How is Redmond... (Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue: apartments, rental homes, condos)

[chelseagirl]

I am looking at relocating to Redmond. Does anyone live there? How is the climate, atmosphere? we are looking at housing in redmond and surrounding areas. Any input would be great. We currently live in Vegas, rent 4 bed/2.5 bath house for $1200/mo, and would like to find something similar out there. Is employment out in Redmond strictly tech jobs i.e. microsoft? I have heard the schools are top-noch, especially the lake washington district. again, any input would help.

[compltlyme]

Ummmm In Redmond you would be lucky to find a 2 bedroom apt in that price range. It is a beautiful area and expensive. Check out the rentals in the Seattle Times online or email me and I will give you a list of places to look for rentals. You can email me by clicking on my name and going from there.

[Mark S.]

Redmond is the site of Microsoft, and it is Yuppieville through and through. Very nice, very clean, and pretty safe if you're careful where you live.

But yeah, $1200 a month. You'll be lucky --- VERY lucky --- to find a small 2 bedroom apartment in Redmond at that price, and there's no way you could find a house. Even modest-sized rental homes or condos in the Redmond area start at around $1800.

If most complexes have 4 bedroom apartments up here, I haven't seen them. You'd definitely be looking at a condo or rental home. For a 4-bedroom / 2.5 bath in the Redmond area, I'd guess you'd be looking at around $2500 a month minimum. Probably more.

You might consider some of the outlying areas --- North Bend, Snoqualmie, Carnation. (Personally, I'd steer clear of Kirkland and Bellevue). You still won't find a 4-bedroom anything for anything close to $1200 a month, but they are certainly cheaper than Redmond itself.

As for jobs, Microsoft rules the area to be sure, but there are other jobs to be had.

If you are a teacher (I kind of assumed you might be from your post), you need to stay out of Washington State. Yes, there are good schools here, and I suspect Redmond is among them. But Washington State teachers are notoriously under-funded and teachers poorly paid --- even by national standards. I don't remember the last time a school year started when some school district did not have teachers on strike, demanding more pay and better benefits --- no doubt which they very much deserve.

[chelseagirl]

how is washington in regards to allergy season? it seems here in las vegas, nv, we have allergies non-stop due to the unending dust and dry air.

as far as the comment on schools, the same scenario runs here. every year at the start of the school year, we have a terrible teacher shortage, strikes, etc. i think the schools nationwide are becoming more and more like this. but considering the nevada ranks 50th in education, i am looking at anything that would expose my children to more than gambling and casino management. i mean, it is really ridiculous out here, i saw a billboard on my way home the other day that said "Ditch Fridays.....what is your excuse?" (an advertisement for the Palms Casino). What exactly are we teaching our children here? To ditch any responsibilities to become a valet driver making more in one day than teachers make in 1/2 year?! Sorry for the rant, education is extremely important to me, and would like to raise my kids in a better atmosphere. Thank you for the info, Mark.

[compltlyme]

I don't blame you for wanting to leave Vegas. As much as I like to party there I wouldn't want to raise my kids there. My eldest daughter lived there for a while and even being the party girl that she was...wanted to leave there to raise her kids in a more stable area.

Allergies... depends on what you are allergic to. We have a lot of mature foliage here so if you are allergic to flower pollen then you may have a challenge here. I was allergic to dust and so far I have not had any allergies here. I was in the same kind of desert you are in and I suffered every time they scalped the golf courses and lawns. They don't do that here. And the air here isn't "Dry." There is so much water around that I don't get the dry chapped skin I used to.

On the down side.. My friends came up from the So Ca area this week and I felt transparent next to their tan bodies!!! LOL ... Guess I will have to get out in the sun more!

[chelseagirl]

dont worry, not everyone who lives in sunny weather gets tan. i have excema, which is extreme dry skin, and i white as a ghost. and why i have lived in a desert as long as i have is beyond me.
i am looking for a support system here, since my b/f does not really want to move from vegas. i figure if i can find more pros than cons about moving, i can convince him it is the right thing to do for our family. washington state is quite the opposite of vegas, and it may be extreme moving from one climate extreme to the other. and i agree that everywhere has their share of cons. but i cannot stand staying inside air conditioning all the time. i hate even going outside in the early morning hours, where the temp right now is 85! not even 6am and we have hit a temp higher than you guys in seattle see all year!!
i looked out at rentals, and it looks like i wont be able to find anything like we have here for no less than $1800-$2500/month. well, hopefully we can find the job to supplement that jump. are there any healthcare jobs in the area that are worth looking into?

[compltlyme]

Originally Posted by chelseagirl

are there any healthcare jobs in the area that are worth looking into?

I can't give you any off the top of my head but I am sure with all the hospitals and clinics in the area you should be able to find something. There is a lot more to offer in that field than in Vegas.

[chelseagirl]

I will have to look into that. I am planning a visit to Seattle in September for 4-5 days. My b/f is looking at applying to Microsoft (long shot, but its worth a try). He has been up to Seattle before, and loves it. I have never been, and I am quite excited about seeing Seattle in person. I am planning on visiting some schools in the Lake Washington district, and it looks like my research may land us looking at rental house properties in Redmond, Issaquah, or Bellevue.
Does anyone out there work for Microsoft? How hard is it to get a job there? I may apply if my b/f lands a job there. Right now, I work as a glorified administrative assistant at a local healthcare company (sorry Mark, I am not a teacher), and would like to get a similiar position at one of the major local companies.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by chelseagirl

Does anyone out there work for Microsoft? How hard is it to get a job there?

I know lots of folks at Microsoft. There is good and bad. They have two basic kinds of employees: contract employees and regular employees. They are differentiated by "badges," but I forget which is which. Anyway, contract employees have an employment contract for a certain amount of times --- a year, 18 months, two years, etc. Then they are out of a job. Sounds scary, however, contract employees still get benefits, are VERY well paid (for the area), and tend to land another job in Microsoft pretty quick. The downside is that they do tend to work long hours, and I've heard more than a few people complain that "they sold their soul to the company." So, there is good and bad.

As for how easy it is to get in, that depends entirely on what you do. And Microsoft would have no problem with you and your boyfriend both applying. Lots of spouses and significant others work at Microsoft. They only frown upon it if you're trying to work on the same team or department.

Originally Posted by chelseagirl

I work as a glorified administrative assistant at a local healthcare company (sorry Mark, I am not a teacher), and would like to get a similiar position at one of the major local companies.

In my experience, health care is one of those areas where you can pretty much find a job anywhere you want to live. As much as I dislike the Seattle/Tacoma area in general, I will admit that they have some of the finests hospitals in the country. My kids have spent time at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, and I cannot sing their praises high enough. Great staff, great doctors, and a FANTASTIC atmosphere for kids. The only down side is that it really is in a bad neighborhood. Walk two blocks from the hospital and you can see drug deals, hookers, and all sorts of crime going down.

[scirocco22]

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