Apartments in Kirkland (Seattle, Redmond, Bothell: real estate, apartment complexes, rental)

[Seema Bhandari]

Hey guys,

I am a college graduate moving up to Kirkland in late September and was looking for apartments in the area for 1 bedroom 1 bath ( no studio ). My budget is around $800-$850 and my priorities are safety and cleanliness.

Any suggestions out there?

[funyoncity]

I used to live at Laurel Park condos on 11200 Northeast 68th Street, Kirkland. It's a quick trip to the freeway, you can walk to downtown Kirkland near the waterfront and it's fairly inexpensive for the area. The downsides: some units have no washing machine, and there are community washer/dryer rooms. It's an older complex, but I was paying $675 a month and my friend was paying $625 a month during the height of the real estate boom for a 1 bedroom 1 bath. It is west of I-405, downhill and on the right hand side of the road. It is a very safe area, close to a grocery store (Houghton Market) and the entire area is clean. the condo I was renting was outdated, but was clean, inexpensive and had a great location.

[usernametaken]

Wonder why some of these apartments or condos have no reviews online and are not listed on major rental websites?

[Seema Bhandari]

Thanks for the information. I have been looking at apartments and the average price I am finding is as high as $850. Does that sound too much? What do you think are the most important things to look at in the apartment. Some of them have an issue of noise, mold, staff and trash. Since this is my first move, I'm not sure how to filter the apartments.

Thanks!

Seema

[funyoncity]

Sometimes you just have to do the footwork and visit them personally. It's hard for condos/apts to list in every publication or website. I just got a condo rental through craigslist. Usually the places that are shaded by trees or down in a gully tend to have more mold problems. If I were you, I'd create a list of areas you'd be willing to move, print out some listings, and then personally visit the areas and see. Drive around and possibly visit condo/apartment complexes in person. You can also talk to people living there on your visit to see how they like it.

You'll deal with moisture/mold pretty much everywhere in the Seattle area due to how humid it is with little direct sunlight. $850 for that area is about right. I've lived in 4 different condo/apartments in my life and can say that property management is usually hit or miss.

I usually rent out condos because apartments tend to pile on fees and try to take you to the cleaners when you move out (at least in my experience).

[Redline]

I think there are issues with every apartment out there so you'll never find the perfect one. Just find one in your price range and the location you want to be in and hope that the positives outweigh the negatives because there will definitely be negatives. We rented for one year when we first moved here at the Avalon in Juanita. Not perfect, but it could have been worse.

[Seema Bhandari]

Thanks for the advice. Could anyone suggest close by cheaper suburbs for young professionals other than Kirkland which is seemingly very expensive.

How does short term lease work? I am looking for a 6 month lease. Would it be okay if I got a 12 month lease and then broke it in case I found a roommate? Is lease breaking pro-rated?

[nfdsouza2001]

Originally Posted by Seema Bhandari

Thanks for the advice. Could anyone suggest close by cheaper suburbs for young professionals other than Kirkland which is seemingly very expensive.

How does short term lease work? I am looking for a 6 month lease. Would it be okay if I got a 12 month lease and then broke it in case I found a roommate? Is lease breaking pro-rated?

What college will you be attending. A short term lease is a little bit more expensive than a long term which can range anywhere from 50 -100 month over a long term lease. I would look into bellevue and also for rooms for rent if you don't mind sharing the common areas. I know of people that rent a room in a home around the microsoft area. Hope this helps

[Seema Bhandari]

Thanks! I will be working in Seattle and so I would prefer having my own apartment but I will look into the room option too.

How is Bothell? Will it be cheaper to stay there instead of Kirkland? And if I do, will my commute to Redmond be very bad in case of traffic?

[scirocco22]

Are you commuting to Seattle or to Redmond?