Client Question: Are There Any Downfalls to Owning a View Home?
Why Homes Built Before 1985 Deserve a Second Look from a Geotech | Client Question of the Month | written by Brian Huie April 21, 2025
The Dream: That Iconic Seattle View Home
Everyone Wants the View. No One Talks About the Dirt.
In Seattle, a “view home” basically means one thing: your house is standing on a hillside like it’s auditioning for a REI commercial.
Sure, you get sunsets over the Sound, Rainier photobombing your kitchen window, and that smug satisfaction that only elevation provides. But here’s the real estate plot twist no one mentions on Zillow: if that view home was built before 1985, it might be perched on a geological oopsie just waiting for its next act.
The Big Shift: 1985, When We Stopped Guessing
Before 1985, hillside homes were often built with... optimism. Foundations were poured with limited understanding of lateral loads, shifting soils, and Seattle’s soggy, slip-happy terrain. Engineering standards? Optional vibes.
Then the Uniform Building Code (UBC) said “no more,” and everything changed.
What got better in 1985:
Mandatory geotechnical soil studies for steep lots (because clay slides, friends)
Design standards for earthquakes and lateral movement
Real drainage systems, not just a French drain and a prayer
Retaining walls that do more than pose for listing photos
If your view home was built before this glow-up? It might be stunning above ground — but what’s underneath it could use a second opinion.
Enter: The Geotech Inspection
This isn’t your basic home inspection. A geotechnical inspection is the unsung hero of hillside real estate, the one that checks if your future dream home is slowly inching toward your neighbor’s hot tub.
A geotech engineer will evaluate:
Soil type (spoiler: Seattle has a lot of problematic clay)
Drainage (because this city is basically 80% rain and denial)
Slope stability (is the land holding? Or plotting its escape?)
Retaining walls and footings (functional or just decorative?)
And listen — this isn't just a “maybe” step. For homes on a slope, built before 1985, it’s as essential as the inspection on the roof.
A Real-Life Seattle Cautionary Tale
Remember that house in Magnolia that went viral in 2022 for sliding off its foundation like it was late to brunch? Yeah. That happened.
After heavy rains, a landslide on Perkins Lane took out a home, displaced a family, and made every hillside homeowner in Seattle blink twice at their foundation. The home had retaining walls. It had a drainage system. But it was still no match for geology plus gravity plus rain.
(Source: KING 5 News)
So What Should You Actually Do?
If you're buying or selling a hillside home built before 1985, get a geotech involved. Full stop.
It’s not about drama — it’s about knowing. About protecting your asset. About peace of mind that your dreamy home with the killer view isn’t also a slow-motion landslide. I’ll help you strategize when to utilize specialists like geotechs, but here’s more information on home inspections: www.brianhuie.com/inspections. And hey, if you’re selling, being able to show buyers you did your homework? It sets your listing apart. Bonus points if they don’t need to Google “lateral load failure” at midnight.
TL;DR
Seattle view homes are sexy. But sexy needs a stable base. If the place was built before 1985 and it's built on a slope? Get the geotech. No regrets. www.brianhuie.com/inspections