Cost of living in Redmond? (Issaquah: new house, construction, contractor)

[Moon Waffle]

What would your standard 3 or 4 bedroom new construction house go for in the Redmond area? Say, 2,500 to 3,000 square feet?

What is the commute like from neighboring cities to Microsoft?

I have a potential job offer there but refuse to commute, yet I want to find a new home with the above specs that isn't going to kill the budget.

[scirocco22]

You'll have a difficult time finding a new construction close to Microsoft. There may be some here and there but most residential construction close to the campus has already been established. There may be some new constuction on English Hill and the north side of Education Hill but these are still a ways away from the campus. Redmond Ridge has a lot of new housing but the commute to Microsoft will be awful through the Novelty Hill Road and Avondale corridors.

I'm going to say a new house in the areas mentioned will be minimally about in the $700-800k range.

Obviously, traffic coming into Microsoft in all directions during the rush hour is ugly. You're right in wanting to stay as close as possible. With that said, you may have to settle for a house that isn't brand new.

[Evlevo]

Originally Posted by Moon Waffle

What would your standard 3 or 4 bedroom new construction house go for in the Redmond area? Say, 2,500 to 3,000 square feet?

What is the commute like from neighboring cities to Microsoft?

I have a potential job offer there but refuse to commute, yet I want to find a new home with the above specs that isn't going to kill the budget.

I agree with 'Rocco... your specs will be VERY difficult (if not impossible) to meet. If you can find something, You may well be out $1,000,000.

You can find something much more reasonable within about a 15 minute drive (under normal conditions) for much less, probably $500-700K. Microsoft really snarls things up though, so that might mean 30-45 minutes, with the majority spent on the off-ramp to Microsoft.

I would find some more info about the job though. Microsoft does have offices outside of Redmond (Issaquah, for example), and they also go through an extensive network of "sub-contractor" employers who have offices in the Bel-Red area, just not the Microsoft Campus. You might also be able to request a "swing-shift" or something that will help make traffic more bearable.