issaquah highlands vs. sammamish (Seattle, Bellevue: for sale, HOA, buying a house)

[sophie1110]

we are get to buy houses in east side (easy commute to bellevue/redmond) and budget is around 500k~550k. Issaquah highlands generally have small lots compared to sammamish, but houses are newer there and close to highway. I feel that sammamish has more peaceful residential environment but is a little bit remote. What we concern, will the small lots affect the resale value in the future? Any suggestions? Btw, is sammamish has better schools better than issaquah highlands does?

[LongDawson]

Schools are likely the same in Sammamish or Iss Highlands.

Issaquah Highlands seems like a ripoff. I have only been there a few times but live nearby. Not worth the price for those crowded "things" people call a home. Get a load of those 4 foot long driveways for example. But lots of people pay it. I would recommend Squak Mtn area where you get a much better deal and it is right across the way.

[texastrigirl]

Issaquah Highlands and the south end of Sammamish attend the same school district so you are fine there. Our friends who live in the Highlands like it for the newness, proximity and the parks but also complain of the congestion getting in and getting out of the subdivision which may only get worse should they ever build the High Streets. That can add to your commute just getting out of IH. But a big plus is a super park n ride right there if you feel inclined to use public transportation. So many people park on the streets that we often can't even safely drive down the road to the their house without stopping to pull over for oncoming traffic. They would like to sell and get out and move into Sammamish or Issaquah but can't because values have dropped so much, there is still plently of new building and there is so much on the market right now (like most places I guess!). They do have a beautiful home and a terrific view though! We looked there and the homes were lovely but there were no yards and none were right on a park and that wasn't going to work with our kids and their active life. We have a bigger lot in Sammamish and they just run outside and play with all the neighbor kids in the culdesac or play hide and seek in our yard. Plus $ per sq ft was less where we ended up. We live off of 212th in Sammamish and can get down to I-90 pretty quickly so in no way do I feel "isolated". But that all depends on what kind of lifestyle you want. We have a house for sale for 500K in our neighborhood with a nice lot where you can walk across the culdesac into the HOA park and have access to Pine Lake. It's not a new house but it's well kept and will have a selling point down the road that is hard to replicate. You should definitely look around. There is plenty of new construction in terrific pocket areas. I would highly recommend the Pine Lake area. Good mix of old and new homes.

[dxenopoulos]

I like Sammamish a little bit more. I agree that there's a possibility for an isolated feeling and from some areas you do have to drive a few miles to the free way. Traffic can be pretty bad sometimes on the main roads (definitely same in Issaquah). But Sammamish seems to have more options in terms of homes - size, neighborhood, price - while Highlands is pretty cookie cutter. Both cities have some amazing, big houses - and I definitely think around now is a great time to buy a home on the Eastside - but it's true that some of those neighborhoods in Issaquah lack a good neighborhood feeling. People love Issaquah though so there's definitely things about the area that are good too.

[sophie1110]

Thanks for your input

[ElektroDragon]

It's great that you have the right budget. With mine, I am stuck with Snohomish County, Duvall, or Renton. From my expeditions into your areas though, I would pick the Highlands, because of the breathaking scenery and I90 proximity. My dream home is probably one of those big 600-800K houses right at the top of the Highlands, looking out over the ENTIRE Puget Sound region. It's really amazing to be so high up and see all of Seattle and Bellevue in the distance.

[sophie1110]

ElektroDragon, your comments are also welcome Actually my DH prefer issaquah highlands (he likes the i90 proximity, but those houses in IH with breathtaking scenery is too expensive, at least above 700k or more? ) while I swing between issaquah highlands and sammamish. We are looking a house in IH now, everything looks perfect expect it is so close to neighbour's house (it's kinda of common in IH)... Btw, we found the house price drop back to 2006 level.

[ElektroDragon]

Originally Posted by sophie1110

ElektroDragon, your comments are also welcome Actually my DH prefer issaquah highlands (he likes the i90 proximity, but those houses in IH with breathtaking scenery is too expensive, at least above 700k or more? ) while I swing between issaquah highlands and sammamish. We are looking a house in IH now, everything looks perfect expect it is so close to neighbour's house (it's kinda of common in IH)... Btw, we found the house price drop back to 2006 level.

The entire Puget Sound region suffers from the "too close to neighbor's house" phenomenon, not just IH. There are a few areas south of Snohomish city where the houses are further apart and still priced well, but otherwise everything is a development where you could reach out and touch your neighbor's house! Even places as far out as Duvall, Monroe, and Carnation suffer from this crowded design. I really hate that... back east you literally had 3 times the distance between houses. I'm buying a house on a corner lot now to help with this, but I'm still afraid my neighbor will get upset if I play a loud movie at night. That's no way to live.

[seattlenextyear]

Newer developments on the East coast also suffer from the cramming problem. I think its a trend in cookie cutter house design, and not a West coast phenomenon.

[Heiwos]

For $500K I'd buy in Redmond/Bellevue. (Pretty much what I'm planning to do.) You can have a nice place for that, esp. if you wait another year. If you could get a considerably better house in Sammamish for the money, that might be fully offset by the worse location over a decade or so, not just in terms of gas money, but also time, and because Redmond/Bellevue offers a better standard of living (IMO). For example, in exchange for less house, you get great & numerous parks.

The Issaquah Highlands is low-quality construction, the HOA is onerous, and you'd likely have to walk up the hill in the snow. Other than that, it's a relatively good location. I lived in Issaquah for more than a decade and liked it a lot. A lot better than Sammamish IMO. I agree with the poster above, that for my money in Issaquah I'd buy an older house on Squak Mountain. From there you & kids have better access to schools (except elementary), the pool, the library, and most Issaquah shopping/restaurants. Plus Squak Mtn. state park is a nice place to walk.