Is Seattle going to be out of my reach? (Federal Way: for sale, condo)

[bgaviator]

Hello,
I may have an opportunity to move to Seattle soon. I would be coming from the midwest, and I have never been to Seattle before. The job would be located near the SeaTac airport.
Everything I have been reading about the cost of housing scares the crap out of me about Seattle! My job would only start in the upper 40k range, plus I have a wife that could work as well, but it would take her some time to probably find a job out there. We also have a young son, so good schools are going to be a factor for us in the near future as well.
With stuff I am reading about houses that would only cost $120-150k here in the midwest costing upwards of 400-500k in Seattle, that just astounds me! Are there no suburbs further from the main city that are more affordable for the working class like myself, or does everyone have to be a Microsoft executive to live decently there? I would appreciate any insight from those in the know. Thanks.

[Foreverking]

Houses I would live in start in the 140K range. Not luxury houses mind you, but I would be willing to live in a 1970s 1200 sq ft home in a forest like setting, which to me..is anywhere you live in Western Wa, than where I currently live where 140 gets me quite a bit more, but I live in a vast wasteland (Phoenix). I have lived in Seattle before. I am heading back at the end of my child's school year. Even if you have to live in a fixer..do it, the area is so wonderful, well...at least I think so.

[Hemlock140]

You may find a condo in an area that's OK but not great for under $200,000, but the home prices here are not exaggerated on posts, and in fact have gone down a lot since 2008 but are still double what you are used to. It's a west coast thing, Portland is not much better and California is worse. If you want decent schools and short commute to the airport then buying may have to wait until your spouse gets a job so you have more income. Houses for 120-150k cannot be found until you get way out into the rural areas that would be hours to commute.

[bgaviator]

The idea of smaller houses actually don't sound that bad to me anymore. Seems like everyone I know that has a bigger house, just seems to have bigger problems all of the time....more that breaks, more to take care of, etc. Just as long as I have a decent sized kitchen, I am golden ;-)

[sarichter]

Bigger is not better... I say this being in the design/construction industry. It's cheaper and easier to maintain a smaller space. Less to heat or cool, less to break, less expensive to remodel... it's just better in every facet. I think people own too much stuff as it is!

[Ira500]

Actually, there are a bunch of houses for sale that are under 150,000, within 30-45 minutes from the airport, and they're not all godawful. They're not in " the best" school districts, but too many people feel that unless 90% of the kids pass the annual tests, they're worthless. Just because a school only has 70% of the kids passing the annual test doesn't mean that a smart kid can't excel there.
So...on that note, there are houses for sale for 150,000 and under in Federal Way, Auburn, Kent, Covington, Renton,Sea-Tac, Tukwila and Burien, all pretty close to Seattle. Sea-Tac and Tukwila truly do have uniformly pretty bad schools. The rest are a mixed bag, with some good schools among them.
I reccently was in a brand new 3 bedroom in Covington selling for 225,000. Like most new construction, the yard was practically non existant. But in any of those areas you can find something older with a yard.

[Pretzelogik]

If you go...bring lots of $$$. There are some good public schools around and lots of not good public schools.(more of the latter).

[bgaviator]

Thanks everyone....I'm not so sure I'm getting warm fuzzy feelings about my abilities to afford anything decent with a good school system. Lots to think about. Has Seattle always been this expensive, or is this more of a recent trend?

[spotlesseden]

why are you so focus on buying a house when your finance situation is not stable yet?

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by bgaviator

Thanks everyone....I'm not so sure I'm getting warm fuzzy feelings about my abilities to afford anything decent with a good school system. Lots to think about. Has Seattle always been this expensive, or is this more of a recent trend?

Depends on what you mean by "recent". Things been going up (like everything else) the last 25 years.

I can remember when we first moved here back in the late 80s, you could find a 3bdrm apt near Seattle (nice area) for 625/mo-- now its either a studio/1bdrm for that much, if you can find it. I remember we rented a 4bdrm house for 1K--an impossibility now. I also seem to remember people telling us we overpaid as well. I wouldn't mind "overpaying" those rates now.