Working grads looking for nice area (Seattle, Bellevue: apartment, lease, how much)

[Kyle_NZ]

Hi there, My friend and myself are about to complete our degrees from University and are moving to Seattle from New Zealand to work. We are looking at getting a 2 bedroom apartment in the city somewhere that has good access to nice cafes, bars and places to socialise and enjoy the city. I was thinking either downtown or bellevue looked alright for the next level up from the university lifestyle.

I am budgeting on around $1400 a month. What area would you suggest? and how should I go about finding a place? Craigs list looks quite helpful or maybe a realtor?
We have a hotel booked for a few days but need to find a place and get setup asap.

I may have a job offer in Kent but would prefer to live close to the action and commute. Any thoughts on public transport or maybe getting a car if living in the city?

Thanks for your help

Kyle

[Ira500]

There's pretty good public transit from downtown Seattle to Kent....
A lively ,fun area not too far from Kent would be Columbia City...I think the commute from Bellevue to Kent could be pretty long and unpleasant.

[StealthRabbit]

I'd check into Fremont or Ballard area for affordable, central, + a 'real' community.

Downtown and Bellevue do not seem the most affordable, or best communities for 'engaging' with other locals.

[Kyle_NZ]

Thanks for your replys! I'll have a look intoColumbia City. Fremont and Ballard are on the other side of the city, wouldn't that be a nasty commute?

[wsugrad03]

I used to live in Belltown and commute to Kent. By car, it's a reverse commute, so it only takes you about 20-25 minutes and is a relatively easy drive. There's a good metro bus that runs from downtown to Kent Station. I used to take that bus every now and then. It dropped me right off at work off of West Valley.

If want to be in the mix of everything, I'd recommend living in Belltown for a year. Sure it's expensive and some blocks are sketchy, but for me it was a great way to be in the middle of the city and experience the best that Seattle has to offer. After about a year you'll probably want to try another neighborhood like Queen Anne, Lake Union, Fremont, Ballard, Green Lake, or Wallingford. Ballard is a nice neighborhood, but it tacks on an extra 15-20 minutes to your commute. I'd be mindful of that since there's only so many ways in and out of that part of town.

If you do choose Belltown, ask around about specific blocks to avoid. There's certain buffer zones that you should avoid. I lived right off of 4th Ave next to the monorail line and that was a good area.

[wsugrad03]

I'll also say that you might want to avoid Bellevue if you want to rely on public transit. Bellevue is nice and swanky, but you will have to take two buses to get to and from Kent, which could take about 15-20 minutes longer than a direct bus line from Seattle.

As far as the commute goes, the Bellevue - Kent commute is worse than the Seattle - Kent commute. You have to deal with the Renton S-curves, which are always slammed during rush hours. I-405 just can't handle the traffic volume that I-5 can. Again, you'll be driving a reverse commute, so it won't be as bad. I'd say it will take you about 35 minutes to travel from Kent to Bellevue on average.

Good luck.

[Kyle_NZ]

Thanks for your replies wsugrad03, they are really informative. The hotel im staying at is around that area so should be able to check out the area easily. Whats the go on parking in that area? How much would you pay for a relatively nice 2 bedroom apartment in Belltown?

Any other good areas that wouldn't take too long to get to kent? First hill? Madrona?

Thanks

[wsugrad03]

Parking and rent is steep. Here's a link to the apartment building I used to live in. I'm shocked at how much the rent has gone up in Belltown. Looks like rent will run you around $1600-2000 and up (waaay up) for a 2 bedroom. Parking is usually not included in the rent. I'd expect $100-160 per month per car. Check with your company to see if they have discounts with property.

First hill is not a bad alternative. You're a quick cab ride away from down town. Madrona and Madison Park are my favorite neighborhoods. Madison Park is close to the arboretum and cafe's. I'd check it out. Of course, it's a much different feel than downtown. If you want to be right in the middle of everything, I'd stick with Belltown just for the initial experience of downtown living. First hill, and Queen Anne are cheaper substitutes. I'd check out craigslist for listings in these neighborhoods.

It all depends on what kind of balance you're looking for in terms of cost of living and downtown living. I really enjoyed living in Belltown while I did, but at todays prices, I'm not sure if it's worth the cost. But, there's a lot of options and great neighborhoods to live in.

I hear that vacancies can be tight right now since most people are settling down for the winter. You might find that you have to jump on an opportunity when you see one because if you wait someone else might snatch up an open lease.

[Kyle_NZ]

Again, a very helpful post, thanks. I think I'll look for an apartment in Belltown within my price range and if I can't find one try Madrona, Madison Park, First Hill and Queen Anne. Can't spend all my money on rent or I'll be stuck in my nice apartment too poor to go out and do stuff haha. Also the prices of parking and fuel make buying a car seem pretty expensive. I might try out the public transport for a while and see how that goes.
What could I expect to budget for electricity and food?

[wsugrad03]

Food depends entirely on your taste. You could easily spend 400-600 a month of food depending on how often you eat out or go to the bars. There's fantastic restaurants downtown. Nice thing is there's convenient groceries and markets downtown to help cut your costs. Seattle has been known to have fairly costly groceries.

Electricity will probably average to $60-70 per month. Cable/Internet is about $100. Water will probably run you around $30.