Seattle-area mortgage payments cost nearly double the rent

A few years ago, some Seattle-area residents had a lucky window to buy a home without adding much to their monthly costs. With mortgage rates at rock-bottom levels, some tenants found that they could afford a monthly mortgage payment without spending much more than they were already paying in rent. That opened the door to homeownership, particularly for aging millennials willing to move to the suburbs. Those days are long gone. Owning a home in the Seattle area now comes …