PNW Estate Settlement

Estate real estate · King County

Estate property in Sammamish

Guidance for personal representatives, trustees, and heirs selling real property in Sammamish: the court, the excise tax, and the inspections that actually apply here, with nothing carried over from another county.

Where the matter is heard

Probate and trust matters here are heard in King County Superior Court.

Septic inspection at time of sale

On-site septic systems are not unusual on the larger lots here, so this is worth planning for early.

Where a property is served by an on-site septic system, King County Board of Health Title 13 requires a monitoring and performance inspection by a licensed On-Site System Maintainer before title transfers, with a report filed with Public Health – Seattle & King County. Before closing, the seller records the Notice of On-site Sewage System Operation and Maintenance Requirements (OSSM), NWMLS form 22U, unless it is already on title.

This is independent of the Form 17 seller disclosure exemption: a personal representative exempt from the disclosure statement is still subject to the county inspection, filing, and recording requirements.

Underground oil tanks and lead paint

Sammamish was built predominantly from the 1990s onward. A buried heating-oil tank or pre-1978 lead-based paint is rarely in play here, though the same Form 17 Environmental disclosure applies to any older home.

Real estate excise tax (REET)

Washington's state REET is graduated and applied marginally by tier. The local REET rate for Sammamish is 0.50%.

Example, $1,500,000 sale

State REET (marginal)$18,255
Local REET (0.50%)$7,500
Total REET$25,755

These figures are an illustrative example, not a market estimate or a quote. Use the net-proceeds estimator for your own numbers.

Estimate net proceeds for your property

Washington estate tax

Washington taxes estates above a state exclusion of $3,000,000 for deaths on or after July 1, 2026. That threshold sits far below the federal filing level, so an estate can owe Washington tax without ever filing a federal return. The return and payment are due 9 months after the date of death, which is why liquidity often matters more than price.

This is informational, not tax advice. Confirm the estate's exposure and the current figures with its CPA or attorney.

The nine-month clock

The estate tax return runs from the date of death. Authority to prepare and sell comes first: immediately for a personal representative with nonintervention powers, and after notice and court authorization for a conservator.

  1. Personal representative, nonintervention powers

    Can authorize preparation immediately. Full nine-month runway to the estate tax deadline.

  2. Conservator

    Notice and court authorization come first. The runway that remains is compressed.

Neighborhoods

  • Pine Lake
  • Klahanie
  • Beaver Lake
  • Trossachs
  • Sahalee
  • Inglewood

ZIP codes

  • 98074
  • 98075