Suburbs with 200k homes within an hour driving distance from Seattle (Tacoma: apartment, HOA)

[newintown89]

Can someone recommend suburbs within an hour distance of Seattle, that have a decent job market, and houses 200k max, if this place even exists? Also, somewhere that’s not in the middle of nowhere.

[Diana Holbrook]

Good livable places under $200K are getting hard to find that even two hours south of Seattle here in Rochester.

[CrazyDonkey]

Tacoma area. Decent local job market, plus commutable to Seattle via Sounder or ST Express Buses. For instance:

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...t/10_zm/0_mmm/

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...t/11_zm/0_mmm/

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...t/11_zm/0_mmm/

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...t/11_zm/0_mmm/

Not plush nor in the "best" areas. Put some of the money you save into improvements and security.

[thatguy950]

Probably doesn’t exist in 2018

[CapitalBat]

SFH, townhouse, condo? How many bedrooms? That’s probably an impossible dream but depending on your parameters. We are 1.5-2 hours north of Seattle and you can’t get a decent livable SFH for less than ~270

[Thom52]

My daughter can't even find a condo in the Seattle area for under $200k, in an area that wouldn't be risking your life daily. (and remember the HOA dues on top of the payments)

She rents an apartment 4 miles from where she works in Seattle and it takes her 40 minutes to get to work, biking to work resulted in several crashes before she gave up on that idea. Walking 8 miles a day is impractical for a walking commute. Public transit takes even longer.

You are dreaming.

[Ruth4Truth]

"Within an hour's distance of Seattle" and "within a one-hour commute of Seattle" are two very different things. The commute hours slow everything way down, so that the one-hour distance becomes potentially two hours.

That said, I looked at Mt. Vernon, which is one hour away outside of commute hours. The cheapest I found there were a little over $250K, though you might find something cheaper, say--a 1 or 2 br. house, or a condo. I think Tacoma is your best bet, and the commute is easy, by train. Tacoma's growing and to some extent, gentrifying, in large part because of the proximity to Seattle and the easy train commute, so if you buy, you'll see your property appreciate.

Good luck. You'll need it, but it's not impossible, unless you require a 3-br. place, or something.

[mayfair]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

"Within an hour's distance of Seattle" and "within a one-hour commute of Seattle" are two very different things. The commute hours slow everything way down, so that the one-hour distance becomes potentially two hours.

That said, I looked at Mt. Vernon, which is one hour away outside of commute hours.

Yes, Mount Vernon can easily take 2 hours or longer during commute times- it would be a horrible daily commute. There's a train from Mt. Vernon but I don't know how often it runs.

[CapitalBat]

Originally Posted by mayfair

Yes, Mount Vernon can easily take 2 hours or longer during commute times- it would be a horrible daily commute. There's a train from Mt. Vernon but I don't know how often it runs.

I think only once in the early morning and again in the evening. It’s not a reasonable commuting plan more than every now and again (i.e. a telecommuter who occasionally goes in), and even then you’d have to be up for a long, long ride.

[kynight]

Look at condos. I think there could be nice ones in that range and distance of Seattle.