How Do You Feel About SeaTac as a Residential Area? (Seattle: sale, real estate market) - Washington (WA) -Seattle and King County Suburbs - City-Data Forum

Polymorphist · 12-09-2013, 01:39 PM

So I spent this past weekend looking at homes in SeaTac/Tuckwila/Burien area. I found a nice, newish home built in 1995 in SeaTac right off of 188th and about a half-mile from 99. The house is nearly 3,000 sq feet, in good shape and at the end of a cul de sac. It's been on the market for six months and the reason my realtor and I think this is due to the fact that there is almost no yard and their is an elementary school behind the house.

I'm single, no kids, don't need/really want a yard but I want a house which will have re-sale value. This house is huge. I actually like the house and it's not outrageous in price for the age and size. Also, I'm near the light rail line which is handy for me.

My question is - does anyone here live in/near SeaTac? How do you like it?

Thanks!!

kaonevar · 12-09-2013, 01:56 PM

Honestly, anywhere within 1-2 miles of 99 is usually pretty high crime. Most houses in the Seattle area sell within weeks of being listed. If it's been on the market for 6 months, that's usually a high indication of either a not so nice neighborhood or something possibly wrong with the house showing up on inspection. Just my two cents.

Inkpoe · 12-09-2013, 02:52 PM

I know the general area you're talking about. I've lived not too far from there until recently. I even attended Bow Lake Elementary. The area isn't bad at all, for most part it's a pretty subdued, blue collar, non-pretentious area with a lot of kids around. The kids part might be annoying or not. The airplane noise could be bothersome (depends on the windows and your sensitivity).

One thing about the PP comment is simply that a house in Seattle sells quickly if there's something desirable like good schools, views, amenities and such. I'm not saying there's nothing wrong with the house. It's just Seatac as a city doesn't really fly on people's radar because of its rep and the fact is, schools aren't that great.

mkarch · 12-09-2013, 03:19 PM

6 months on the market at a below median price tells you most of what you need to know. Look back at the sale history as well - notice it's only listed for 36% more than it sold for 15 years ago - and still not selling. An average house in the Seattle metro area has increased 77% in that time. A house with a large, unfixable problem is always going to be hard to sell.

As for SeaTac in general, the area had a lot of foreclosures over the last few years and still has a much higher rate of distress sales.

Polymorphist · 12-09-2013, 03:44 PM

Thanks for the feedback so far. I guess I should clarify that when I say the house is inexpensive, it's cheaper than what i've been finding in Bellevue or Issaquah, that has been my benchmark as I originally started there. From what i've seen of the SeaTac area, the house is slightly more expensive.

But thanks, keep the comments coming, i'm seriously starting to think about checking into this more. Additionally, I may end up considering other houses in SeaTac.

One more question I should have asked - how has the commute been into Seattle and/or Bellevue?

Inkpoe · 12-09-2013, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkarch

As for SeaTac in general, the area had a lot of foreclosures over the last few years and still has a much higher rate of distress sales.

That doesn't surprise me at all. I'm willing to bet those people brought during the bubble. My dad brought his house way back in the 90s for almost 140K-- and felt that he overpaid for it then. He did a years back got the annual assessment that his house was worth almost 365K-- and that made him laugh for a long time. Just... No. It since been "corrected" and shows a more reasonable/realistic cost (around $208K)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polymorphist

Thanks for the feedback so far. I guess I should clarify that when I say the house is inexpensive, it's cheaper than what i've been finding in Bellevue or Issaquah, that has been my benchmark as I originally started there. From what i've seen of the SeaTac area, the house is slightly more expensive.

Not really a good way of gauging as Issaquah and Bellevue have *excellent* schools and are just overall extremely desirable areas. Seatac in no way can compete in that regard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polymorphist

One more question I should have asked - how has the commute been into Seattle and/or Bellevue?

At its worst (because it does depend on when you leave)... the worse it'll ever be to both cities: About 45 minutes. I would give Seattle a slight edge because you have the option of going on 509/518 which just isn't as bad as i5. Bellevue doesn't have other options like 509/518 and hwy 99... Nor does it have the light rail.

pw72 · 12-09-2013, 04:59 PM

Agreed, there are alternate routes into downtown, the 509 is an underused freeway, but bogs down as you come closer to downtown. plus light rail...slow, but efficient. But if you are going to Bellevue, there is only one good route and that is 405, and it can get bad. The only other alternative is NB to I-90, then east to Bellevue.

SB, (I know this doesn't apply to you), is worse. I-5 can be clogged anywhere from Southcenter to Federal Way, and the alternatives are a stop light ridden 99, or go over to the Valley Freeway, which also can be a mess.

Also keep in mind there are some areas in Sea-Tac that get jet noise, but it isn't as bad with the newer jets, and you'd have to live either directly north or south of the runway config.

Ira500 · 12-09-2013, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pw72

Agreed, there are alternate routes into downtown, the 509 is an underused freeway, but bogs down as you come closer to downtown. plus light rail...slow, but efficient. But if you are going to Bellevue, there is only one good route and that is 405, and it can get bad. The only other alternative is NB to I-90, then east to Bellevue.

SB, (I know this doesn't apply to you), is worse. I-5 can be clogged anywhere from Southcenter to Federal Way, and the alternatives are a stop light ridden 99, or go over to the Valley Freeway, which also can be a mess.

Also keep in mind there are some areas in Sea-Tac that get jet noise, but it isn't as bad with the newer jets, and you'd have to live either directly north or south of the runway config.

It does depend on where in SeaTac you are.
I was showing a house a couple of years ago, really close to N. SeaTac Park, and counted something like twenty planes in the twenty minutes we were there.
It's definitely not a hip, cool neighborhood. It has a higher percentage of people living in poverty. It can be noisy. Very ethnically diverse. Among the least expensive places to live within not too horrible a commute to Seattle.
A lot of people were buying at the height of the bubble in SeaTac. Right before the crash, the areas that were the hottest were places like SeaTac, Skyway, Tukwila, Renton, Kent.
And then they crashed the most. There are parts of all of those neighborhoods that are nice enough.
But those neighborhoods are almost a whole separate real estate market than the more sought after Eastside or Seattle neighborhoods. Houses do not sell as quickly in those neighborhoods.
But it is not typical for homes to stay on the market for six months, even in SeaTac.

Salmonista · 12-10-2013, 02:34 PM

We considered buying in SeaTac (north of the airport). After we sat outside the potential home listening to all the planes roar overhead, we decided against it. Wound up buying in Burien instead, west of 509, and hardly ever heard planes there. I liked living south of the city up until they started all the construction on 99/viaduct and my commute downtown (by bus) got longer and longer...