Kenmore sits on the northern tip of Lake Washington, home to Kenmore Air's seaplane base, the north end of the Burke-Gilman Trail, and a downtown that's been almost entirely rebuilt since 2014. Zillow put the average Kenmore home value at about $1.02 million as of July 2026, while Redfin's median sale price for homes that actually closed ran closer to $990,000 over the three months ending that July. Unlike neighboring Bothell, Kenmore sits entirely in King County — one property tax rate, one set of county services — and shares a single highly rated school district with Bothell and Woodinville. Here's what actually matters if you're considering a purchase here.
Where Kenmore fits
Kenmore sits along the northernmost shore of Lake Washington, at the mouth of the Sammamish River, roughly 12 miles northeast of downtown Seattle and about 2 miles west of Bothell. The city's population was 23,914 at the 2020 Census, with more recent estimates putting it around 24,000. It's small in land area — under 6 square miles — which makes it one of the more compact cities on the north Eastside. Kenmore borders Lake Forest Park and Kirkland's Finn Hill neighborhood to the south and west, Bothell to the east, and the Snohomish County line to the north, but the city itself sits entirely within King County. That's a meaningful difference from Bothell, which straddles the King-Snohomish county line — in Kenmore, every address falls under the same property tax rate and county jurisdiction.
Getting around: SR-522, and a bus rapid transit line on the way
Kenmore's main road is State Route 522, which runs the length of the city and connects southwest toward Lake Forest Park and Seattle, and east toward Bothell and the I-405 corridor. Kenmore has no direct freeway interchange of its own, so most trips funnel through SR-522, which can back up at peak hours. King County Metro runs local and express bus routes along the corridor today, and Sound Transit broke ground in 2026 on the Stride S3 bus rapid transit line, which will run battery-electric buses along SR-522 between Bothell and Shoreline via Kenmore and Lake Forest Park, connecting to Link light rail at the north end. It isn't expected to open for riders until 2028, so in the meantime, expect periodic construction along the corridor.
One school district, shared with Bothell and Woodinville
Kenmore is served by Northshore School District 417, the same district covered in our Bothell buyer's guide and our Woodinville buyer's guide. The district runs more than 30 schools for over 21,000 students across Kenmore, Bothell, Woodinville, Brier, and nearby unincorporated King and Snohomish counties, and is one of the higher-rated districts in the state. Most Kenmore students feed into Inglemoor High School, but attendance zones don't always line up neatly with city limits, so confirm the assigned elementary, middle, and high school for any specific address before writing an offer.
Kenmore's neighborhoods
Kenmore's housing stock splits fairly clearly between its walkable, rebuilt downtown core and quieter residential pockets around it:
- Downtown / Uptown Kenmore — the city's redeveloped core along SR-522 and 68th Avenue NE, anchored by a new city hall, public library, and Kenmore Town Square, with newer mixed-use apartment and townhouse buildings replacing what was mostly strip-mall commercial land a decade ago.
- Moorlands — a family-oriented neighborhood built around Moorlands Elementary, known for tree-lined streets, larger lots than much of the city, and easy access to the Burke-Gilman Trail.
- Arrowhead — a Lake Washington waterfront neighborhood with homes along or near the shoreline, close to Arrowhead Point and area marinas.
- St. Edward / Bastyr area — the quieter, wooded south end of the city around Saint Edward State Park, home to Bastyr University's campus in the former seminary building.
- Inglewood — a residential area near Inglemoor High School, with a mix of mid-century and newer homes.
What homes cost in Kenmore in 2026
Zillow's average home value for Kenmore ran about $1.02 million as of July 2026, up modestly (roughly 0.7%) from a year earlier. Redfin's median sale price for homes that closed came in lower and moved differently, around $990,000 over the three months ending July 2026, down about 5% year-over-year, with homes selling in a median of about 12 days and averaging close to one offer. As with any smaller market, a handful of expensive or discounted sales can swing a monthly median — for comparison, King County's overall median sale price ran about $845,000 in August 2026 per NWMLS data, meaningfully below Kenmore's figures, since Kenmore's lakefront and newer downtown inventory tend to price above the countywide typical home. Ask your agent for comparables specific to the neighborhood and property type you're considering.
