Should I take this job?... (Sammamish: new house, buyers, schools)

[EoJenn]

It is possible to find some decent neighborhoods with homes for less than 500K. I think if you look at the Bothell or Kenmore area, you're looking at around a 30 minute commute. Maybe more on a bad day, but you have to say that about any commute.

Take a look at the local real estate websites or Redfin. Most of them have map searches now and that will give you an idea about what's available in the various areas around the sound.

[jwb123]

When we lived in Bothell/Mill Creek - my husbands commute to the Redmond campus was consistantly 45 mins to an hour. 30 mins happened, but wasn't the rule. We lived 4 miles/11 mins from 405 - the rest was spent on 405, to 520.

Kenmore might be better depending on where you were compared to 405... Kirkland/Juanita might be an area to look at - but you will have to trade your "newer" house requirement.

That's the issue really, "newer" homes are basically new construction within the last 10 years and that will take you to the $600+++ mark. You may be able to find a great deal in Redmond/Woodinville/Sammamish areas for $500k - but you have to give up your "newer" requirement.

Perhaps jenlion and the poster who relocated here from Texas can help you with that, as they have both purchased (I think) in that price range, fairly recently.

[jenlion]

We bought a 30-year-old house for just over $500k in Redmond. It's in very good shape, new windows, reasonably updated. I have no major complaints (other than getting used to leaving the windows open and dealing with neighbor noise, but that's another post). We rejected the newer communities as too expensive, with very small yards, but that means we will do some things in the next year or so: better toilets, for example, and fix the patio. But then ten minute commute and the mature neighborhood with families and schools with good reputations outweighed the rest.

MS is going to eat as much of your life as you let them. Those commutes into an hour are pretty rough on some familes we know. But if you're serious, you might look at Snoqualmie. They're still building there. Heck, we even know people who thought they could handle the commute, but now hate it, and would LOVE to sell their houses there ;-)

Redfin was a GREAT help in finding houses and targeting neighborhoods.

Hint: if you've got the offer in hand, you might tell the recruiter that you're seriously considering it, but housing has become a major consideration now that you see just how expensive it is.

[Ira500]

I'm seeing an increasing amount of decent houses in Bellevue and Issaquah in the neighborhood of 500,000 dollars...In Bellevue, generally south of I-90, and in Issaquah the Mirrormont neighborhood offers a lot of house for the money. Also parts of Kirkland.

[Moon Waffle]

I'm surprised to hear the housing prices are still this high? Hasn't there been any adjustment downward due to the current economic conditions? It sounds as bad (or maybe worse) than before. I just can't believe these type of prices are going to hold.

[Ira500]

In the Seattle area, the price peak was much later than in most of the rest of the country. We peaked in July of 2007, and the median price for a home in the Seattle area has come down about 7% since then, so prices are dropping.
...And in some parts of the Seattle area, you can get a nice house for 350,000 dollars or less. Maybe not in area famous for a great school district, maybe not in a neighborhood that has a wine bar and a chocolate shop and a bistro, but they do exist.

[seattlenextyear]

"And in some parts of the Seattle area, you can get a nice house for 350,000 dollars or less. Maybe not in area famous for a great school district, maybe not in a neighborhood that has a wine bar and a chocolate shop and a bistro, but they do exist."

Ha. If I got a house next to Dilantantes, I'd be sooooo fat.

[rchilds]

My husband recently accepted a job with microsoft. After an extensive housing search we decided on Duvall. We absolutely love it. We had several neighbors welcome us and one even brought a homemade pie. We paid 445K for a 4 bedroom 2300sq ft newer house with a decent back yard. The average days on market are longer in Duvall and we found some sellers willing to negotiate. Hope this helps.

[Moon Waffle]

^Can you comment on the commute? I've liked the thought of Duvall and heard it has the "feel" we are probably looking for, but how long to MS?

[Ira500]

Duvall to MS can be as quick as 25 minutes, but could be far longer depending on traffic.