College graduate in the mortgage/banking industry relocating from dallas to seattle w/family. Any advice is helpful (Bellevue: sales, 2013)

[shab0430]

Hi,
My husband and I will be relocating from Dallas, Tx to Seattle Area next year after I graduate from College for me to attend grad school at Northwest University in Kirkland. I am trying to get as much info as possible as far as family friendly neighboorhoods with good schools, affordablitity and monthly utilities/gas etc. I currently work in the mortgage/banking industry (i.e. foreclosure, bankruptcy, loan processing etc) and my husband is a Graphic designer. Where would be a good affordable place to move to as far as work, schools for my son who is 4yrs old, etc. We are looking at renting a 3 or 4 bedroom home with a budget of $1700 a month or less (to rent). We like the outdoors and parks. Also I love the water. Living in Texas we absolutely have no problem with commuting as I currently drive and hour to get to work, but would love a shorter commute as it looks like the best place for my husband to find work would be the DT Seattle area. We currently make roughly $55,000 a year and rent a 3bdrm/2bath home. Where would be a nice, safe, affordable, family friendly place to move to in the greater seattle area? (sorry for the long list but Im clueless on this stuff) Any advice is helpful. We are looking to move August 2013

[Seacove]

There must be a big sign in Texas; we're being overrun. Popular school districts here are Issaquah and Lake Washington. While you'll be attending classes in Kirkland, you might consider something like Klahanie in Issaquah for living since it would put you close to I-90 which is an easy commute to Seattle and is already on the Eastside (so centrally located). Klahanie is an older development and the houses are a little more economical to rent or buy. Issaquah has all the children's programs you can want, schools, sports, etc. You could also look in Kirkland but that will put you by the 520 bridge which now has a toll to Seattle and going South to 90 will be a lot of traffic. Redmond can be pretty pricey and most of Bellevue is pricey too although you might look at the Crossroads area and Newport Hills, both of which have older homes that might be less. The cost of living is higher here, mainly housing and food. Maybe you'll make more; I'm not sure what demand there is for mortgage banking. Since we have a lot of tech companies, graphic design might be in demand depending on the level and type of skills.

[shab0430]

From what I've seen as far as research for mortgage/banking there are alot of positions that are in bellevue, factoria, and lynnwood area, also DT Seattle. It looks like the avearage salary is between $37,000 and $40,000 for me and about $35,000 to $40,000 for my husband. Is that good for Klahanie/Issaquah or would we need to make more?

[Seacove]

Combined, you'd be fine I think. Childcare is expensive here but if your son is starting school, that will help. You can search rentals in Klahanie on Craig's list, research schools and children's programs in Issaquah and Google images of Issaquah to get an idea of the area. My guess is you will make more money working in Bellevue/Factoria than you would Lynnwood. That is based on Bellevue's overall affluence. Here's another link to apartment homes: http://www.summerwalkatklahanieliving.com/

[Hemlock140]

Definitely a flood of people from Texas lately.

Your budget of $1,700/mo for a 3 br 2 ba is not going to get you that in the areas you will want to be with great schools, think more like $2,800 and up or an apartment. Still, if combined you can make
$70-80k you should be able to afford that. In Sammamish, the median family income is $125,000, Issaquah $90,000, Bellevue $106,500. From what other people that move here tell us, everything costs more here than in Texas bu they seem to like the cooler weather despite the rain.

[shab0430]

Thanks for advice on Issaquah, I found lots of places under $2000 we were looking for houses to rent not apartments, but it looks like if we get minimum of $70-$80k (which is the minimum pay for our fields) we should be just fine. Can you guys tell me about the utilities/gas/food prices there? for a family of 3. We arent leaving until August 2013 but I figured the earlier I get started will be the better. We plan to come visit in August of this year to look at neighborhoods

[Hemlock140]

I'll start with gas since I just filled up, it was $3.79 and has been going up 5-6 cents a day the last week. We have one of the highest gas tax rates in the country.

For utilities, with 3 people and 3,000 sf home we spend as much as $300/month in the winter freezing temperatures, down to about $100
in summer, rarely hot enough here to need air conditioning. We have a couple of window units but never turned them on last year.

I would say that food is not bad, produce is higher than where it's grown
more, such as California. during the summer we get it at the farmer's market in Issaquah where the prices are great and it's fresh from the Yakima valley.

With Costco 6 miles away much of our other groceries are from there. I think you will find services such as car and appliance repair higher than Texas, and possibly even car insurance. Sales tax is at 10%.

[shab0430]

Question: If I am applying for jobs before we actually get to Seattle, will I get turned down because I wont have an address there yet or do I give my school address? I saw lots of forums that said I probably wouldnt get hired if Im out of state is this true?

[Seacove]

If your skills are no different than what is available locally, it is likely true. Have you even been to Washington State before? You may not like the weather or the culture. A local with the same skills you have is a safer bet for a employers here. However, if your skills are exceptional or unique, you certainly have a chance. I would think that will be true anywhere, not just here. All you have to do is read some of the threads here to see that not everyone that moves here likes it and you're coming from a place very different here. It doesn't mean you have no chance, it just means it may be quite challenging.

[LaylaM]

As far as family-friendly affordable neighborhoods that might offer you a home rental in your budget, I would consider looking in the Lake Hills, Sherwood Forest and adjacent Overlake neighborhoods of Bellevue. Education Hill in Redmond and Totem Lake and Rose Hill in Kirkland, as well. All of these areas will have some clean, well-maintained, older homes for rent near to your budget. They also have well-rated schools and family-friendly neighborhoods. The population will be of mixed age and also pretty multi-cultural, since the East Side is populated with many families who relocate for Microsoft and other regional IT positions.

Our cost of living is 20 percent above the national average, so you will definitely feel some sticker shock coming from Dallas. Shopping at Costco Fred Meyer, Target and thrift stores should help a bit.

Best of luck and please don't hesitate to write with more questions!