From Kansas to Seattle, Need renting advise (Bellevue, Kirkland: apartments, condos)

[nomads13]

My wife and i are moving from Kansas City, MO. We have lived in Las Vegas and Denver both in the last 3 years. We are looking to make yet another journey in January or February. We have lived basically in the suburbs everywhere we have lived and we are tired of all the upkeep and house work that goes along with it. We are making a giant change in our lives and have decided to move out of a house and into condo/loft style living in the city. We are looking for some recommendations of where to live/rent and possible locations would be nice if anyone has suggestions. We are looking to spend $2000-2500 month for something luxurious and very urban. We are both into the arts and music which i feel will fit nicely with downtown living. However, the issue we may face is my new job is in Belleview. I have heard rumors that the bridge across takes like 1.5 hrs just to go 6 miles. any advise would be nice, thanks.

[scirocco22]

I'd recommending staying in downtown Bellevue. There are a lot of nice condos going in right in the downtown core area. If your office is in downtown, then you might even be able to walk to work.

Seattle is the place for traditional urban living but as you say, the commute is sometimes rough. Not 1.5 hours on a consistent basis but every now and then, you may encounter travel times such as that. You might think that it would be a reverse commute but there are actually just as many or perhaps more commuters going in the reverse direction of the traditional commute because of the multitude of major employers located on the eastside of the lake; Microsoft being the biggest of course.

[nomads13]

The office is in downtown belleview off of 4th and belleview way. I have yet to travel there to see exactly what the city has to offer. Does downtown belleview offer high rise condo's or apartments?

[toughguy]

Originally Posted by nomads13

The office is in downtown belleview off of 4th and belleview way. I have yet to travel there to see exactly what the city has to offer. Does downtown belleview offer high rise condo's or apartments?

If you asked 5 years ago, the answer would be no, but downtown Bellevue has been growing like gangbusters since 2002. Check out this thread:

Moderator cut: link to another message board deleted

Most of it is upscale condos, however there are lots of existing apartment buildings as well. Downtown is very tame compared to Seattle and is completely dead at night, but that may change as the new projects are completed.

[findingmesomeday]

Wow. When I worked in Bellevue in the early 1990's, my office building (new then) at NE 8th and Bellevue Way was practically the tallest in the town . And my commute from West Seattle (reverse commute back then) took me about 25 min in 1990 and closer to 45 min in 1995 when I left my job. It's up over an hour now? Yikes!

[Tony1790]

Nomad,

I'm reverse from you, I moved from the Seattle area to Kansas City, MO for a job. I live in Liberty, MO north of the city. What kind of job brings you from KCMO to WA? Any suggestions about staying in KCMO? I haven't made up my mind if I'm staying or going.

Tony

[nomads13]

Mortgage market in Seattle is still tremendous. I have an opportunity that i can't refuse, plus a change of pace before we start a family. Living in KC has a lot of strong points but many more negative, especially for young professionals like my wife and I. There is a decent amount of night life, but mostly kansas city is just a great place to raise a family. We don't have the family yet but will some day. You have to drive many miles or fly just to get to do outdoor activity like skiing, boating, etc. Seattle in that aspect pretty much has it all.

[malarkey]

I'm gonna disagree with scirocco here and tell you to look for a place in the city. What you are willing to spend will get you a nice place close in. Bellevue is a suburb, no night life and lots of chain restaurants. It's like someone telling you to live in Overland Park or Olathe. Look for these neighborhoods: Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, First Hill, Madrona, Ballard, Fremont, Montlake, Ravenna, Central District, Sodo or even Georgetown or Columbia City.

[scirocco22]

True that Bellevue is a suburb but it's evolving into an urban area in itself. With the many projects going on in downtown Bellevue, I'm pretty sure that core area of Bellevue will have many of the amenities of urban life at some point in the future. It's also convenient to downtown Kirkland. Both communities, IMO, will have continued growth in the arts and music.

My philosophy, as I've stated many times in posts, is to live as close to work as possible. The less time spent commuting, the more time for other activities. If I could avoid crossing the bridge every day, I'd definitely consider it.

But hey, we can agree to disagree!

[la_fuerza]

Originally Posted by nomads13

The office is in downtown belleview off of 4th and belleview way. I have yet to travel there to see exactly what the city has to offer. Does downtown belleview offer high rise condo's or apartments?

Yes and it's growing very fast.