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Old 08-13-2014, 04:25 PM
 
Location: Brooklyn
15 posts, read 15,533 times
Reputation: 16

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Hi Everyone! Planning on moving out there with my boyfriend from Providence, RI sometime this spring/summer. I know its really far in advance - but I'd like to know as much as possible beforehand!

About us:
Going to be recently graduated from college, both of us have no problems finding jobs in restaurants temporarily but will be looking for internships/ starter jobs in Marketing and Management in the next year or so. We like to go out, go to shows, hike, camp all that great stuff.

We can spend $1200 per month on rent, need parking for 2, have a cat. I really would like to live in a more urban area like Bellevue or Queen Anne where he wants to live more removed. He says Kirkland. I've never been to Washington at all, so I really have no idea. What neighborhoods would you recommend? We are totally open to any suggestions!

Doing apartment searches online brings me to huge apartment complexes, which we DON'T want. Part of a house is more ideal, maybe with a little space to have a small veggie garden. Living in Providence I have found that walking around a neighborhood I like is the best way to find apartments for rent, but since we don't live in Seattle, (YET!!) It's a little hard to do that. What are some good ways to find non corporate, cool landlord, apartments with character?

Thanks everyone!!!


BONUSES++++++
  • near water
  • can see mountains
  • public transportation,
  • shops
  • restaurants
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Old 08-13-2014, 05:23 PM
 
Location: Kirkland, WA (Metro Seattle)
6,031 posts, read 6,114,923 times
Reputation: 12508
The three choices you mention are fine. Kirkland is not really "more removed" than Bellevue, it's all part of eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Issaquah) suburbia. Bellevue is a real city (satellite city), however. Queen Anne is the polar opposite, other side of the lake and part of Seattle-proper. Upscale, quiet homes for the most part. Eastside vs. Seattle-proper is a major decision point, btw, due to traffic and other lifestyle-factors.

I like Kirkland, and live there. There are various sections that are kicked-back, for homeowners trying to live well without a ton of ruckus. Closer to downtown is a bit more action, but it isn't a super-busy place either outside of the various seasonal events. See online for demographic trends of neighborhoods like Norkirk, Houghton, Moss Bay, Totem Lake, Rose Hill, etc.

Since you've looked online, figuring the odds of finding something really nice in Queen Anne, Bellevue, or Kirkland for $1,200 / month are marginal to non-existent, but then again people do put it together sometimes for low cost. You've picked three nicer (desirable, due to location and ambience) places, right? Seattle is not depressed Providence, and because people want to live here (obvious economic advantages, if you've got the chops to make it) rent and purchase price for decent homes will be vastly higher.

They say...on this part of the forum...actually walking around town to find places to live may be the ONLY way to pull it off these days. The inverse of what you said. But, people do rent remotely too, which requires a leap of faith. Trulia lists one extreme of $3K/month for a 2 bdrm at Carillon Point, the other $1,600/month for-same in a somewhat scummy part of Totem Lake. The latter being three blocks from the known-hooker hotel the cops bust out every once in awhile, so I'm just assuming. Both are in Kirkland. For example.

The five things you listed are what many or most people want, thereby pretty obviously leading to price-inflation due to the various factors contributing to the current rental and buying crunch in Seattle metro. Supply-side economics and all. If you'd added "safe" and "great schools," the picture would be perfect.
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Old 08-13-2014, 08:42 PM
 
5,075 posts, read 11,040,632 times
Reputation: 4664
The good news is within the city of Seattle there are a lot of neighborhoods that are kind of urban and at the same time a little removed. Finding a $1200/mo mother in law apartment (separate living space in a house, usually with some kind of yard available) may be a little tricky, but they do exist at that price. Because Seattle is set up around a bunch of urban villages, you do not need to be right next to downtown to get access to "urban" amenities. There are a lot of neighborhoods with water nearby, whether it's puget sound, lake washington, lake union or the ship canal. Of course, the ones on the sound have better mountain views (though not likely from the living room of a $1200 apartment - but perhaps from a neighborhood park nearby)

Queen Anne is popular, it's an iconic neighborhood, and is priced accordingly. It's not necessarily going to give you an experience far superior to other areas within the city, but it will be FAR different than living in either Bellevue or Kirkland (for good and bad). If you move to the Eastside, you'll probably never come to Seattle. It's just not easily accessible anymore due to the traffic and constant closures of the 520 bridge.
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Old 08-13-2014, 11:37 PM
 
Location: Seattle, WA
456 posts, read 772,350 times
Reputation: 331
While it can be a hassle depending on traffic, people on the Eastside do routinely go to Seattle and vice versa. In typical bad traffic / rush hour it might be 45-50 minutes between Kirkland and downtown to give a rough idea.
Ben
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