Lake Washington, seaplanes, and a downtown rebuilt from scratch
Kenmore's identity is tied to Lake Washington. Kenmore Air, headquartered on the lakeshore, is the largest seaplane-only passenger operation in the country, flying scenic tours, charters, and direct floatplane service to the San Juan Islands out of Kenmore Air Harbor. Next door, Log Boom Park is a small waterfront park with a public dock for watching the seaplanes land, and it marks the official northern end of the 27-mile Burke-Gilman Trail, which runs all the way to Seattle. At the south end of the city, Saint Edward State Park preserves the wooded former grounds of a Catholic seminary that closed in 1976; the seminary's landmark 1931 building sat vacant for decades before a $57 million restoration turned it into The Lodge at St. Edward, an 84-room hotel and event space that reopened in 2021. Downtown, the city has spent more than a decade and roughly $100 million in combined public and private investment replacing what used to be strip-mall commercial land with a genuine walkable center — a new city hall, public library, town square, and more than 500 new housing units built or underway in the immediate downtown core since 2014.
What's changing in Kenmore
Downtown build-out continues, with additional mixed-use buildings along 68th Avenue NE in the pipeline. On transportation, construction is underway on the Stride S3 bus rapid transit project along SR-522, which will eventually link Kenmore directly to Link light rail in Shoreline. And in the spring of 2026, Bastyr University listed its roughly 50-acre Kenmore campus, adjacent to Saint Edward State Park, for sale, citing the region's need for more housing — a sale that, if it goes through, could eventually bring new residential development to the south end of the city. None of these are reasons to rush a decision, but they're worth knowing about if you're evaluating how a specific part of Kenmore might change over the next several years.
What to watch for as a buyer
- Older homes near the lake and in established neighborhoods. Homes from the 1950s through 1980s near Lake Washington or in older sections of the city can hide aging sewer lines, outdated wiring, or drainage issues a walkthrough won't reveal. Our home inspection contingency guide and sewer scope guide cover which specialty inspections are worth adding.
- Competitive offers on well-priced listings. With homes selling in a median of around 12 days, desirable Kenmore listings can still move fast. Our guide on how to win a bidding war on the Eastside covers escalation clauses and contingency strategy.
- SR-522 traffic and construction. With the Stride S3 project underway, expect periodic lane closures and construction noise along the corridor for the next couple of years.
- Waterfront and view properties need extra diligence. Lakefront and near-lake homes can carry shoreline permitting restrictions and different insurance considerations than homes elsewhere in the city — confirm these specifics for any waterfront listing before writing an offer.
Getting the whole picture before you write an offer
If you're new to the Washington buying process end to end — budgeting, pre-approval, offers, and closing — start with our first-time buyer guide for King County & the Eastside. And on any Kenmore purchase, Washington now requires a signed buyer brokerage agreement before your agent can show you homes or write an offer.
A flat fee buyer's agent for Kenmore
A traditional buyer's agent charging roughly 2.5% on a $1.02 million Kenmore home costs about $25,500. A flat $2,999 buyer service provides the same core representation — offer strategy, negotiation, contract review, and closing support — while leaving more than $22,500 more for your down payment, closing costs, or moving expenses. See the full breakdown in flat fee vs. a traditional buyer's agent, and who pays the buyer's agent in Washington now that commission rules have changed.
General information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. School district boundaries, neighborhood characteristics, development plans, and market data change over time and vary by specific address — confirm current school assignments with the district, verify zoning and shoreline restrictions directly with the City of Kenmore, and check current details on any development project before relying on them. Market figures cited are approximate and sourced from Zillow and Redfin public market data, NWMLS market snapshot data, and City of Kenmore and U.S. Census Bureau figures for the periods noted; actual sale prices vary by home and month. Shi Hao Liu is a licensed WA real estate broker (License #26003789) with Kelly Right Real Estate. Verify any WA broker at the WA Department of Licensing.