Questions about Bothell (Everett, Edmonds, Monroe: real estate market, condo, houses)

[solarbound27]

I'm looking at the possibility of relocating to Bothell, WA do to work. My wife and I have been talking about moving up to the Washington area (we currently live in Boulder, Colorado) for quite some time. Now that I have an oppurtunity to relocate I thought I'd write in hopes of finding out a little bit more about the area from those of you who live there.
We have a 5yr old that will be starting 1st grade this fall, so our first priority would be locating and, hopefully, moving to an area with a good school district. I've read that the North Shore School District is considered the best in the area...is this true? The other question that I have is the housing market. Is it possible to find a good, solid, modest (small 3 bed 2 bath) home for under $300,000 in the Bothell area? And the last question pertains to the grocery stores. My wife has MS and a relatively strict diet. Like I said before, we currently live in Boulder, CO, which has many health food stores that offer organic and alternative foods for those of us with strict diets...would you consider Bothell a health conscious community? Are there health food stores in the community?
The area looks and sounds amazing and my wife and I truly hope that we can find a way to make it work. Your insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[jwb123]

Use the "Search this forum" option at the top right corner of this forum to search on Bothell, Mill Creek, etc. Bothell has been discussed at length here, and there are varying issues with Bothell (for example, there are two Bothells, in two different counties) etc...

Is it possible to find a good, solid, modest (small 3 bed 2 bath) home for under $300,000 in the Bothell area?

Not likely, not a single family home. Perhaps a condo.

I've read that the North Shore School District is considered the best in the area...is this true?

It's one of the better ones, yes. Another good one is Lake Washington. You do not want to live in Bothell and be in the Edmonds School District. Everett School District, depending on which school you are feeding into, is ok.

would you consider Bothell a health conscious community?

No, but...

Are there health food stores in the community?

You will still be able to find "Natural Food" selections, as well as organic and specialty products at the stores in the areas. Even the mainstream grocery stores. There are also places like Central Market, PCC (food coop) and Trader Joes within a quick driving distance.

[gallo]

Bothell is more a less a typical "sprawl suburb" that can be found anywhere in the U.S. Unfortunately, the cost of a three bedroom house there will be $450,000+.

To echo what Jen said, do a search for Bothell. There seems to be a lot of threads on that part of the suburbs.

[aussiegal]

Wow! It's amazing that Bothell attracts so many out of state folks. I used to work there so I know quite a bit about the area, besides having shown houses all over South Snohomish county (among other places).

Anyway, I am answering from what is available on the real estate market right now. I did a quick search on the MLS and found that the cheapest 3 bed/2 bath homes in Bothell start at $330,000, Mill Creek (next door) at $379,000 and Snohomish (nearby) at $324,000. Also nearby is Everett and in the Lake Stevens part of Everett there are new 1300 sq. ft. houses for $269,000. From there you can take Highway 9 to Bothell.

Monroe is a little further east and more into the country but they also have homes in the $200's. So there are areas not too far away from Bothell where you can find a really nice house under $300.

Other people have commented on the healthfood need. As for the school districts, here is a link that I give to clients so they can do some research for themselves:

School Districts in Washington State

It's a big decision but this part of the world is amazing. All the best with your decision-making.

[gallo]

Originally Posted by gallo

Unfortunately, the cost of a three bedroom house there will be $450,000+.

Let me retract this over-estimation and go with what Aussiegirl said. She made a very good post.

[gallo]

I'm losing my mind, LOL. Is Bothell in King or Snohomish County?

[jwb123]

There is a Bothell in both.

[jo-el]

Hi. I lived in Denver and Ft. Collins prior to living in WA State. They are my two favorite states and you'll find a lot of similarities as far as the people, attitudes, open-mindedness, health lifestyles and outdoor recreation.

As far as Bothell, we love living in this community; it's easy access to I405 & I5. It's a quiet area that is growing rapidly. I would recommend Northshore Schools in Bothell (which crosses over 2 county lines) and Woodinville.

Older homes will be more affordable and have much larger lots than construction built since the late 1990s. The really nice thing is that if you don't live on a large lot then you have numerous parks in the area to chose from for your son to play at.

The cost of living is higher, but it's a really wonderful place to live with access to anything you want to do.

As far as markets, there is also Top Foods and Larry's besides the others mentioned. I will also say that even the big chain stores have a decent organic and healthfood section now making life much easier.

Good Luck!

[brightcopperkettles]

I'll ask my husband to answer this question. His grandfather was the "first white baby" born in Bothell, as his mother loved to say. :-)

Seriously, my husband grew up in Bothell, and his father still lives there. He would know better than anyone the pros and cons of the area...

[aussiegal]

To clear up some confusion, there are not two separate cities called Bothell. Parts of Bothell are in King County and parts are in Snohomish County. It's the same city.