Rental Prices (Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue: real estate, sublet, apartments)

[lauralk80]

After much thought my BF and I are moving to the area next summer (June-July). We are excited to move! Intially I would like us to sublet for a few months, secure jobs and check out places we want to "hunker" down in adn then rent a place of our own. We are from Orlando, currently we pay 875 for a 2/1 home approx 900 SF with a big back yard and in a great neighborhood close to downtown. Now I realize that this will not happen in Seattle. My main priority in regards to housing is neighborhood, not space. When I check craigslist and rent.com it seems like the going rate for a studio apt in a good nabe is about as much as we pay for our house, also keep reading that Seattle doesnt have many bad areas (Orlando definitely does!) So my general impression is this:

From the city north seems to be the more desirable areas, my budget seems to be putting us in a larger space in places like Everett, but in a better nabe in a studio closer to the city (QA, CAP Hill Etc.) but if there are not any really gritty areas what is driving the cost of rentals in those places? Is it proximity to the city? things to do? Here in Orlando cost is driven completely by what kind of neighborhood you are in and there is a clear line from A being the great nabes and D being the violent ghettos/drug ridden areas. In otown it has nothing to do with proximity because few people actually work in our sad little downtown and everything is spread out (urban sprawl at it's finest). Anyhow I would like some thoughts from people who live there and who have rented or are renting now. We are young, no kids and I would love to say dual incomes but unfortunately my BF is yet another casualty of the wide spread job loss down here. We just want somewhere affordable, within maybe 30 mins of the city if not closer and has some restaurants etc.

Thanks for any info!

[Ira500]

While there aren't any really gritty areas around here, some of it is just perceived "coolness", and downtown Seattle is pretty vital and doing well so places near downtown may cost more, plus some areas have views of the water or the mountains, and that makes things cost more...
Also, I wouldn't say that north of downtown is "nicer"...that's more the perception but not the reality...
Sure, there are some less than desirable areas south of downtown, but it gets painted with a broad brush and people don't realize that there are some great areas south of downtown. Seward Park is a great neighborhood, for example, and most of West Seattle is really nice, and Renton has become a whole lot nicer in recent years. There are some great restaurants in Renton, nice walking trails along the Cedar River, movie theatres, nice new apartment buildings, etc. The Renton school district is not very good, but if you don't have kids it shouldn't be a concern. It's also about a 30 minute bus ride to both downtown Seattle or downtown Bellevue, and rents are lower in Renton. All the cool kids are moving there

[lauralk80]

Thanks Ira, I dont know if we are even cool enough to live in Seattle but we're coming anyway! I'll def. look into Renton, appreciate the info!

[allforcats]

Hi. Here are expanded resources to give you a fuller idea of rental prices and locations.
Cost of rentals is fundamentally driven by the cost of real estate; there's only a fairly narrow strip of land between the mountains and the water, and the big cities of western Washington are near the water. So there's only so much land on which population can expand outward from a given city. The more people who work there, the more people want to live there, and the more the real estate prices rise, so the more rentals rise.

This is the combined classifieds of the two leading newspapers in around around the Seattle seas. Use the little map to learn area names, then click on an area to get that area's neighborhoods.
NWapartments: Seattle apartment rentals, house rental listings, rental classifieds and other property rentals in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue and other Washington areas, cities and neighborhoods

Other resources:
Seattle Classifieds
The Stranger - Seattle's Only Newspaper

From the point of view of somone who lived in Manhattan for 30 years and knows very well what ghettoes are, I can say with assurance that we don't have ghettoes here, nor drug-infested, crime-infested, violence-infested areas. They simply don't exist here. Some areas are poorer than others, some richer. That's about the extent of "class" differences here. When you come here and roam around, you will see how that works here.

Each neighborhood in and around Seattle really has its own character and vibe, and the only way to learn that is by exploring. I rented in the Eastlake Avenue area of Seattle briefly when I first came to Seattle, then I rented for 5 years in Capitol Hill. Then I decided where I wanted to purchase a home. I strongly recommend that when you come here, you do a short-term lease for, say, 6 months to give yourself the chance to wander and discover and feel out the area where you really feel at home.

Having lived here for 20 years, I wouldn't call north of Seattle "the desirable area". Many would say east of Seattle is, or the islands. But those areas tend to be pretty expensive. And "desirable" is in the eye of the beholder; my favorite place is up in the mountains, a non-entity tiny agricultural town that we hardly ever hear of. That's my most desirable place. I personally don't want to live north of Seattle; that's my beholding... So you really need to come here and look.

As for jobs, here's another resource:
the combined classifieds of the two leading newspapers in and around Seattle:
Seattle area jobs, employment advice and information | NWjobs

[Ambassador]

I can always count on Ira and allforcats to provide the best info on these types of questions. Your posts are always excellent! Thanks!

[lauralk80]

Thanks allforcats for the great info- much appreciated.

[amos galore]

I have some friends that rent in the Central District for a reasonable price--probably one of the best deals IN town. However, it's bc it borders Beacon Hill/First Hill which does have some crime. But, it's a mixed up neighborhood of younger folks needing more affordable housing, too. I'd recommend you look into it. I don't know if they have any condo/apts in that area. I believe my friends found their place just by living here and getting lucky. They rent the top part of a house (3 bed 1 bath) for around 1400, I think.