Real Estate Showdown: Seattle Vs. Los Angeles

Real Estate showdown is a recurring Patch column showing you what you can buy in other cities for the median price (about $729,000) of a home in Seattle.

SEATTLE, WA - For this week's Real Estate Showdown column, we're pitting Seattle against a much larger, much sunnier, much more image-obsessed city: Los Angeles. But, just because LA is bigger and more famous (population: 4 million, and the movie industry makes Amazon look like a Capitol Hill boutique donut shop) doesn't mean its houses are more expensive.

Sure, rent is high in LA, but the median home price is about $604,000, according to Zillow, which is a whole $125,000 less than Seattle. So in theory, we're going to get a better home in LA with more money to spend, right?

With that said, let's see what we've got. First up, our Seattle home.

$729,000
3547 SW Ocean View Drive
For once, we were actually able to find a home that's exactly the median price. This home is a little dated inside and outside, but it's in a nice neighborhood - in far southwest West Seattle just a few blocks from Puget Sound. The home also has an enormous backyard that features what appears to be a full-size blacktop basketball court (it could use some new blacktop, however). There's also an enormous outdoor porch and views of the nearby Arroyos Natural Area and the water.

And now our challenger from down south. Here's what you can get in Los Angeles for $729,000:

$729,000
7823 Alesandro Street, Los Angeles
Boy, is there anything more California than a home built around a pool? This neat-o house is a little cramped, but it contains three buildings built around a sizable pool. Not only that, this home is located just a few blocks from I-5, and about a mile from the two hippest neighborhoods in LA, Silver Lake and Echo Park.

The winner: As we say every week, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's hard not to be drawn to that pool, but the Seattle house, as they say, has so much more potential. The size of the lot and the home in Seattle are almost double, and the LA house seems hemmed in by highways, the LA river ... and that pool. Wouldn't you just feel shackled to that darn pool after a while?

Which one would you pick?

Images via Realtor.com