It's very difficult for middle-income buyers to afford a single-family house in King County-unless they look in the Highline area.

According to recent a Seattle Times analysis, only nine areas in the county still offer affordable homes.

Four are in Highline. They are Burien, Boulevard Park/Riverton, SeaTac and Des Moines.

Outside Highline, middle-income shoppers can still find homes in South Park/Georgetown, Green River Valley, Twin Lakes, Auburn and Enumclaw.

In 2003, 28 areas featured affordable homes, according to the report.

Areas that have slipped off the affordability index include White Center, east West Seattle, Kent/Renton suburbs and Woodmont/Redondo.

The Seattle Times analysis was based on 2005 figures when the county's median home price was $371,380 and median family income was $59,718.

While county median home prices have shot up to $435,000 this year, median incomes have remained fairly stable.

Median means half are more and half are less.

The newspaper based its report on county assessor's data and the Office of Financial Management.

Median 2005 prices in Highline's affordable areas were Burien, $252,750; Boulevard/Riverton, $249,950; SeaTac, $256,500; and Des Moines, $256,950.

Affordability is a relative term, Bob Del Bianco, broker at Coldwell Banker Del Bianco Realty in Burien, pointed out.

The starting range for single-family homes in the south county is now hovering around $250,000, according to Del Bianco. If a buyer is looking for over 1,000 square-feet or more than three bedrooms, the asking price is closer to $300,000.

To qualify for an "affordable" $258,000 home, potential buyers need a gross annual household income of $84,000, Del Bianco estimates. He calculates the monthly house payment covering principal, interest, taxes and insurance at $2,100.

Sally Nelson has a unique perspective as a former real estate agent and current Burien city councilwoman.

"It's real struggle for hard working people in all areas," Nelson noted.

There are several reasons why the Highline area is more affordable.

Traditionally, home prices have been 10 to 15 percent lower than Seattle and the north end, Del Bianco reported. Prices will continue to accelerate but never match Seattle or the Eastside.

Del Bianco also cited noise created by Sea-Tac International Airport as affecting a large area of Highline.

Nelson, who sold real estate for 28 years, noted potential home buyers living in other areas "wrote off" Burien as a place to live because of the airport stigma.

Bradley Hawthorne, associate broker at Prudential Northwest Realty Associates in Burien, agreed that Des Moines and Boulevard Park receive a lot of jet noise but he maintained that Burien is pretty quiet.

As a Highline native, Hawthorne said, "my voice goes up when a plane is overhead and down when it leaves. I don't really notice it."

Hawthorne insisted the airport has been a positive influence on Burien. "Burien wouldn't be what it is without the airport."

The airport attracts frequent airline travelers who prefer living near Sea-Tac, he added.

Highline is also home to many older houses built during the baby-boomer era after World War II, according to Del Bianco.

These homes also tend to be closer to low-income areas such as White Center, he said.

However, according to the Seattle Times analysis, the 2005 median price for a house in White Center was $17,000 more than in interior Burien and $20,000 more than Boulevard/Riverton.

The Shorewood/Normandy Park area west of interior Burien near Puget Sound had a 2005 median home price of $467,250. Fauntleroy, west of White Center, had a median price of $370,000.

Before Burien incorporated over a decade ago, the area lacked coordinated planning, which drove down home values, according to Hawthorne.

"Incorporation helped tremendously," Del Bianco agreed.

Nelson, Del Bianco and Hawthorne think Highline is an undervalued treasure.

With gas prices high, close-in neighborhoods near work and public transportation are more desirable, according to Nelson.

"I love our area," Del Bianco declared. "There is proximity to freeways, stable neighborhoods and a lot happening."

Echoed Hawthorne, ""People are just starting to realize what a great opportunity it is. And the commute is almost nothing.

"With the Burien city center plan, growth is going to go through the roof."