(Potential) Move to Seattle Area (Bellevue, Renton: rental car, for sale, rental)

[PNWatHeart]

Hello,

My husband and I are planning to move our family of five to the Seattle area from Atlanta sometime early next summer. His office will be in Bellevue, along with our church and gym for one of our daughters. Our kids will be 7, 10, and 12 when we move. We were out for a visit in September and spent a couple of hours surveying parts of the east side in our rental car (mainly driving through Kirkland, downtown Bellevue, southern Sammamish, and Issaquah - it really was a quick overview). Now that we are more seriously considering a move, I was wondering if anyone familiar with those areas might be able to offer some insight into actual commute times to Bellevue, neighborhoods / neighborhood vibes, schools, etc. so that we can narrow down our search. The cost of living adjustment will be big for us, so we want to be realistic in what we can afford.

We will be looking in the $500K-$600K range, need 4+BD/2+BA, and would love to live in a down-to-earth family friendly neighborhood with great schools (we have two of our three kids in private school now, but are open to considering public due to our cost of living adjustment and the good reputation of Seattle's east side schools). A decent-sized yard would be a plus for our (mostly indoor) dogs. We are open to renting for the first year if necessary (advice about this is appreciated) as long as we can have our two dogs and cat with us. We'd love an active family-friendly neighborhood with kids playing in the yards, community gatherings, etc. Between my husband's job and our daughter's gymnastics schedule, we will both likely be driving to Bellevue daily.

Thanks in advance for your feedback. We have wanted to return to the PNW since our honeymoon there in 1997! If all goes well with his work transition and we're able to sell our house here in ATL, we'll be calling Seattle "home" by June

[Vinylly]

Originally Posted by PNWatHeart

Hello,

My husband and I are planning to move our family of five to the Seattle area from Atlanta sometime early next summer. His office will be in Bellevue, along with our church and gym for one of our daughters. Our kids will be 7, 10, and 12 when we move. We were out for a visit in September and spent a couple of hours surveying parts of the east side in our rental car (mainly driving through Kirkland, downtown Bellevue, southern Sammamish, and Issaquah - it really was a quick overview). Now that we are more seriously considering a move, I was wondering if anyone familiar with those areas might be able to offer some insight into actual commute times to Bellevue, neighborhoods / neighborhood vibes, schools, etc. so that we can narrow down our search. The cost of living adjustment will be big for us, so we want to be realistic in what we can afford.

We will be looking in the $500K-$600K range, need 4+BD/2+BA, and would love to live in a down-to-earth family friendly neighborhood with great schools (we have two of our three kids in private school now, but are open to considering public due to our cost of living adjustment and the good reputation of Seattle's east side schools). A decent-sized yard would be a plus for our (mostly indoor) dogs. We are open to renting for the first year if necessary (advice about this is appreciated) as long as we can have our two dogs and cat with us. We'd love an active family-friendly neighborhood with kids playing in the yards, community gatherings, etc. Between my husband's job and our daughter's gymnastics schedule, we will both likely be driving to Bellevue daily.

Thanks in advance for your feedback. We have wanted to return to the PNW since our honeymoon there in 1997! If all goes well with his work transition and we're able to sell our house here in ATL, we'll be calling Seattle "home" by June

If your working in Bellevue your best off living in Bellevue. A decent size yard with a 4+BD/2BA house sounds tipically suburban. Plan on spending more like $600,000 -$1,000,000.

[texastrigirl]

We live in South Sammamish (just off Pine Lake) and LOVE IT. Been here over 4 years and have been thrilled with Issaquah Schools (even amidst budget cuts). It's a safe and beautiful place to raise kids. Commute to DT in rush hour is about 45-55 minutes. Bellevue about 25-35 depending on where you are going. DM me if you need specific help. I have 8 and 11 year old boys and can fill you in on sports, activities, schools, etc. All of the areas you are looking at will be fine...though I will say, I have been really surprised by some of the class sizes I am hearing of in Lake Washington School District. With proposed budget cuts, that could get even worse. LWSD parents...care to comment on that?

[Ira500]

There are lots of good areas with nice houses, decent sized yards, commutable to Bellevue within the 500-600k range. If you chose to stay in Bellevue, your choices of newer homes in that price range would be very limited, but there are plenty of older homes(1950's through 1980's)nicely fixed up in Bellevue in that price range.
If you wanted something newer, I'd say your best bets would be Sammamish, Redmond, or Newcastle.
Sammamish is in both the Issaquah and Lake Washington school districts, and they're both considered very good. Redmond is in the Lake Washington district, and Newcastle is both in the Renton school district and Issaquah district( Issaquah being a much better school district than Renton).
The eastern part of the Renton Highlands is in the Issaquah school district. A little further to commute to Bellevue, but much more value house price wise.
Like Bellevue, Kirkland is only going to have older homes in that price range. Also the Lake Washington district...A little further north, Bothell has a lot of newer homes for sale, but the commute won't be so great. Bothell is in the Norhshore school district, maybe just a hair below the eastside's school districts in reputation, but still considered quite good.