Family Friendly Suburb for $600,000ish with 1 hour commute to downtown (Seattle: renting, condos)

[Jane12345]

Our family has been moving around for work and school for the last 10 years. Two years ago we left the craziness of the Bay Area for the relative normalcy of the Midwest; we moved to Minneapolis, bought a house in the suburbs, and said we were putting down roots. Except that we don't really like it. DH is from India and lived more than 15 years in California; I am from Montana. We are priced out of CA but really miss the West and so are looking at Seattle for our next (hopefully long term) stop. And we want to make sure we get the town right the first time.

We are a family of three, with an 8 year old daughter. We're looking for the usual in a place to live -- safe, family friendly, good public schools all the way from elementary to high school, sense of community, amenities like nice libraries and a park system. The problem is, we live in a town that has all this now and it's kind of like Pleasantville, so we're open to areas that are less suburb-y, for lack of a better word. When we were in the Bay Area we lived in Alameda and loved it; the Mayberry feel was really nice, plus it was very diverse and had a lot of non-chain restaurants, a great downtown, etc. So, looking for something similar in the Seattle area (although we could live without the downtown if we got everything else. We know there will be tradeoffs).

DH will have to find a job (he's in marketing) and I will work from home, so we also have to factor in his commute. We'd like to be no more than an hour, wherever his job might be and guessing downtown for the moment. Prefer to commute via public transit/commuter bus (anything that leaves the driving to someone else). I guess I'm looking for how far out we need to go to find our spot.

Our budget is $600,000 for a 3/2 with parking for a camper. Where would you suggest we begin our search?

[Seacove]

Have there been visits to Seattle? In the winter? It seems like a bad idea to just up and move and buy a house without a job (i.e. knowing where the commute would be to) or if there would be issues with SAD in the winter. There's the potential this could be two mistakes in a row.

[homesinseattle]

Hi Jane!

Welcome (almost) to town. Take a look in Mukilteo, good schools, value for money. North Edmonds or Mill Creek might work too.

-Vince

[thatguy950]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Hi Jane!

Welcome (almost) to town. Take a look in Mukilteo, good schools, value for money. North Edmonds or Mill Creek might work too.

-Vince

x2


also Bothell and maybe Lake Forest Park (possibly too pricey)

[Kayela]

Do you have to park the camper right next to it? Would a parking spot at a nearby storage facility work? If you open the field up to condos/townhouses, you might be able to find something in the Crossroads area of Bellevue. It's a fantastically multi-cultural neighborhood with a pretty good location. There's a lot of shopping and amenities (both chain stores and unique shops and restaurants), it's right down the road from MS, and is tons of fun to live in. Transit is limited, but surprisingly decent and light rail is being constructed.

[Jane12345]

Thanks for the suggestions! We will check out the towns you guys have mentioned.

As far as a condo/townhouse, that's a good thought but we are firmly in the SFH stage of life.

Any other places we should consider?

[homesinseattle]

The town of Snohomish could work too and is very "Mayberry-esque", especially the historic neighborhoods. Schools are good but I worry it would put you outside the hour commute if you might commute at typical times of day. I was with clients in the North Edmonds area yesterday afternoon, the lots are bigger than some parts of the area. Focus on something "mid century", 1945-1965, maybe even something that needs carpets, paint, a bit of spit and polish. This client I was with, the woman works in Everett, the man in Fremont in Seattle. The nice thing about this area is you have good I-5 access but also the backup possibility of going overland on Hwy 99. These ideas are imagining your hubby might work in Seattle. North Bothell/Mill Creek would do the trick too, especially if he ends up in Bellevue/Kirkland for work.

[Ruth4Truth]

Yes, Lake Forest Park, and possibly Edmonds. Both have commuter service to downtown Seattle. Edmonds has a ferry across the Sound, for weekend getaways into nature.

I don't quite understand why you left Alameda, if you loved it, and were a dual-income family. Was it the East Bay traffic? You'll find similar traffic congestion in the greater Seattle area.

[Jane12345]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

I don't quite understand why you left Alameda, if you loved it, and were a dual-income family. Was it the East Bay traffic? You'll find similar traffic congestion in the greater Seattle area.

We were renting in Alameda and couldn't afford to buy. We also had a split commute - I worked in Silicon Valley and he was in Oakland. My commute was terrible and his was just OK. Now I work from home so we only have to worry about one commute. And we fully intend to only use public transit, going forward, so he can work/read/whatever, and let someone else drive.

There were other factors, but those were the main ones.

[CrazyDonkey]

Yes, Edmonds will give you the real "downtown" (not just a mall) you want, a location close to the Sound, and a commute via Sounder commuter rail.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...t/11_zm/0_mmm/