What about Burien? (Seattle: crime, houses, to buy)

[beatrixb]

Hello all,

My husband and I currently live in North Seattle and are looking to buy our first house with our meager savings. Our income level will definitely push us south of Seattle. We are looking at a couple of houses in Burien that are in the area north of S 140th Street and east of 1st Avenue South. I've read that areas north of 150th or so can be sketchy.

Any opinions out there about the northeast area of Burien in regards to crime? We have no children so we don't have the particular concerns that parents might, but are concerned about crime in general.

[LongDawson]

I like Burien and I don't there is a particular problem with crime, relative to other areas. I just checked listings in the area I like, using redfin.com, and prices are surprisingly high. No good deals really. Here is one for example, the least expensive listing.

1644 SW 164th St
Burien, WA 98166
Price: $275,000

I like the area north of Sylvester Road and west of the medical center. Close to the beach, parks, and I love the little shops and restaurants all around Burien. It is part of Seattle that has a heart, in my opinion.

[Ira500]

I also like Burien.
Yes, some of the areas north of 150th can be a bit sketchy, as can some of the areas east of 1st Avenue south, but it's a block by block thing, so some blocks are perfectly nice.
I wouldn't necessarily avoid the areas where the houses are, but I'd want to visit the street at different times during the day to get a feel for what's going on.
Likewise, you also might want to check out houses in the 98178 zip code. Again, some sketchy parts, and some very nice parts, but generally comparable in prices to the area you mentioned, but often a little quieter.