King County, WA Metro · Washington County Underwriting Brief

King County, WA DSCR Property Tax, Windstorm & Transfer Tax Guide

In King County, Washington (King County, WA metro), 1–4 unit investment properties carry an average effective property tax rate of 0.92% and landlord hazard insurance averaging $480 per $100K of coverage. At a median 1–4 unit acquisition price of $785,000 and Form 1007 market rent of $4,750/mo, a 75% LTV DSCR loan models at 1.00x DSCR ($4,735/mo total PITIA).

Effective Property Tax
0.92%
Est. $602/mo at median
Landlord Ins / $100K
$480/yr
Est. $314/mo DP-3
Median 1–4 Unit Price
$785,000
75% LTV: $588,750
Modeled 75% LTV DSCR
1.00x
$4,750 rent / $4,735 PITIA

King County Escrow & Closing-Cost Underwriting Rules

1. Post-Acquisition Tax Reassessment

Statutory county assessor periodic revaluation; underwriters use post-acquisition projected tax bill (typically 85%–100% of purchase price × county millage rate).

2. Windstorm, Flood & Hazard Tier

Puget Sound Seismic Overlay

3. Transfer & Mortgage Recording Taxes

Standard county deed recording & nominal transfer fee ($50–$350 flat or ≤0.20% of consideration).

4. CEMA / Doc-Stamp Optimization Strategy

Underwrite post-acquisition tax bill using county millage calculator to prevent Year-2 escrow shortage.

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King County, WA DSCR Underwriting, Property Tax & Insurance Guide (2026) | Stephen R. Mannenbach | Stephen Mannenbach