South Anacortes · Buying a Home
Buying a Home in South Anacortes: Value, Lots, and the Short Drive Out
A real consultation before the first showing, a search tuned to what you actually want, and a steady hand from offer to keys.
What this end of town trades, and what it gets back
Buying a home in South Anacortes gets you the most house per dollar inside the city limits, and it asks you to give up the view to do it. This is the south end of the grid, roughly 28th Street to 41st on both sides of Commercial Avenue, built mostly as mid-century ranches on regular lots with plenty of remodels and some later infill. Most homes here look at other homes rather than at water.
What you get back is concrete. A real lot in town. Mount Erie Elementary at 1313 41st Street and Storvik Park close at hand. Everyday shopping on Commercial Avenue instead of a fifteen-minute drive to it. The Anacortes Community Forest Lands beginning past the last street. And the shortest run in the city to Highway 20, the mainland, Burlington, and I-5, which matters a great deal if anyone in the house commutes.
The grid does climb as it runs south, and some homes near the top see something. A 1972 home on 39th Street with county-noted views to the northeast sold in March 2026. Those exist, they cost more, and I will tell you honestly which listings actually have one.
Talk with DiAnn about South Anacortes
Why buyers looking at South Anacortes work with DiAnn Sager
I am DiAnn Sager, a broker with RE/MAX Gateway in Anacortes. I have been licensed since 2018, closed 125 homes, and worked this end of town directly: I represented buyers on a 1945 home on 37th Street, sold a 1980 home on 32nd Street in Kellogg and Ford's Addition, and in 2025 sold a 1975 home on N Avenue with mountain and Sound views from the living room and front deck.
Mid-century houses are where an inexperienced eye gets hurt. Two homes on the same block, built the same year, can be twenty years apart in condition depending on what the last owner did to the roof, the wiring, the windows, and the sewer line. Telling those two houses apart before you write an offer is most of the value I add here.
One of my clients, Rachel, bought her first home with me and said the parts of the process she found hardest were the ones where I was always there to answer questions. That is the posture. If this is your first purchase, start with buying a home and first-time buyers; if you are moving up out of a starter home, move-up buyers covers the sequencing of buying and selling without panic.
How I work a South Anacortes purchase
We start with your numbers, honestly. A local lender gets you fully pre-approved before we tour, because knowing your real ceiling changes which streets we look at and keeps you from falling for a house above it.
Then we set your criteria against the trade this area actually offers. How much yard you want. Whether a one-level floor plan matters. Whether you need to be within walking distance of Storvik Park, Mount Erie Elementary, or the Tommy Thompson Parkway trailheads at 22nd and R or 30th and U. Whether a view to the northeast is a requirement or a bonus you would take if it came.
At each home, we look past the staging at the bones: roof age, electrical, plumbing and the sewer line, windows, insulation, and whether a remodel was done properly or done fast. I bring the inspector who fits the house, and I read the report with you rather than emailing it over.
Then I write the offer and negotiate it. In a market with choices, patience is its own advantage, and I will tell you when walking away is the stronger move. Current homes I have available are on the listings page.
Local context and proof for South Anacortes
Storvik Park at 1110 32nd Street is the center of gravity down here: 8.7 acres with a Little League field that doubles as a youth soccer field, two basketball courts, play equipment, a picnic shelter, restrooms, and a spray pad. Ace of Hearts Rotary Park and the off-leash dog park sit at 38th and H, and the 28th Street Playground is a half acre at 28th and Q. Tommy Thompson Parkway trailheads are at 22nd and R and at 30th and U, and the Anacortes Community Forest Lands start past the last street. The Anacortes School District serves the area, with Mount Erie Elementary at 1313 41st Street along with Fidalgo and Island View elementary schools, Anacortes Middle School, Anacortes High School, and Cap Sante High School. Attendance areas are set by the district.
Commercial Avenue runs north into downtown and south as the SR 20 Spur to Highway 20, so this is the closest part of the city to the mainland and I-5, and ferry traffic stays on Commercial Avenue rather than on the residential side streets.
Compared with the west side, the trade is plain: no marina, no bluff, and far fewer view lots, in exchange for friendlier price points and the shortest drive out of town. For anyone who works in Burlington or Mount Vernon, or who drives I-5 regularly, that last point is worth real money over a few years of commuting.
Start your search on the south end
Buying a home in South Anacortes works best with a clear head about which house is worth its asking price, because condition varies wildly between homes that look alike from the street. Tell me your budget and your must-haves and I will sort the listings before they eat your Saturdays.
Read the South Anacortes neighborhood page, compare it with the forest side at Whistle Lake or with the headland at Cap Sante, and when you are ready, tell me what you are looking for. Let's get you home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is South Anacortes less expensive than the west side?
Generally yes, and the reason is the view. The south grid has far fewer view lots than Skyline or the bluffs, so the price points are friendlier for a comparable house. What you buy instead is a real lot in town and the shortest drive in Anacortes to Highway 20 and I-5.
Can I get a view in South Anacortes at all?
Sometimes, near the top of the grid. It climbs as it runs south, and a 1972 home on 39th Street with county-noted views to the northeast sold in March 2026. Those homes exist and they cost more, and I tell you which listings genuinely have one before you tour.
What is the ferry traffic like on these streets?
Commercial Avenue carries it and the residential side streets do not. That is a real advantage of the south grid in summer, and it is one you can verify yourself by driving through on a July afternoon before you commit.
What matters most when comparing two mid-century homes here?
Condition, not curb appeal. Two houses built the same year on the same block can be decades apart in roof, wiring, windows, and sewer line depending on what previous owners did. I read the bones with you and bring the inspector who suits the house.
South Anacortes
What buying a home looks like in South Anacortes
The south end of the city, toward the lakes and the forest lands.
The full picture of the place, the homes, and the trade-offs is in the South Anacortes area guide.
The method
How we do it in South Anacortes
Buying a Home: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with DiAnn Sager?