Amazon Relocation Real Estate — Seattle & Bellevue

The two compensation profiles look similar on paper but underwrite very differently. Amazon's standard RSU vest schedule is back-loaded: 5% in year one, 15% in year two, 40% in year three, 40% in year four. Microsoft's is more linear (typically 25% per year over 4 years). On a 4-year, $400K RSU grant, an Amazon new hire is qualifying lenders on $20K in year-one vests vs. a Microsoft new hire on $100K. Lenders experienced with Amazon comp use Amazon's offer letter and vest schedule plus sign-on bonus tranches to qualify the buyer up to the actual capacity — not the year-one number. Standard lenders will under-qualify Amazon buyers. The right lender introduction is critical.

Amazon's primary Seattle footprint is in South Lake Union (Doppler, Day 1, Re:Invent), Denny Triangle, and adjacent buildings around Westlake. The Bellevue Amazon expansion is centered on Bellevue 600, Bellevue Towers, and 555 Tower in downtown Bellevue. By commute: Capitol Hill / Eastlake / South Lake Union itself (5–15 min walking or transit to SLU); Queen Anne / Lower Queen Anne (10–20 min); Ballard / Wallingford / Fremont (15–25 min); West Seattle (20–30 min via water taxi). For the Bellevue Amazon footprint: downtown Bellevue and Wilburton condos (5–10 min walk), Crossroads and Lake Hills (12–20 min), and BSD interior neighborhoods (10–20 min).

Heavily dependent on level, but the most common ranges in 2026: L5 SDE / PM ($300K–$500K total comp): $600K–$1.1M condos in SLU, Capitol Hill, Eastlake, downtown Bellevue, or starter SFH in Lake Hills, North Seattle. L6 ($500K–$800K total comp): $1.0M–$1.8M SFH in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, or Wallingford / Phinney / Magnolia. L7+ ($800K+ total comp): $1.8M–$3.5M SFH in Bellevue SD interior, Mercer Island, premium Seattle neighborhoods. Cash position from sign-on bonus and prior employer stock matters as much as base salary for the down payment side.

It depends on where you actually work. Amazon Seattle (SLU/Denny) and Amazon Bellevue (Bellevue 600 / Bellevue Towers) are 15–25 minutes apart by car and may or may not be regularly served by Amazon shuttles depending on the year. Most Amazon hires choose based on (1) commute to assigned building, (2) school district priority (Bellevue School District vs. Seattle Public Schools), (3) lifestyle (urban condo vs. SFH yard), and (4) future flexibility (a Capitol Hill condo is easier to sell or rent than a Lake Hills SFH if reassignment happens). I help work through the decision before the search starts.

Amazon offers tiered relocation packages depending on level and incoming work location. The standard packages typically cover: temporary housing (30–90 days), travel for the move, household goods shipment, and lump-sum miscellaneous expenses. Broker commissions are typically paid by the seller of the home being purchased (per the post-NAR-settlement structure — see the buyer-agent commission page) rather than by Amazon directly. For Amazon hires who own a home in another city that needs to be sold, the package may include a Buyer Value Option (BVO) or Guaranteed Buy-Out program coordinated through Amazon's relocation provider — I coordinate with the relocation counselor in those cases.