Talus? (Issaquah, Newport, Snoqualmie: rental, condos, townhouse)

[eskercurve]

So today I was driving around with my wife in some pretty nice areas and I was wondering what is up with Talus? Is this a planned development area that just never got around to having a town center? Is the central building you see as you drive up the hill the center? Anyone live there or know someone who does? How are the homes there? They seem reasonably priced but then again I don't know about living so far from work ...

[allforcats]

Google is your friend, my friend
City of Issaquah - TALUS

[MichaelinWA]

The big building you're seeing is probably Timber Ridge, the multi-story retirement community there.

[ajp2004]

Greetings from a Talus resident. I live in the only rental community in Talus, Estates at Cougar Mountain. Nice amenities (big pool) but lots of residential turnover too.

Michael is correct, the main complex you see when you go up Talus Drive from SR900 is a retirement center -- condos and assisted living facility. Just opened a year ago or so.

They've been on again/off again working on a corporate center on the land just below the retirement center, to be built into the mountside somewhat. Seems to be on hold now given the recession.

Also plans for a small convenience store area between the retirement complex and the first side street, Shy Bear Way. Again, development seems to be on hold. But without that there's zero retail in Talus.

Home prices have been plummeting in Talus since Jan 2008. For example, the first townhouse subdivision (Copperridge) you see after the retirement center featured resales at $475k at that time. Now they're as low as $275k.

Unfortunately developers have flooded Talus in the last two years with new townhomes, especially the Centerra project, which just opened. Townhomes there are going for $350-$450k or so, which is putting downward pressure on the "older" Copperrridge that was built in 2006. And now there's a series of condos that have opened just past the retirement center with condos listed as low as $250k.

Single family homes have stayed above the $500k mark until this spring, when the Mountaire subdivision started a free fall to the mid 400k range. But most homes are far more expensive than that, pushing $1 million.

Hope this is helpful info. I'm moving from Talus to Snoqualmie Ridge in six weeks when my new home is built. Was able to get much better value out there, and it's only ten minutes east of Talus.

[MichaelinWA]

Thanks for sharing that update. We looked at Talus a couple of years ago before deciding that the homes were a little too pricey at the time.

The setting seems nice, and there is quite a bit of nearby (with a car) shopping, such as on Gilman.

What was that steep hill like during last year's snow and ice storms?

[ajp2004]

Surprisingly not bad, and I just had front wheel drive. I didn't get stuck once there. Though I did get stuck trying to get out of my underground parking garage! And I slid like crazy on Gillman & SR900.

[seattlenextyear]

Is SR900 bikeable?

[Ira500]

SR 900 is bikeable, but not good for biking. It has narrow shoulders, and cars that tends to go higher than the speed limit. But people do bike on it. If you could do it at times other than morning and afternoon rush hour, it'd be a lot easier.

[ajp2004]

Main problem with SR900 is that it's torn up for expansion from a two lane to a four lane road between Talus and Newport. They've been at it almost a year now, looks like at least another couple months or more ahead for the construction crews.

[spakanatoy]

SR900-it depends but usually there seems to be a lot of traffic this is facing Talus. And yes like what MichaelinWA said- I changed my mind the minute I saw how steep the road going down is.