Questions about moving to Redmond (Seattle, Tacoma: car rental, real estate, apartments)

[Globe Trotter]

Hi everyone! My husband is in the process of talking to Microsoft and there's a possibility that a move to Redmond might be on the cards. We currently live in Connecticut and have moved all over the tri-state in the past 4 years. I'm forever the optimist and look forward to a change in scenery/job/life etc., but am nervous about making such a big move if the opportunity were to arise. I've read a lot about Redmond and its surrounding areas and it sounds like people are pretty happy there. Are there any bad points I should take into consideration, I really don't know much about Washington other than what I've read on various sites. Can anyone help?

[allforcats]

[SIZE=4]Hi Globe. I grew up in Clinton CT. I’ve been living in Seattle and Bellevue for 22 years -- 21.5 of them in Bellevue. Bellevue and Redmond are politically separate entities but, I feel, pretty much the same in character, look, and resources. I do a fair bit of my shopping in Redmond. My point is that the idea of “Redmond” is larger than the borders on a map.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=4]The main reason I chose to come here was because my prior brief experience of downtown Seattle charmed me. I’d never been anywhere in the U.S. where there were so many people who looked so different from each other and were KIND to each other. I loved that gentleness. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=4]Here there’s a much higher percentage of conifer trees; CT has much more deciduous. Each winter, there will probably be a day or three of snow on the ground but snow that lasts longer than a day is kind of rare. So the temps are higher here than anywhere I knew in CT -- perhaps because CT weather partially came from Canada, whereas our weather here comes mostly from the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific coast, and only when there’s comparatively serious cold does the weather come from Alaska. This is mountain and volcano country, and so there are lots of hills and valleys and changes in elevation, which make for small variations in weather and wind, and spectacular visual beauty.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=4]I’m sure you know the rep that it rains nine months of the year here! Not quite accurate, but it is cloudy a lot of those nine months. Most of the rain here is quite different from back east where you get downpours that go on and on -- which I loved. Here, there’s something lovingly called Seattle mist -- which is drizzle, or heavy drizzle, much of the rainy time. Most folks in the area much of the time don’t even use umbrellas, it’s that gentle.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=4]‘Nuf for now. Do you have specific questions? Your research must have given you a good education. [/SIZE]

[allforcats]

Sorry, I forgot: Folks are pretty much happy, yes. Bad points? Slow and crowded rush-hour traffic, which everyone complains about but keeps voting against fixing because of the potential zillions of tax dollars in costs. The solutiion to that, of course, is to live as near one's workplace as possible and/or avoid using the major commuting roads.

I'd say folks are pretty content here. Superb medical, dental and veterinary resources; gaggles of bookstores (I believe "Seattle" which means the whole area is annually voted the area of highest book sales); every conceivable nationwide retail chain plus local mom & pop or regional versions. And booming business which makes for a strong economy.

[Globe Trotter]

Hi Allforcats, thanks so much for your response. The weather you describe is definately something I could get used to again - coming from the UK, we're used to constant drizzle and overcast skies! Love the idea of being near such beauty and as an avid photographer would be in heaven with all the spectacular scenery you describe. However, once the "honeymoon" period is over and the sightseeing all done, is there a chance of getting bored with the place or is it somewhere you think we could settle forever, raise our kids there etc etc? You seem to be pretty content having lived there for 22 years....do you think it's a family-oriented place with good schools? I have heard elsewhere that the people in Seattle are extremely friendly...haven't found that so much here in CT.

Also, I was looking at accomodation and see there are numerous luxury apartments minutes from Microsoft. Although they sound wonderful, I'm not a big fan of gated communities and would love to find a 3BR, 2 Bth house to rent in Redmond or Bellevue. Realtor.com came up with a number of options for my search ranging from $2000 to $2800 plus. What is your opinion on rentals if any?

And last, but by no means least, since you moved from CT to WA, I'm wondering how on earth people make the actual move in terms of getting all their furniture etc. over? I would be very interested to hear how you did it. We have a houseful of furniture that I would hate to part with. Would like to know how the move is done, how long it takes, where you put your stuff while finding a home etc etc.

Bottom line....I'm very excited at the prospect of moving to WA as I love to explore new places, but I'm also very nervous at the same time as I need to be atleast 85% sure that we'd be making the right move.

[Pittgal]

We moved across the country to Seattle from PA last year. Hubby's job paid for the entire move so we didn't have to handle any of that. They used Atlas if you are interested, they were fantastic! I cannot for the life of me remember who shipped our cars though.

If you are looking for a house to rent...look on craigslist. That is where we found the house we are currently renting in Bellevue. It's a 4 bedroom 2 car garage with a huge yard for 1900.00. Remnond is about 10 minutes from here and such a nice area to shop! Good luck!

[Globe Trotter]

Hey Pittgal, thanks for the info. Will definately check out both Atlas and Craigslist!!

