Question about Maple Valley (Seattle, Kent: apartment complex, leasing agent, how much)

[VeronikaW]

Bear with me here. When we decided to move to the Issaquah Highlands in 2007, some of my acquaintances in the Seattle area told me that they had always thought of Issaquah as the boondocks with no real reason to come out this way. Then the leasing agent of our apartment complex told us that back when they were first built, the houses up here that are selling for $500-700K sold for between $200-300K. I don't know if that's true or not, leasing agents sometimes will say anything. Anyway, we can't afford to buy in the Issaquah Highlands as much as I'd like to, and my husband and I always feel like we move to an area just a few years too late.

So, I've been looking at homes in Maple Valley. It seems like there are a lot of new homes out there, but that, to me, feels like the boondocks (they don't even have very good bus service to the city). So I'm wondering, do you think Maple Valley will become a place like Issaquah, that once seemed like the boondocks, but then suddenly has a great transit center, shopping, etc.? I'm just trying to find a place for my family of 4 to put down roots (without having $400-500K for a house), without my poor husband having a nightmare commute.

Thanks!

V. =)

[la_fuerza]

Issaquah never really was the boondocks, Veronika. It always had the downtown shopping area, strip malls along Gilman Blvd, and easy freeway access into the city. The city has just grown so much in the last several years and become more prestigious (and expensive).

Maple Valley doesn't have a real "downtown" or a freeway into the city. In that sense, it is more like the boondocks than Issaquah. Having said that, Maple Valley doesn't seem all that isolated to me. It's a pretty quick shot from 405 on the Maple Valley Highway. There are plenty of new housing developments in town and a growing population. I can see that area getting much more in the way of shopping and transit over the coming years.

BTW, I have co-workers who live in Maple Valley and they love it. If you and your husband can afford to buy a home there I say go for it.

[VeronikaW]

Thank you! Not being from here it's hard to know what the real story on some of these places is.

I just wish we could afford to buy in Issaquah, because I love it here.

[nfdsouza2001]

Veronika,

I live in Covington which abuts Maple Valley. I found over 100 homes from $200-$300 some of them require work, some are ready to be moved in but homes are available. Depending on your husbands location the commute can be painful however, there are ways to get around that with alternate routes.

[Ira500]

I might be wrong, but I think most of Covington is in the Kent school district, where most of Maple Valley is in the Tahoma district. The Kent district has some good schools, but the Tahoma district really shines, with very highly rated schools throughout the district.
Yes, school districts influence house prices. But, and I don't really know the answer to this one:
If your child is safe in school and going to/coming from school, and has the opportunity to learn and excel, how much of a difference does it make whether 90% of the students have passed the WASL tests or if only 60% passed?
I guess if you see test scores, and only 20% of the students have passed the WASL test, it might indicate that there will be classroom distractions, or that the teaching will be oriented towards the slower learners and not provide a lot of opportunities for more able learners.
But what does it indicate when 90% have passed the WASL test? Does it really mean that the school district is better, or does it simply mean that the school devotes a lot of energy to seeing that the students pass the test?
Sorry to go so off topic, but maybe it's relevant?

[VeronikaW]

Thanks, Ira. I'm starting to think we need to live more north than south of the city with my husband's job moving to South Lake Union in 2011. I'm just trying to figure out where we fit.

V. =)

[Ira500]

I'm just trying to figure out where we fit.


I can't answer that, but if you're looking north, Edmonds is awfully nice and has a fairly quick trip on the Sounder train.

[la_fuerza]

Originally Posted by Ira500

I can't answer that, but if you're looking north, Edmonds is awfully nice and has a fairly quick trip on the Sounder train

Isn't Edmonds kind of expensive too, Ira?

Veronika, I'm thinking a commute from Maple Valley to South Lake Union might not be that bad. There's people who make much longer commutes to their jobs. Have you done a dry run yet?

[VeronikaW]

Originally Posted by la_fuerza

Isn't Edmonds kind of expensive too, Ira?

Veronika, I'm thinking a commute from Maple Valley to South Lake Union might not be that bad. There's people who make much longer commutes to their jobs. Have you done a dry run yet?

No, not yet. My husband already thinks his commute from Issaquah is too long, so I think Maple Valley will be a hard sell.

Ira, I've been looking at houses in Edmonds. The ones in our price range look a little skanky (from the photos). One of these weekends we may go up and drive around and look.

V. =)

[Ira500]

Isn't Edmonds kind of expensive too, Ira?

Houses near the downtown Edmonds waterfront are generally expensive, but you don't have to go too far from home prices with an Edmonds address to be a lot lower, but Veronika is also right. In the lower priced homes, you can once in a while find an undervalued gem, but there's a lot of crap out here too.