4538 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105

Retail · Seattle · Seattle-Bellevue metro, WA

One of 2,221 reachable retail buildings in Seattle. Larger than 78% of retail buildings in Seattle (median 4,143 SF), derived from assessor records.

Usable building area
8,960 SF, King County Assessor
Lot size
6,180 SF, King County Assessor
Year built
1927, King County Assessor
Stories
1, King County Assessor
Predominant use
Retail, King County Assessor
Assessed value
$2,746,900, per the King County Assessor (not a market appraisal)
Assessed value per usable SF
$306.57/SF, derived from assessor records
Usable area / lot
1.45, derived from assessor records
Vintage
pre-war vintage
Zoning
NC3P-65, King County
County use code
Retail Store

Nearby comparable buildings

Same building type, by distance. Assessor facts only; not an opinion of value.

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Sale history and market context

MakeMe Estimate: $3.45M (estimated market value), with a likely range of $2.79M to $3.99M (half of recent verified sales in this segment landed inside that range). Based on 8 verified arm's-length comparable sales (through 2026-06-01). Not an appraisal. How this estimate works.

moderate confidence: 5 comparable sales within 3 miles; nearest 0.3 mi. This property type carries wider measured error; treat the estimate as a starting point.

Comparable sales used as evidence

Recorded arm's-length sales of similar buildings nearby; nearer and more recent sales rank first. Buyer and seller names are withheld. Get this data via API.

Market context: Retail in Seattle

median verified sale $513.43/SF over the trailing 24 months; 32 sales in the last 12 months and 73 in 24 (newest verified sale 2026-05); the middle 80% of recent sales traded at 0.52x to 1.53x their county assessed value, median 1.04x (73 sales with usable county values).

  • 2022: $492.06/SF median (49 sales)
  • 2023: $458.42/SF median (24 sales)
  • 2024: $551.78/SF median (34 sales)
  • 2025: $510.82/SF median (41 sales)
  • 2026 YTD: $552.67/SF median (9 sales)

This estimate sits at 1.25x county assessed value, the 71st percentile of those recent sale premiums.

Computed from 1,875 verified arm's-length sales in King County public records (73 in the trailing 24 months). Free public records. Not an appraisal.

Last sold: 2013-08-26 for $1,600,000 (recorded arm's-length sale).

Current ownership dates to 2013 (about 13 years) per recorded transfers.

Source: King County recorded sales extract; buyer and seller shown only when a company or organization. Individual names are withheld.

Value over time

$0$2M$4M$6M201120142017202020232026Last sold $1.6M · 2013$3.45M$2.75MCounty assessed valueMakeMe Estimate rangeRecorded sale

Dark line: county assessed value per King County tax rolls. Blue line: our estimate; dashed years are a modeled backcast built from recorded arm's-length sales in the building's segment, not estimates published at the time, and years without enough sales stay unmodeled. The shaded range is the model's measured error band; about half of verified sales in the segment land inside it. Diamonds: recorded arm's-length sales. Not an appraisal. How this estimate works.

Land, site, and value history

Assessed value moved from $1,293,700 (2011) to $2,746,900 (2026), up 112% over 15 years, per county tax rolls. The 2026 roll splits $2,746,900 into $2,472,000 land and $274,900 improvements.

Taxes

Permit history

Source: King County permit records (newest first).