Canadian moving to Seattle..

[barbourshop]

That's great news as I was thinking anything over $900.00 might stretch my budget but from what I've heard even though my salary is 40K, I will take home much more of that than I would on the same salary in Canada due to taxes. I was looking at these two places:
Olympus in Seattle WA - Apartments for rent - Equity Apartments
and
Union Bay Apartments and Executive Suites | Seattle, Washington
I would be living in a studio.

Could I walk to work on University St with both of these and would you guys recommend the buildings?

I apologize for all the dumb questions but this helps out on a stressful situation for me. To give you a perspective I live in a big log cabin right now for $250.00 per month in a National Park. This is a BIG change!

[allforcats]

Originally Posted by barbourshop

.. I apologize for all the dumb questions ..

Never again say that for the rest of your life. There is no such thing as a "dumb" question. There are lots of dumb answers, but since questions seek knowledge or wisdom, they can't possibly be dumb, and are always excellent. Now go forth and enjoy!

[Ira500]

So your job is on University Street downtown? If that is the case, then it's extremely convenient for all kinds of buses from all over: a short commute could mean a lower rent.
Of the buildings you linked to, I'm familiar with the Olympus...it has tremendous views, but my personal taste runs more to older buildings with charm...First Hill has a bunch of those, and still within easy walking distance to University Street downtown( but uphill going home).

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by allforcats

Because Ira is a real estate agent, he really knows this stuff so I believe his comment.
I'd add that how much you are willing to spend on rent depends on how extravagantly you insist on living otherwise, eh?

That's totally it. Lots of people are spending 50% of their income on mortgages.
I wouldn't do it or recommend it, but people do it. 1200 per month rent on 40k salary should leave a little left over for fun, but not for daily meals in fancy restaurants, or cocaine...

And allforcats, I appreciate the comment, but a lot of real estate agents just sound like they know what they're talking about, and what they're really trying to do is just sell houses.

[barbourshop]

Originally Posted by Ira500

That's totally it. Lots of people are spending 50% of their income on mortgages.
I wouldn't do it or recommend it, but people do it. 1200 per month rent on 40k salary should leave a little left over for fun, but not for daily meals in fancy restaurants, or cocaine...

Well I think I'm going to max out at $1000.00 per month because of the cost of furnishing the place. I want something nice with great amenities but since I won't be there too often. It has to be close to work or within easy bus access as I will be selling my truck after I'm all moved in but I don't even need a bedroom. I'm 27 and like to go out and hit the town but only once every couple of weeks (my wild child days are over). But to be honest I'd rather read a book, watch a good flick or play a little PS3. I think I'd take that money left over and get Mariners and Seahawk tickets!

Thank you for all your help.

[allforcats]

You should open Mapquest, enter the street address, city and state. You'll see exactly how far from University the apartment buildings are.

How far east on University is your job location?

The Olympus, close to Puget Sound, is 13 blocks from University. The $965 studio is small but efficient, and you would be quite near the hub of downtown Seattle and all its stores, restaurants and night life.

The area that the Olympus is in has many different busses going in various directions, so you'd have inexpensive access to just about any place.

The Union Bay studio apartment, in the opposite direction, is 10 blocks from University. Not my favorite part of downtown Seattle, but when you look at it and walk around the area you can decide for yourself. There are fewer busses, but there are some, which you could take to your work place on University.

I mention busses because sometimes you'll be late and want to go faster, or you won't like the weather and you'll want to take a bus.

A previous post said "a short commute would mean lower rent". What that meant is -- look at Mapquest -- if you rent in an apartment east of the I-90 highway, you might very likely save money on rent and have a simple, straight commute by bus for 10 or 15 minutes to University. Capitol Hill and First Hill would give you easy access to University and there are lots of young people living in the apartments in those areas.

A great resource for rentals is NWSource, the combined Classifieds for the two leading newspapers in Seattle. This link will take you to apartments in Belltown, First Hill and Capitol Hill -- just click the names. You can see on the map on that page just where they are:
NWapartments: Seattle apartment rentals, house rental listings, rental classifieds and other property rentals in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue and other Washington areas, cities and neighborhoods | - Advanced search

[Ira500]

If you decide to look on Capitol Hill, the area around 15th Avenue East is particularly nice, pleasant but not overwhelming.