Marysville--bad areas? none? some? where? (Bellingham, Bothell: appointed, home builder, neighborhoods)

[cathlyn847]

My realtor is of strong opinion that Bellingham <prior thread of mine> is overpriced so he's been showing me houses in Marysville. My first impression was not positive. While neat and very clean there were no trees. I really want trees. Heck, it's the great NW!!

Then today I saw an section of Marysville full of cul de sacs and old growth trees, so I'm hopeful of finding a home there now.
My question is this, every town has it's bad section(s) how do I make sure I don't buy in a bad area? One house I looked at today was east of 51st NE
and south of 136th St NE and it was run down and the house next door had junk in the back yard...After seening how well maintained the houses were in the 'no tree' section, it made me wary... I must be careful.
It's such a big investment.
Anyone know the area?
Cathlyn

[the dufferz]

Cathlyn,

Well, you have seen Marysville for yourself. What you see is what you get I am afraid. The town does not have a good reputation. If there was a "redneck" part of the puget sound, Marysville would be on the list. You may want to drift farther south and east to Lake Stevens. Nice everything due to the lake, but the prices will be higher. Mount Vernon is a good alternative between Bellingham and Marysville, but it away for everything (although it does have a walmart).

So, for Marysville, here is what I have found. west of I-5 is mostly tribal land. Want to take a sad trip, follow Marine drive through the tribal land and count the number of signs that say "don't drink and drive. In honor of..." Really sad.

"downtown" Marysville: old homes Some nice yards, but not great, very few trees.

South side of downtown: ie sunnyside blvd. This is where most of the newer houses are being built. No trees.

North of downtown: North of 88th st. More trees between Smokey Point Blvd and 67th AVE NE. Homes are fairly nice, depending on the neighborhood.

East of Downtown: Everything east of 67th AVE, hill areas, home are more sparse, where there are developments, there are few trees.

Good luck.

The dufferz

[JDUB]

I dont know where the dufferz get his info. but as 40yr resident of Marysville if you find a "reasonably priced" home in Marysville or snohomish co. for that matter, dont buy it. As far as Lake Stevens goes give it 5 years and you will hate it. Marysville is over taxed, under serviced,average schools at best and if you have to deal with the City on a official level prepare yourself it is a treat!!! I would stay away from western wa. period.

[the dufferz]

JDub,

I guess I am lucky not to live there. My experiance is from working in the field, a lot of it in the neighborhoods in Marysville. What the realtor said about Bellingham is, from what I hear, true. High prices. Never said Marysville was cheap, but the appearance of the typical neighborhood (older then 10 years or so) do look cheap, so it is tough justifying paying the cost of housing. I can tell you that I live in the Bothell area, and my 1,500 sq. ft. home was assessed by the county at $325K. I could sell this home tomorrow for $385K. How does that compare to Marysville? Only your realtor knows.

Lake Stevens is growing, no doubt. But then again, what area around here is not? So you are right in your assessment of not living in western washington.

So it sounds like you and Cathlyn need to get together and make a deal!


the dufferz

[diggitydot]

DON'T MOVE INTO MARYSVILLE! Seriously, run...NOW!

Okay...sorry, had to get that out of my system. My husband's entire family lives between Stanwood and Marysville. It's a redneck hick town where the residents are so bored they create their own melodrama for entertainment.

All jokes about in-laws aside, the place is an absolute dump. Don't bother with it unless you have the means to dig a giant moat to keep the freaky locals at bay.

[kingoboo2]

Hey, I love western WA. I worked for 32 years in Sacto., CA and hated the heat among other things. I am not fortunate to own a real home. But I live in Mt. Vernon and love it and the services are fine except maybe for medical. I am not sure medical is wonderful anywhere. Anyway I probably would stay away from Marysville for sure, but NOT western WA.
boo2

[jwb123]

I am confused why one would be looking in Bellingham, and have Marysville as a second option... they are so far from one another! Like, an hour right? And totally different areas/vibe/community - totally don't get it.

[aussiegal]

I just have to add my 2 cents worth as well and wonder along with Jenbar why you would be looking at Bellingham or Marysville. That would be some commute to a job.

But since you're asking specific questions about Marysville, I'm not sure why everyone is agin Marysville. I've done a lot of business in and around Marysville, have very nice friends who live in Marysville and find that there are certainly very nice pockets of neighborhoods there both old and new. I haven't noticed that people in Marysville are of a different kind than people anywhere else.

I'm sure though that your Realtor can give you as much info about Marysville and its neighborhoods as we can here on the forum. But some things to look out for in older neighborhoods would be the general condition of the homes - are they nicely maintained, are the yards nicely maintained, is there a feeling of general neglect or on the other hand, is there a look of prosperity and care. The very best with your search and eventually finding your new home.

[chevylover]

I live in Marysville. I am in the process of trying to sell my home and I work for a home builder that has built a lot of homes in the area. I am going to be completely honest (and loose money) STAY AWAY!!! The schools are awful, property taxes are ridiculous, traffic is awful,
the police don't care and god help you if you move onto Tribal land. I have lived in this area all my life and have never been so disappointed by a town in this area. As soon as I sell my home I am SO out of here!! Hope this helps

[wythors]

I worked in Marysville for about a year and found the locals to be very "different*". Not a place that is on my list of places that I'd recommend.



*different - cliquish, standoffish, unfriendly, having poor personal hygiene.