[Globe Trotter]

By the way, Pittgal, how are you liking it over there? Is it very different from PA? I love downtown PA as its pretty quaint and a city on a much smaller scale than NYC....which is too big and too crowded for my liking. What's Seattle like, Redmond and Bellevue? Do you feel you made the right move? Are you planning to stay there long term? Also, was the move stressful? Sorry to ask so many questions...hope you reply.

[Pittgal]

Originally Posted by Globe Trotter

By the way, Pittgal, how are you liking it over there? Is it very different from PA? I love downtown PA as its pretty quaint and a city on a much smaller scale than NYC....which is too big and too crowded for my liking. What's Seattle like, Redmond and Bellevue? Do you feel you made the right move? Are you planning to stay there long term? Also, was the move stressful? Sorry to ask so many questions...hope you reply.

It is very different from Pittsburgh, but good in most ways other than my family is not here. The everyday scenery out here still takes my breathe away daily. We are here for about 4-5 years and then back to Pittsburgh so the weather issue doesn't bother me since I know its temp. and it is what it is.

I love the eastside, we lived in Issaquah for the first year in an apartment then got this house in Bellevue in an area called Lakemont. Very pretty area with views of Lake Samammish. Traffic is traffic, not bad for me since I don't work so I don;t hit much of it on a daily basis. My hubby takes the bus into Seatlle every day and from where we are now his total commute is 20 minutes each way!

Bellevue and Redmond both do have the same feel to them. My personal opionion is that Bellevue is more scenic on a daily basis than Redmond. Redmond has just about every store imaginable so that is a huge plus too!

The move was a tiny bit stressful since the only info I had on the area out here was from this message board. So when we moved here we were moving based on other people's opinions not ours. But, after that, you cannot go wrong anywhere her on the eastside. Very family friendly, great schools, and great atmosphere.

Any more help you need I'll do my best. I have only been here 15 months so my info is not that of a long standing resident.

[Globe Trotter]

The more I read the more excited I get about moving there. It sounds wonderful compared to the drabness of CT!! CT has nothing to offer except beaches so in the fall and winter months, what do you do?!

I checked out craigslist. Thanks so much for that tidbit... I found a lot of 3BR, 2 Bath homes for rent under $2800 which is great. I'll definately by-pass a realtor and use Craigslist when I'm ready.

[allforcats]

Hi, Globe. Just saw your reply this afternoon.

I'm very excited at the prospect of moving to WA as I love to explore new places, but I'm also very nervous at the same time as I need to be atleast 85% sure that we'd be making the right move.

As a way of living, don't give yourself the bad with the good -- don't dilute your joy by also choosing fear. Choose joy. If you're "very excited" and "love to explore", then you're already 85% certain -- because you wouldn't be having the inclination if your life weren't moving you, and the universe will show you the very best your choice has to offer you. Choose joy which actually makes all the learning, deciding and doing smooth and simple

Moving: I actually moved from Japan to Seattle, but I've moved many times in the U.S. and I'll offer you my suggestions. Large established moving companies with nationwide operations are, in my experience, the only truly reliable guarantee that you will ever see your stuff again. That would include Atlas, Allied, Continental. Long before you make a decision about moving companies, investigate each of the ones you're considering with the Better Business Bureau, and with the Attorney General's office in your state; the AG's office in WA also would be a terrific idea. All those phone numbers can be found by Googling. Every year or so Dateline and 60 Minutes and such programs highlighted people who lost everything they owned to snakes in the grass who absconded with their possessions, or who did highway robbery on them by demanding unexpected thousands of dollars at the destination. When the people couldn't pay, off the trucks went, never to be seen again -- although the possessions would show up at fences (dealers in stolen goods), online sellers, and so forth.

In terms of figuring out the details, if I were in your shoes I'd phone each of the big companies after you check with the AG's office that each has their proof of bonding on file, tell them your story, have an estimator come to the house to check out the volume of stuff you want to transport, and listen to their advice and their estimates, and then tell them you'll think about it and usher them out. I think they'll also give ballpark figures over the phone if you sign away your firstborn that you won't hold them to phone estimates, which are, after all, based only on what you tell them, not on what professional estimators can see with their own eyes.

You'll probably want to pare down, however. Things are mostly just things, right?, completely and forever replaceable, unless your Nanna gave them to you. Even then.... Nanna would love to see you get bunches and bunches of bucks in yard sales, no?

Sightseeing - honeymoon - photography: There is no end. If you enjoy natural visual beauty, there is no end to the possibilities here, because within a half-hour's to an hour's drive in any direction you'll have ocean, bays, sound, lakes, rivers, forests, flowers, agricultural fields, dairy ranches, horse ranches, llama or alpaca ranches, marine animals, wild animals, birds, waterfowl, rural, suburban, city, rain forests, mountains, snow, scrub, and desert. It just doesn't stop, and you could spend a lifetime of Saturdays trying to see it all! Joy

Getting bored: That depends on what interests you. What interests you? I can't imagine anyone getting bored here because the population in the area is large enough and diverse enough and the economic base is thriving enough and the overall creative sophistication of the people is enough that whether you love opera or malls or mountain climbing or quilting bees or video gamerooms, there is quite likely enuffffffff here to satisfy anyone who can live with all the flowers, trees and green that drizzle nurtures!

