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Hubby just got a job offer from Microsoft in Redmond, so we're leaving sunny Arizona where I loathe the summers but love the winters and relocating to WA where I've heard it's never sunny and always rainy. I don't even know where to start with relocating, but I have a few questions that I'm hoping you all can help me with.
1. Where would be a good place, close to Microsoft, not expensive (by not expensive I mean less than $1000/mo. for rent) for a studio / 1bdrm apartment for my husband? It will be just him for about a year until the rest of us can move up there. He will have an Orca card and his truck but would like to have less than a 20 minute drive if possible.
2. We have 2 kids: the oldest will be 13 and the youngest will be 2 when we move, so schools are a HUGE priority. From reading other posts, I'm guessing Bellevue is the best district?? Are there school / book fees? Is it school of choice?
3. Once the rest of us move out, we were looking for a 4bdrm house to rent near Microsoft that's family and pet friendly. From looking online, it seems that Bellevue is a bit pricey for rentals but sounds like it's what we're looking for. Right now we live in a suburb of Phoenix that is known as a "bedroom town," family oriented, and somewhat affluent and would like to stay in an area like that without breaking the bank. Husband's salary is around $125k/yr. I'd like to be somewhere where your neighbors will actually talk to you. Here, everyone just sticks to themselves and it's kind of annoying. We're not interested in keeping up with the Joneses either so somewhere in the middle works for us.
On the flip side of that, what neighborhoods should we stay away from?
3. What is the public transportation system like? Say, if I would like to head into downtown Seattle and not drive, how easy / hard would that be or would driving be easier? Is it mainly buses, subway, light rail, etc.? Keep in mind I would be traveling with a toddler and a stroller.
4. I'm a stay-at-hom mom, but am also a self-employeed Massage Therapist and soon to be yoga instructor (I currently own my own company). How welcomed are these practices there? I guess I would like to know how easy it would be to get a job or just move my practice and find clients.
5. We have 2 dogs, a german shepherd and a yorkie, so how pet friendly is it? We haven't had any issues here with renting a house with the shepherd, so I'm hoping we won't have any up there.
6. Car insurance costs? Expensive? Average? For a truck and an SUV we pay about $160/mo. here.
Ok, I guess that's it for now. Any answers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.
wow.. I dont like seattle because of the 9 months of overcast where you wont see the sun at all. I would love to live in a place where there is sun all the time.
places around redmond that is cheaper, i would say kirkland, bothell, wodinville are cheaper than bellevue.
neighborhoods to stay away form is parts of everett, tacoma, federal way, skyway, rainier beach, parts of burien, white center, west seattle. there are good areas in those places, you have to do your homework when you buy a house, but in general it isnt too bad, i lived in philadelphia before, and its way worse over there compared to the worst areas here.
1. Where would be a good place, close to Microsoft, not expensive (by not expensive I mean less than $1000/mo. for rent) for a studio / 1bdrm apartment for my husband? It will be just him for about a year until the rest of us can move up there. He will have an Orca card and his truck but would like to have less than a 20 minute drive if possible.
Microsoft does have a set up that your husband can consult with about moving, temporary places, et. c.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yogimom
2. We have 2 kids: the oldest will be 13 and the youngest will be 2 when we move, so schools are a HUGE priority. From reading other posts, I'm guessing Bellevue is the best district?? Are there school / book fees? Is it school of choice?
No, out of the Eastside, Mercer Island is the best school district. Then Issaquah, Bellevue, Northshore, Lake Washington and so on. Usually you go to the schools closest to your home, but you do have an option of going to another school of choice-- but usually with that they do not provide transportation. They provide the books... last time I went (I'm sure they still do, but I'll let the current students' parents on this board talk about that).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yogimom
3. Once the rest of us move out, we were looking for a 4bdrm house to rent near Microsoft that's family and pet friendly. From looking online, it seems that Bellevue is a bit pricey for rentals but sounds like it's what we're looking for. Right now we live in a suburb of Phoenix that is known as a "bedroom town," family oriented, and somewhat affluent and would like to stay in an area like that without breaking the bank. Husband's salary is around $125k/yr. I'd like to be somewhere where your neighbors will actually talk to you. Here, everyone just sticks to themselves and it's kind of annoying. We're not interested in keeping up with the Joneses either so somewhere in the middle works for us.
I think you'll find that people do stick to themselves here as well, Seattleites are known for being politely reserved. But don't let that stop you, take the time to acknowledge, et. c.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yogimom
On the flip side of that, what neighborhoods should we stay away from?
Anywhere on the Eastside... there's no such bad neighborhoods. There are some undesirable neighborhoods in Seattle, but you wouldn't be looking over there anyway since you're looking to keep commute under 20 mins.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yogimom
3. What is the public transportation system like? Say, if I would like to head into downtown Seattle and not drive, how easy / hard would that be or would driving be easier? Is it mainly buses, subway, light rail, etc.? Keep in mind I would be traveling with a toddler and a stroller.
Well, certainly better than Phoenix's. Driving would be easier in the sense that you have your space, but DT Seattle parking is a path to hell (with costs, time to look for one and the limits, rules for such spots et. c). With a stroller and a toddler, for me it was a slight adjustment then not a big deal. It's always a learning process of what you can do with your kids. Coming from the Eastside to Seattle, you'd be taking the bus. Light rail linking the two ... construction starts soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yogimom
4. I'm a stay-at-hom mom, but am also a self-employeed Massage Therapist and soon to be yoga instructor (I currently own my own company). How welcomed are these practices there? I guess I would like to know how easy it would be to get a job or just move my practice and find clients.
