smaller house in 1st choice city or larger house elsewhere? (Seattle: condos, townhouses) - Washington (WA) -Seattle and King County Suburbs - City-Data Forum

joyinthejourney · 11-17-2014, 08:59 PM

i guess i'm facing the dilemma of many home buyers. i want to buy a home in redmond but at our budget, we'll be looking at either condos/townhouses or something about 1000 sf. OR we can go to kenmore or possibly woodinville and for that same amount get a large house w/ a big backyard. i keep going back and forth on this. on one hand i think we'd love to get a house w/ a backyard and basement for the kids. but when i actually go up to kenmore to see the houses, i just can't imagine living in that area. but now our kids are bigger and we have been living in a condo for so long we really want a house. WWYD??

Ira500 · 11-17-2014, 09:05 PM

If you really want a house, and are just ready to not keep living in a condo, buy a house. But it doesn't really only have to be in Kenmore, does it? Aren't there other places that you like more than Kenmore but don't cost more, and don't add a whole lot to the commute?

joyinthejourney · 11-17-2014, 09:18 PM

Ira, I know you're an expert in this region! The thing is I'm bound by 3 things: schools, price and commute. it's so hard to find a place that has all 3 of these! Also, in my mind i think i can live in some undeveloped area that's cheaper but i just feel comfortable around bigger cities like Redmond or Bellevue (tho Bellevue is just too expensive). Any other ideas? I've also considered Renton but my husband thinks Renton to Seattle would be a horrible commute. There are some homes in Kirkland whose prices are in our area, but I don't like the schools. (I know, I'm being super picky!)

Blondebaerde · 11-17-2014, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joyinthejourney

i guess i'm facing the dilemma of many home buyers. i want to buy a home in redmond but at our budget, we'll be looking at either condos/townhouses or something about 1000 sf. OR we can go to kenmore or possibly woodinville and for that same amount get a large house w/ a big backyard. i keep going back and forth on this. on one hand i think we'd love to get a house w/ a backyard and basement for the kids. but when i actually go up to kenmore to see the houses, i just can't imagine living in that area. but now our kids are bigger and we have been living in a condo for so long we really want a house. WWYD??

That is a tough one. Been-there. WWID? Took less for more.

Buddy of mine had what I'd definitely call a "First World Problem": having a house built, completed this past September.

He ended up at about $950K out on the Plateau. It's nice out there, for-sure. Same house in NorKirk, one by the same builder (but not quite new) and definitely a third smaller or so was $1.1M, or maybe $1.3M: I don't recall. A lot more, clearly, for less.

Or is it "less?"

He wanted more house. I asked him at what price convenience? To him, Plateau was worth it. I "personally" want to live closer-in to the action (tech majors), thus chose NorKirk some years back, but I too similarly got less house for more money (though it's plenty of house for me). Location, location, location, as my father used to say.

So: at what price convenience for you?

Prple · 11-17-2014, 09:45 PM

I understand what you are faced with; I have spent several hours trying to crack the code myself. ;-) There are trade offs and no clear cut answers.

My suggestion would be to try out the various commutes you are considering to see how long some of the prospective cities would take with traffic. Also, I would suggest an in person visit/tour to some of the schools to check them out.

Imo, I'm not sure if Renton would be actually much different in terms of commute time to downtown Seattle to Kirkland/Kenmore during rush hour traffic, but I could be wrong.

For what its worth, we ended up settling in North Bend (and previously in Snoqualmie Ridge) as it seemed like the best compromise for us. There isn't much traffic from here to downtown Seattle; 40 minutes door to door.

JBVirtuoso · 11-17-2014, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ira500

If you really want a house, and are just ready to not keep living in a condo, buy a house. But it doesn't really only have to be in Kenmore, does it? Aren't there other places that you like more than Kenmore but don't cost more, and don't add a whole lot to the commute?

On the other hand, why not live where you want?

In situations like this, it's probably best to consider the entire quality of life equation. There's a certain value you get from having a big house, another for good schools, another for convenient location, another for resale or expected appreciation, etc. You also have to consider what might happen in five years that would change the situation - you might get a new job, decide to get a big dog, or adopt the in-laws. There are endless variables involved, but you really have to pick a few that are most important to you and start there.

angelenogirl · 11-17-2014, 10:01 PM

Have you looked at Newcastle? I love it there, prices are great and the elementary school looks fantastic.

joyinthejourney · 11-17-2014, 10:04 PM

^^ wow really? 40 minutes? i was ruling out eastern cities like Duvall and North Bend b/c they seemed so far from Seattle, to me. good to hear it's not that bad! maybe we will consider those areas after all...

joyinthejourney · 11-17-2014, 10:09 PM

virtuoso i TOTALLY agree with you about the entire quality of life factor. i don't think a large house will necessarily make us happy. we need to think of the total picture. for the last 11 years we've lived and raised our kids in 1000 sf of space very happily. but this was in So. CA and prices are a lot cheaper here in the seattle area which makes me think a SFH is within our reach. plus our kids are getting bigger and in my mind, having a basement to send them to would be a gold mine!

angelenogirl i haven't really explored newcastle. thought the traffic was bad getting out of there to seattle? also, home prices seem a bit higher in that area.

JBVirtuoso · 11-17-2014, 10:21 PM

I'd put 40 minutes from North Bend during rush hour in the wildly optimistic category, unless you can somehow use the HOV lanes and can fly into a parking garage soon after exiting the freeway. But the thing to note here is that the closer you live to I-90, the faster your commute will be. Duvall would probably be a significantly longer commute than North Bend on most days, as it's not near any freeways.

Newcastle is a decent option. The freeways in that area can be really congested, but you're still not on them very long to get into Seattle. And since it's close to both Bellevue and Renton, you won't be too far from civilization.