Family orientation: Most folks here do have children and dogs and cats and houses and in-laws and all the usual acoutrements of family life. Therefore, they demand the best possible from the schools. I am not such a person, so I can't speak from experience about day-to-day schooling. But I can speak from 22 years of paying attention to the local news every day, and to the voting patterns of the locals. What I keep gleaning is that the higher-than-average literate population does a pretty good job of funding the schools and communicating with the boards of education in order to keep things in good shape. Also, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (he, the founder of Microsoft) have begun in many places, including locally, a new type of schooling/curriculum that seems to be increasing the kids' joy as well as their SAT scores. That can only expand in the future.
There's something else worth mentioning. Whether it's Seattle, Redmond, Bellevue, Issaquah, Everett, Edmonds, or any of the other cities and towns in northwestern Washington, there are so many activities throughout the year which are assuredly family-oriented, whether it's a big Start of Boating Season day in May where people (boated or unboated) from all over the region flock to Lake Washington, or Seafair weekend in August, or free entrance for children to the Salmon Hatchery in Issaquah, county fairs with animals, rides and food annually, and bunny ski slopes for children in the winter at several mountains. And the zoo, and the aquarium, and more neat attractions like those that last all year. There are big-name concerts and big-name book-signings, and a pretty much world-class library system. Plus -- any kind of hobby a human can invent has at least a few supply stores here. Joy

Renting: There are zillions of apartment possibilities, even quite near Microsoft where the schools, I hear, are excellent. For some miles all around, there are quite a lot of condominiums (and trees, do not worry), and many people rent out their condos.

Here are two links that are critical to your search:

The P.I. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer daily newspaper; the link says Seattle Times because there used to be two full daily papers, and now the Times publishes on Sundays). Their Classified is where the locals go to find apartments. NWsource: Classified listings for used furniture, antiques, computers, electronics, household items, pets, garage sales, estate sales, services, announcements and much more in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma and the Puget Sound.
Seattle Apartment Finders is indispensible as another resource for the east side (which designation includes Bellevue, Redmond and Issaquah as the main cities on the east side of Lake Washington, a very large and deep glacial lake which separates the east side from Seattle metro). Apartment Finders Seattle - We Find Apartments When you phone their 800 number, ask for Betty and tell her you were recommended to her by a past client.

I've used both over the years for various purposes; both are professional and results-oriented.

I realize that lots of young people love Craigslist. As you can see by what I said about moving companies, even though I'm not at all rich I tend to prefer placing the energies of my life in the hands of professionals because I value me, rather than individuals who may or may not treat me with integrity. For example, I buy my cars either from friends or local car dealers, both of whom have reputations to uphold. That's what I do with real estate also -- work with companies with a lot to lose if they screw me. Individuals don't necessarily have anything to lose...

Accommodations: That is, right after you all get off the plane, or out of the car, or however you get from there to here.
You might consider giving yourselves a two-day vacation in Seattle, in which case you can visit the zoo, or Elliott Bay, and the Pike Place Market (the second-oldest farmer's market in the U.S.), or the Space Needle, etc etc etc.
Or you might want to hit the eastside running. IF -- IF you want to start small, geographically, and build a nest before you wander around with camer and cooler, there are several safe, clean and reasonably-priced motels on the east side. HOTELS, however, tend to be more expensive, and who needs marble countertops? You don't need a vehicle to stay at these motels.
Expedia.com, hotels.com, etc etc will help you narrow down.

Getting around: You WILL need a car on the east side, if you're going to look for apartments, or go grocery shopping, or live at all. King County has a brilliant bus system, but it doesn't cover everything, and since almost every resident of the east side has a vehicle the bus system doesn't have to cover everything. So rent a car. SeaTac airport (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, officially known as SEA when you're working expedia or the airlines) has a counter for probably every car rental agency known to man.

Friendly people: Was it you I was telling that the most important reason I decided to stay here was because the strangers I encountered were so KIND? Stunned me! Canadians are famous for being PUBLICLY polite, and they are. But here there's something softer, gentler, more trusting, more giving in the local character, I think. An openness of spirit. Is that because this was the last covered-wagon frontier and they needed each others' help? Who cares -- people here are just NICE to each other.

Someplace to settle forever: and never "explore new places" again?????? Why would you deprive yourself or your children of exciting possibilities?? Globe, nothing is forever. You will change. Redmond will change. The Earth will change. Everything changes. You don't HAVE TO make a choice based on its being the rightest right in the history of your life. You DO have to make a choice that, based on everything you know up to the moment, looks like a damned fine idea, and if it makes your heart sing then it IS a damned fine idea. But you will change, and later on something different may well make your heart sing. So be it. Flow. All is flow. Joy...

This IS a lovely place to live forever and ever in blue jeans. Many people retire here. Many people who grew up here and went away, come back here to raise a family. But those are THEIR dreams, and your own dreams will unfold and become as you breathe in the air of this healing, nurturing place day after day, year after year.

This has been fun! Hope this all helps!