Home Affordability in Skagit County, WA
A typical home in Skagit County is worth $587,735, up 1.4% year over year. The effective property tax rate is 0.79% of value, and the 2026 conforming loan limit here is $832,750 — borrow more than that and you need a jumbo loan.
Assumes housing costs stay at 33% of gross income — the sustainable middle, not the maximum a lender would approve. A typical home in Skagit County costs $587,735. Rates as of 5 September 2026; they move weekly and your quote will differ.
What each income buys here
| Household income | Conventional | VA | Zero-down CU | FHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $75,000 | $320,000 | $264,000 | $242,000 | $258,000 |
| $100,000 | $438,000 | $362,000 | $332,000 | $354,000 |
| $125,000 | $556,000 | $459,000 | $421,000 | $449,000 |
| $150,000 | $674,000 | $557,000 | $511,000 | $544,000 |
| $200,000 | $911,000 | $752,000 | $690,000 | $735,000 |
Conventional assumes 20% down. VA and credit-union 100% financing assume zero down with the funding fee financed into the loan; FHA assumes 3.5% down with mortgage insurance for the life of the loan. All hold housing at 33% of gross income and cap total debt at the program’s underwriting limit.
Towns in Skagit County
| Town | Typical home | Year over year | Income needed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon | $592,945 | +1.5% | $133,000 | Details |
| Anacortes | $728,211 | +1.2% | $161,000 | Details |
| Sedro-Woolley | $500,889 | 0% | $113,000 | Details |
| Burlington | $543,667 | +1.1% | $122,000 | Details |
| Concrete | $260,461 | +1.6% | $62,000 | Details |
| Bow | $856,480 | +3.1% | $189,000 | Details |
| La Conner | $455,535 | -3.5% | $104,000 | Details |
| Lyman | $472,532 | +2.1% | $107,000 | Details |
| Marblemount | $213,406 | -3.9% | $52,000 | Details |
The cheapest places in the county are Marblemount ($213K), Concrete ($260K), La Conner ($456K).
How the zero-down math actually works
Putting nothing down does not simply move the down payment to zero — it costs you twice. Zero-down programs price above conventional, and they finance a funding fee into the balance, so you start out owing more than the house cost. In Skagit County that difference is worth roughly $164K of purchasing power at a $150,000 income.
The exception is the VA loan. If anyone on the loan is Active Duty, Reserve, or a Veteran, it prices below conventional and charges no mortgage insurance — and the funding fee is waived entirely with any VA disability rating. It is almost always the cheapest zero-down option, and it is worth about $46K more house than a credit-union 100% loan here.