Considering a Move with family to SEATAC (Seattle, Bellevue: homes, school districts)

[lane_change]

My wife and I are looking to move and the Seattle area is on our list. We are not looking to live in the city, looking ideally for more of a forested acreage community or area but within decent proximity to civilization. Plus we have 2 children who will still be school aged by the time we move, 16 and 11. So quality school districts are still a major consideration for us in choosing a location.

We are traveling up to Seattle in 2wks to explore some but curious what suburban acreage areas we should target looking at? Ideally I want to build but I’ve read that Seattle can be a bit of a bear to get permits in place especially for a non-traditional acreage one-off with septic and a well most likely.

I’d personally like to build a Barndominium myself as this will be more of a retirement place for us to hub out of for exploring and such, so I’m looking into around. 2000sq/ft home but a 4000 sq/ft garage as cars are my passion and having a place for a trailer, RV, etc. indoors is the goal. My wife and I both currently WFH so commuting isn’t a concern, but again…I don’t want to be in BFE, need good schools, ideally within 15-20min of the grocery store, drug store, restaurants, etc. normal day to day life needs basically. I’m fine being 1hr + from “the city”. Budget wise, I’m sure it’ll be a shock coming from Texas, but hoping not being city centered will help some Vs. the median home prices of Seattle or Bellevue.

[homesinseattle]

Hi Lane! Combining available acreage with high performing schools is almost impossible. You are right, the building/permit process can be brutal here, also savvy developers have snapped up most of the best sports. I’d target an area that has “civilization”, known schools and larger lots available. Have a look at Maple Valley, good schools and value for money. Might put Snohomish on list too.

[Hemlock140]

I'll add some others, not sure how far you want to be away from Seattle, but look at Monroe, Arlington and Stanwood.

[rkcarguy]

Originally Posted by lane_change

My wife and I are looking to move and the Seattle area is on our list. We are not looking to live in the city, looking ideally for more of a forested acreage community or area but within decent proximity to civilization. Plus we have 2 children who will still be school aged by the time we move, 16 and 11. So quality school districts are still a major consideration for us in choosing a location.

We are traveling up to Seattle in 2wks to explore some but curious what suburban acreage areas we should target looking at? Ideally I want to build but I’ve read that Seattle can be a bit of a bear to get permits in place especially for a non-traditional acreage one-off with septic and a well most likely.

I’d personally like to build a Barndominium myself as this will be more of a retirement place for us to hub out of for exploring and such, so I’m looking into around. 2000sq/ft home but a 4000 sq/ft garage as cars are my passion and having a place for a trailer, RV, etc. indoors is the goal. My wife and I both currently WFH so commuting isn’t a concern, but again…I don’t want to be in BFE, need good schools, ideally within 15-20min of the grocery store, drug store, restaurants, etc. normal day to day life needs basically. I’m fine being 1hr + from “the city”. Budget wise, I’m sure it’ll be a shock coming from Texas, but hoping not being city centered will help some Vs. the median home prices of Seattle or Bellevue.

Expect 3-years of permitting/wetlands mitigation red tape, 7 figures $$$$ for such a build, and more shock than you know. I had these "dreams", but it quickly turned into a small two-story house, no garage, no shop, and a small "seasonal depression" wetland (which shouldn't even be a wetland according to the ACOE) which ultimately trumped all my wants/needs.

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by rkcarguy

Expect 3-years of permitting/wetlands mitigation red tape, 7 figures $$$$ for such a build, and more shock than you know. I had these "dreams", but it quickly turned into a small two-story house, no garage, no shop, and a small "seasonal depression" wetland (which shouldn't even be a wetland according to the ACOE) which ultimately trumped all my wants/needs.

Rkcarguy, that’s tough to read. I definitely try to steer my clients away from this idea, I’ve heard too many stories like this. So sorry man, truly.

[CrazyDonkey]

Might be better to find acreage with buildings already on it:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...55071798_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...67045187_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...56344550_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...55073894_zpid/

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

I'll add some others, not sure how far you want to be away from Seattle, but look at Monroe, Arlington and Stanwood.

Great ideas Hemlock. I was trying above to strike a balance between highly rated schools (which they mentioned) and larger lots/acreage.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, I don't understand your thread title. It says you're moving to Seatac, but then you say you want to be in a more rural area. And people are suggesting areas north of Seattle, among others, which puts you far out of commuting distance to SeaTac. But you say you WFH, so why did you say you're moving to SeaTac?

I was going to suggest Issaquah. There must be acreage available out there. It's forested out there, too. You could also look around Lake Sammamish, but it's getting expensive there. Snohomish would be cheaper. Or maybe Camano Island, which is connected to Stanwood by a short bridge. Definitely acreage there. You can compare the prices of acreage in all these places, by checking out the RE listings for empty lots, for each locale. Camano Island would be a great place to raise kids. So would Issaquah.

[jabogitlu]

What's your land acquisition budget?

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

What's your land acquisition budget?

lol This is what these wish lists always boil down to: the budget. Well, hopefully the OP has researched the areas suggested here, and found something with some hope of being feasible.

It reminds me of some of the OP's we've had on this forum over the years: people asking about acreage for a farm and this and that, even asking about homesteading, like in the old days--the REALLY old days, as if the Seattle area and Washington are like a film set from the series "Here Come The Brides". Free land for those willing to make it productive.

OK, this OP's request isn't that extreme. But it's funny some of the notions others have about the NW.