We all know Amazon recently jumped ship in New York City. What some of us may not know is that Amazon also jumped ship from downtown Seattle when it bowed out of a huge skyscraper most people thought it would move into.
So now, what and where for Amazon?. Redifn suggests Amazon will likely focus its hometown growth in Washington’s eastside suburbs in the town of Bellevue.
Bellevue is already popular with tech homebuyers. According to Kathi Kelly-Billings, a local Redfin agent, “We’ve always seen a lot of Amazon and Microsoft employees buying homes on the Eastside because of its suburban atmosphere and highly rated schools. As Amazon builds out its presence in Bellevue over the next few years, I expect demand from young homebuyers to put pressure on that specific real estate market.”
According to those in the know, Amazon is already building its presence. The company already leases space in Bellevue for nearly 7,000 workers and it is currently in talks to lease more space for some 25,000 more workers.
Kelly-Billings continued, “As employees from Amazon and other large tech companies move over to Eastside, whether their job is moving to Bellevue or they’re planning to commute across the lake to work in South Lake Union, these workers are creating a whole new cohort of buyers who are looking for something different in a home. They don’t want their parents or grandparents’ house. They want new, modern construction.”
No doubt agents and builders are doing their best to contain their excitement and expectations about Amazon’s next play in Bellevue. No one wants to be disappointed to the extent that agents and builders
