Best neighborhood for a large family? (Bellevue, Redmond: real estate market, rental, townhome)

[blue_jewel143]

Hello! My husband got a job at Microsoft and we are looking to move to a neighborhood that is good for large families with lots of kids. We have 5 children ages ranging from 12 years to 3 months. We would prefer an area with good schools and no more than a 1hr commute to Microsoft Redmond campus. Thanks for your help!!

[tobester]

Housing budget will dictate much of the answer. And do you really want your husband to spend 2 hours a day in his car?

[beautifulseattlehomes]

I would stay on the same side of the lake as Microsoft ...Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah all have great neighborhoods with excellent schools...price is going to be the deciding factor. Obviously the further out you go, the more house you get in terms of square footage inside and out....I am with tobester...in case you haven't heard, we were just ranked the 4th worst traffic in the nation so I would do all I could to mitigate that quality of life crusher as much as possible.

[blue_jewel143]

The less he has to drive the better! I just want to make sure it's no more than an hour with traffic. We would need a large house for under $550000. Thanks!!

[flyingsaucermom]

I live in a Issaquah neighborhood full of MS families (we're one of them). There are many larger families living here including a family of 9-10 (I think their oldest moved out!) living in a three bedroom townhome on our block (can you imagine???)

We live in Issaquah Highlands but I would definitely try Klahanie (also in Issaquah). I'm not sure now much is in your price range in Sammamish (I get the feeling it's more expensive than Issaquah), but that's another great area too. Anything with Lake Washington, Issaquah or Bellevue schools is great.

[Ira500]

I'd throw Duvall into the mix as well. Half an hour ish to Miscrosoft, with much lower housing prices, and a charming small town with great mountain views.

[blue_jewel143]

I've mainly been looking north of Microsoft so I'll have to check out south ... Are the houses large in Issaquah? We would need at least a 5 bedroom, or 4 bedroom with a den. I could not imagine squeezing into a 3 bedroom with 5 kids let alone 10!!! I was also looking at Mill Creek but I'm afraid the traffic might be awful. Is traffic worse heading north or south of Microsoft ? Thanks!!!

[shaylahc]

4 kids here and live in Woodinville. Love it here!

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by blue_jewel143

I've mainly been looking north of Microsoft so I'll have to check out south ... Are the houses large in Issaquah? We would need at least a 5 bedroom, or 4 bedroom with a den. I could not imagine squeezing into a 3 bedroom with 5 kids let alone 10!!! I was also looking at Mill Creek but I'm afraid the traffic might be awful. Is traffic worse heading north or south of Microsoft ? Thanks!!!

4+den or 5 bedrooms @ <$550k would be difficult in Issaquah. I would also suggest Duvall

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by blue_jewel143

Hello! My husband got a job at Microsoft and we are looking to move to a neighborhood that is good for large families with lots of kids. We have 5 children ages ranging from 12 years to 3 months. We would prefer an area with good schools and no more than a 1hr commute to Microsoft Redmond campus. Thanks for your help!!

Good pal of mine rents a McMansion out in Issaquah highlands, which I believe is officially Sammamish. They love it there: family of four.

Just mapped it, it's 25 min to campus counter-commute. That can vary greatly depending on time of day and which part of "Microsoft" you're referring to (multiple campuses). Real close to SAMM, e.g., but less-so to Bellevue offices (multiple locations there, too). Big difference.

Per Zillow, just about all the houses in that particular neighborhood are hovering around $750K. Do the math on rental costs. They seem nice, and he's an astute follower of real estate trends so it's probably worth it on multiple levels to live there. Most seem to be 3,000 - 3,500 sq ft and 4 or more bedrooms. His family is growing, don't see him leaving anytime soon since he refuses to enter the real estate market (for various reasons).

Comparable place I was eyeballing that would suit his purposes in NorKirk, near my home, was about $1.2M ("just reduced," too). Nice, nice place, that particular one, if not for the light of wallet.

Medina and Clyde Hill are upper end of the spectrum, with no particular limit on what you can get (million to twenty million $, basically).

I'm fond of Mercer Island for the quiet life and a host of other reasons, but that too may cost a bit to get into these days. Doesn't seem to be getting cheaper, as of past couple years.

Depends what you want out of life, I'd say.