Federal Way (Seattle, Tacoma, Redmond: real estate, apartment complex, leases)

[Sonnenwende]

How bad is it? I keep reading here that it is not nice. I come from a city with a ridiculous murder rate, so keep that in mind.

[mitsuturbo]

It's relative. I think the worst parts of the puget sound area are no worse than what's considered just below middle class in other cities i've lived in. I think white center is considered the worst part of the area, and it's not "scary" in the least.

[wannabeaTexan]

There's nothing scary about Federal Way. I don't think it's even fair ask how bad it is, because it's not bad.

[Ira500]

How bad is Federal Way?
Even though there is gang activity, as there is in Seattle and many other nearby towns, Federal Way is not a dangerous place.
Some people find it ugly or bland or characterless, and it certainly gets it's share of traffic. But there are some nice spots there, little rural pockets surrounded by asphalt jungle.

[LongDawson]

An excellent place to live, if you like golf or swimming all very affordable and the best facilities you can find.

I like a seedy underbelly too, a strip show now and then. I haven't been for years, but back in the day you had to go to Federal Way for a good lapdance.

[dpgtfc]

Looks to be a good place for my wife and I to move, at least until we get settled in and look for a home. She has a job offer, but I will have to find work once we move.

Am I right in thinking this is a good option for the greatest flexibility (can get a job in many of the southern Seattle area cities or Seattle itself and be, hopefully, within an hour commute). She would be working in Tacoma - though there is an Auburn option...

[LongDawson]

Federal Way flooded with cheap real estate. Try to snatch a house with a view. Look all around Brown's Point. I love an ocean view. You should drive around and figure out what is best. There is a golf course around that new aquatic center. You can buy there for 20% of what it cost to buy in Redmond, same geography same everything basically. Twin Lakes. I'd move there in a heartbeat but I am settled into my own place.

Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club - Federal Way, Washington

[mitsuturbo]

Cheap real estate in king county? Nay, i say! Cheap in relation to medina, yes. Cheap in relation to other parts of the country.. hell no. Cheap enough for me to buy? Well.. only if they sell to people with a negative fico score who can afford under 1200 a month!

[dpgtfc]

1200 a month is about 220,000 dollars with a decent interest rate, no?

Looking on hotpads.com I see quite a few houses in that area that look good.

[Sonnenwende]

Originally Posted by LongDawson

Federal Way flooded with cheap real estate. Try to snatch a house with a view. Look all around Brown's Point. I love an ocean view. You should drive around and figure out what is best. There is a golf course around that new aquatic center. You can buy there for 20% of what it cost to buy in Redmond, same geography same everything basically. Twin Lakes. I'd move there in a heartbeat but I am settled into my own place.

Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club - Federal Way, Washington

Well, I wasn't initially looking at the real estate, but I noticed that rents were significantly cheaper there. Usually that means it is probably a bad area, which seems to have been backed up by people outside of this thread. I was looking at one apartment complex that offered only month-to-month leases for dirt cheap. I thought it would be a good laugh to look it up on apartment ratings, but hey, it had a respectable 60% approval. For AR, this might as well be a B+ rating. When your worst complaints are about people stealing your parking spot, then I think it is not too bad, all things considered. No mention of serious crime. I looked on CD's profile page of Federal Way and it had the crime rating listed at 425. My city's is 702. So, it made me think to ask here what was up with Federal Way.