagit River) | Moderate | Low to moderate |
| Entry single family | $399K | $550K | $500K |
The bottom line: Mount Vernon gives you the most home and land per dollar and the strongest outdoor lifestyle, and it asks you to accept a longer Seattle commute, a weaker school district, and real flood diligence in return. If you work remotely or hybrid, that trade usually favors Mount Vernon by a wide margin. If you must commute to King County four or five days a week, weigh whether Snohomish County's shorter drive is worth its 150,000 dollar plus price premium.
10 · The Playbook
How to buy smart in Mount Vernon right now
Every buyer, in order
- Get fully underwritten, not just pre qualified. In a market where the best homes still move fast, an underwritten approval lets you act with confidence and negotiate from strength.
- Pull the FEMA flood map for every parcel. Get a flood quote in your contingency window and underwrite it into the monthly. This is the number one due diligence item in 98273.
- Use your leverage on the right homes. Target listings sitting 30 plus days and ask for price, closing cost credits, or a seller paid rate buydown. Do not expect discounts on fresh, well priced inventory.
- Research the exact school boundary if children are in the picture, and treat a weaker boundary as a negotiating lever, not just a drawback.
- Always inspect, and add a sewer scope on older homes. About 86 percent of inspections surface something, and findings are your strongest post offer negotiating tool.
If you are a first time or single income buyer
- Shop the 450,000 to 525,000 dollar tier and let the lender model a rate buydown against a price cut. The monthly, not the sticker, is what you live with.
- Lean toward higher ground to keep flood insurance off your budget, and weigh down payment assistance programs.
- Be ready to move on well priced homes, and patient and assertive on the ones that have lingered.
If you are relocating or moving up with equity
- Press your cash advantage. Equity from a King or Snohomish County sale can blunt rate sensitivity entirely and makes a clean, fast offer very competitive.
- Buy on the east side higher ground for the best mix of safety, flood protection, and resale.
- Stress test the commute against any chance your role returns to full time in office before you commit.
Questions Mount Vernon buyers are asking
Mount Vernon home buying FAQ
Is it a good time to buy a home in Mount Vernon in 2026?
For prepared buyers, this is the most negotiable Mount Vernon market in three years. In the 98273 ZIP code, the number of homes for sale was up about 30 percent year over year in May 2026 and months of supply rose to 2.5, while year to date days on market climbed about 57 percent to 44 days (Northwest MLS Local Market Update, current as of June 1, 2026). About 43 percent of Skagit County homes sold below asking in March 2025 and roughly 15.8 percent of listings show a price cut (RocketHomes 2025; Zillow June 2026). The catch: well priced, move in ready homes still sell fast and near or over list, so leverage is real but it is not a fire sale.
What is the average home price in Mount Vernon and the 98273 ZIP code?
It lands in the high 500,000s depending on the source and window. The Northwest MLS year to date median sale price for 98273 was 579,900 dollars through May 2026, with a single month May median of 610,950 dollars. Zillow puts the average home value near 590,838 dollars (early 2026), Redfin reported 577,000 dollars (October 2025), and Movoto showed a 639,000 dollar median list price (May 2026). A fair working number for a single family home is a median in the 575,000 to 590,000 dollar range.
Is Mount Vernon a buyer's or seller's market right now?
It is shifting toward buyers but is not all the way there. Zillow and Movoto both label Mount Vernon a buyer market in mid 2026, and inventory, days on market, and price cuts are all rising. But Northwest MLS still shows only 2.5 months of supply in 98273 and sellers received about 100.3 percent of list price year to date, so the best homes still clear quickly. Think of it as a market where patient, well prepared buyers finally have room to negotiate on the right properties, not a market where everything is discounted.
How much income do I need to buy a house in Mount Vernon?
More than the typical local household earns. To buy the roughly 580,000 dollar median home with 20 percent down at about 6.75 percent, plus Skagit County property taxes and insurance, you need roughly 155,000 to 160,000 dollars in annual income to stay inside the conservative 28 percent payment rule. The Skagit County median household income was 89,263 dollars in 2024 (U.S. Census). That gap is the defining feature of this market: a large share of demand comes from dual income, equity rich, and relocating buyers from King and Snohomish counties, not from the local median earner.
Does Mount Vernon flood, and will I need flood insurance in 98273?
Flood risk is the single most important thing to check in 98273. The Skagit River is the largest river by volume in Washington, and in December 2025 Level 3 Go Now evacuation orders were issued for parts of Mount Vernon as the river approached record levels. First Street data cited by Redfin shows about 33 percent of Skagit County properties at risk of severe flooding over the next 30 years. Some parcels sit in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas where a flood policy is required, often 1,000 to 3,000 dollars per year. Higher ground neighborhoods such as Eaglemont, Fir Hill, Waugh Hill, and Centennial Ridge sit outside the primary flood zone. Always pull the FEMA flood map for the specific parcel before you write an offer.
How are the schools in Mount Vernon?
Below the state average at the district level, which matters most for families with school age children. Mount Vernon School District ranks 194th of 247 Washington districts (SchoolDigger 2025) with a GreatSchools rating of 3 out of 10. Average math proficiency is about 28 percent versus 41 percent statewide, and reading is about 34 percent versus 53 percent. Outcomes vary a lot by individual school, and the east side schools tend to perform better, so families should research the specific attendance boundary for any home. Adjacent Burlington-Edison and La Conner districts are alternatives accessible from parts of 98273, and private options exist.
What is the commute from Mount Vernon to Seattle?
Plan for 90 to 120 minutes each way at peak (WSDOT 2023 data based estimate), which is the biggest trade off in this market. Mount Vernon works best for remote and hybrid workers who drive south one to three days a week rather than five. Amtrak Cascades stops at Skagit Station in downtown Mount Vernon on the Seattle to Vancouver corridor, which is a real option for occasional Seattle trips. The average commute inside Skagit County is only about 26 minutes (DataUSA 2024), so a Mount Vernon based job is a very different lifestyle than a King County one.
Which Mount Vernon neighborhoods are best for buyers?
It depends on budget and priorities. Eaglemont is the prestige, higher ground address with newer custom homes, mountain views, and an HOA, typically 650,000 dollars and up. Fir Hill, Waugh Hill, and Centennial Ridge are sought after east side neighborhoods that are both safer than the city average and outside the main flood zone. Downtown and South Mount Vernon offer the most affordable entry points but carry higher property crime and, in low lying spots, flood exposure. Rural corridors along Beaver Marsh, Bay View, and Best Road offer acreage and views at a premium. For most buyers the east side higher ground is the sweet spot on safety and flood risk.
Written by Anton Stetner, Real Estate Solutions Group (RESG), Washington license number 24133. Spine market figures are from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service via InfoSparks and the NWMLS Local Market Update for ZIP code 98273, current as of June 1, 2026, data pulled June 24, 2026. Additional figures are attributed inline to Redfin, Zillow, Movoto, RocketHomes, Homes.com, Ownwell, the U.S. Census Bureau and DataUSA, GreatSchools, SchoolDigger and PublicSchoolReview, CrimeGrade, First Street Foundation, WSDOT, and Amtrak, with windows and sources labeled where they apply. Figures are deemed reliable but not guaranteed and are provided for informational purposes only. This is not financial, legal, or tax advice. Always verify flood zone, school boundary, taxes, and HOA status for the specific property.