Your main problem would be the competition. We have lots of yoga places, idealogy, massages, et. c. Seattle area is very health and fitness-conscious.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yogimom
5. We have 2 dogs, a german shepherd and a yorkie, so how pet friendly is it? We haven't had any issues here with renting a house with the shepherd, so I'm hoping we won't have any up there.
Seattle love their dogs... we have a doggie Disneyland called "Marymoor Park". 40 acres of offleash park with a creek nearby. Fun fun fun. And a couple more dog parks here and there. However... There's usually a pet deposits and lots of places expect pet rent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yogimom
6. Car insurance costs? Expensive? Average? For a truck and an SUV we pay about $160/mo. here.
Higher than national average. But if you guys have good records, you could probably pay the same.
I don't necessarily agree that Kirkland is cheaper than Bellevue.
wow.. I dont like seattle because of the 9 months of overcast where you wont see the sun at all. I would love to live in a place where there is sun all the time.
places around redmond that is cheaper, i would say kirkland, bothell, wodinville are cheaper than bellevue.
neighborhoods to stay away form is parts of everett, tacoma, federal way, skyway, rainier beach, parts of burien, white center, west seattle. there are good areas in those places, you have to do your homework when you buy a house, but in general it isnt too bad, i lived in philadelphia before, and its way worse over there compared to the worst areas here.
LOL, even the male emperor penguins who watch the eggs over the Antarctic Winter don't go that long without seeing the sun.
Yes, I'm not too thrilled about leaving my sunshine, however, it would be nice to have a change of pace. Believe it or not, we do look forward to rain around here. Monsoon season is horrible because of the humidity, but the storms can be fantastic to watch. We're both from the Midwest (Indiana and Michigan), so as long as there isn't 6' of snow on the ground, ice, drifting, and all of that good stuff, we will survive
Is Mercer Island more expensive? I'm wondering if $125k/yr. is even a good salary for the area?
Yes, I'm not too thrilled about leaving my sunshine, however, it would be nice to have a change of pace. Believe it or not, we do look forward to rain around here. Monsoon season is horrible because of the humidity, but the storms can be fantastic to watch. We're both from the Midwest (Indiana and Michigan), so as long as there isn't 6' of snow on the ground, ice, drifting, and all of that good stuff, we will survive
Is Mercer Island more expensive? I'm wondering if $125k/yr. is even a good salary for the area?
Thanks for the replies already! Keep 'em coming!
Mercer island is the most expensive area here. lots of homes over 1 million, if your family income is 125k a year, usually 3x that amount is the max house you can afford safely, which equals to 375k, you would probably find a small shack that needs work done to it in mercer island. mercer island has very good schools, and is very safe.
the sun in phoenix in the summer, does it feel like there is no where to escape? do many people just stay home or in their cars just to have the A/C since its too hot outside? for myself i dont like rain at all, but im still in seattle
The sun during the summer is almost unbearable. We've lived here for 6 years and every year it seems to get hotter. This year we had record days of temps over 110 degrees. No one goes outside...that's what "winter" is for. It's not fun to swim because 1) the water gets too hot to even cool off and enjoy it 2) you have to go out before the sun comes up, after it goes down, or hope you have LOTS of shade where you're swimming. The cars take forever to cool down, the A/C bills are high, it's horrible. A lot of public places have water misters. It helps, but not enough. Now the winters, I can totally handle. This morning it was 47 degrees and I was outside with the dogs in a t-shirt and shorts LOL.
Being from the Midwest, I can handle rain, but I'm not sure if I can handle days upon days of it. If it's overcast here for longer than a day, my hubby and I get so draggy and tired. We joke and say we're solar powered
The sun during the summer is almost unbearable. We've lived here for 6 years and every year it seems to get hotter. This year we had record days of temps over 110 degrees. No one goes outside...that's what "winter" is for. It's not fun to swim because 1) the water gets too hot to even cool off and enjoy it 2) you have to go out before the sun comes up, after it goes down, or hope you have LOTS of shade where you're swimming. The cars take forever to cool down, the A/C bills are high, it's horrible. A lot of public places have water misters. It helps, but not enough. Now the winters, I can totally handle. This morning it was 47 degrees and I was outside with the dogs in a t-shirt and shorts LOL.
Being from the Midwest, I can handle rain, but I'm not sure if I can handle days upon days of it. If it's overcast here for longer than a day, my hubby and I get so draggy and tired. We joke and say we're solar powered
how much is the electric bill per month on a typical house since the a/c use is so much? I see that in phoenix a house is very cheap compared to the seattle area, but i would assume that after the a/c useage, it doesnt become cheap at all.
Personally, I dont mind if it rains hard for an hour or 2, and a rainbow comes up and the sun comes out. In seattle, it drizzles 24/7, and if it stopped, the sky is still dark for 9 months. it really zaps all the energy out of me.
We live in a 2000sqft house, 2 story, no pool, 2 A/C units. The highest electric bill this summer was $550. Our A/C was running constantly. The houses here are pretty inexpensive now that the bottom dropped out of the housing market. The neighborhood we live in is still expensive though. I think the cheapest house for sale in here is about $300k.
I'm really concerned about the amount of rain and overcast days there. I myself can't handle that much, but I guess I'm going to have to get used to it. Bring on the happy pills!! LOL
We lived in the Phoenix area for 10 years. What area do you live in now? I see you want to live in a place similar. If you tell me the area I would be happy to give you info. We live on Mercer Island which is like Paradise Valley. Bellevue is comparable to Scottsdale.
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