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Property Intelligence for Seattle, WA
What public records reveal before you make an offer in Seattle
Investigate a propertyWhat Seattle Buyers Should Know
Seattle homes span over 150 years of construction history, from Pioneer Square Victorians to South Lake Union towers. Older neighborhoods like Ballard, Capitol Hill, and West Seattle carry an industrial contamination legacy, aging sewer infrastructure, and dense permit histories. Landslide-prone slopes in Magnolia and West Seattle are mapped Environmentally Critical Areas.
Seattle is in King County, where CaveatBuyer analyzes 40+ data sources for every property. Geographic risks in this area include landslide-prone slopes in west seattle, magnolia, and beacon hill and seattle fault zone running east-west through downtown. A CaveatBuyer report connects these data points to the specific property you're considering.
Seattle's Housing Stock — What Era Tells You
Pre-1940
- •Knob-and-tube wiring behind finished walls
- •Cast iron drain pipes nearing end of life
- •Original plaster walls concealing outdated systems
- •Lead paint on interior and exterior surfaces
1940s–1960s
- •Asbestos insulation in attics, pipe wrap, and floor tiles
- •Galvanized steel water pipes prone to corrosion and low flow
- •Oil-fired heating systems with potential buried tanks
1970s–1980s
- •Aluminum wiring in some homes (fire risk at connections)
- •Early forced-air HVAC systems aging out of service life
- •Polybutylene plumbing in some developments
What We Analyze for Seattle Properties
Seattle properties are covered by King County's full data source set. For every address, we pull from:
- ✓King County Assessor records (property details, tax history, sales)
- ✓King County GIS ArcGIS REST (parcel geometry, zoning, land use)
- ✓Seattle SDCI permits (building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing)
- ✓King County landslide and steep slope hazard zones
- ✓King County liquefaction susceptibility areas
- ✓FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL)
- ✓EPA Superfund, Brownfields, and Toxic Release Inventory
- ✓WA DNR statewide geology (fault lines, slide-prone formations)
- ✓WA Department of Ecology well logs
- ✓WA dam safety inventory
- ✓SPU sewer classification and septic areas (Seattle)
- ✓Seattle City Light service area and energy data
- ✓Census Bureau geocoding and demographic data
- ✓Proprietary terrain and hazard analysis
- ✓Walk Score transit and walkability indexes
Other Cities in King County
Other Washington Markets
Get Your Free Property Report
Enter any Seattle address to see what public records reveal about the property — free, no account required.
Investigate a propertyFull Intelligence Report available for $49