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Old 05-24-2012, 02:57 PM
 
Location: Greater Seattle, WA Metro Area
1,930 posts, read 6,524,382 times
Reputation: 907

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My husband had the same selling to do to me as I loved my life where we were. So I made a list of all the financial have-to's in the package and they said we'll do #1. He told them no as I said I'm not going unless it's all of it. He said he'd have to have all of it. We got it. We had the luxury though of him already having a great job in a place we liked living so we could say no. Not everyone is in that spot. That being said he overall had a great experience working there and has just left for a job with comp and title that likely would not have been possible had he not made the move to AMZN. He learned a lot in the time he was there and would recommend it overall as a place to work. Has it's quirks for sure but was a very dynamic and intense learning experience. He was grateful to be a part of the most successful company of our generation.
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Old 05-24-2012, 02:59 PM
 
Location: West Coast - Best Coast!
1,979 posts, read 3,517,780 times
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I grew up in Bellevue (as my SN would suggest) and live there now, and went to the same middle and high schools that serve Medina. They're outstanding...supportive parents, dedicated (and spirited) students, high achieving, great athletics, as well. Mercer Island is known for the same. So I don't think you could go wrong with either in terms of schools.

Pros of Medina: proximity to downtown Bellevue or Seattle, fairly compact neighborhood, easy (and fast, now that 520 is tolled) commute to Seattle (especially Amazon's SLU location).

Pros of Mercer Island: potential proximity to Bellevue or Seattle (but you'd have to ride through Seattle to get to Amazon's campus in SLU, which is north of downtown), beautiful place with small streets, lots of trees.

One thing that people don't mention about Mercer Island, but I think is a big deal: The island is bigger than you might think it is at first, and where your house is located makes a huge difference in how quickly you could get to/from Bellevue or Seattle. If your house is near the south tip of the island, it can take a long time to get to I-90. Medina isn't as big, so it doesn't take nearly as long to get to the highway. So when you look at houses in the two communities (and I do think you should look at both), keep that in mind.

Additional areas you might want to look in are the Enatai/Killarney Circle/Beaux Arts and Meydenbauer neighborhoods of Bellevue. They are in the west part of the city, share the same middle and high school as Medina (Enatai Elementary instead, which is where I went). Beaux Arts is actually its own town. That area sits on the water just like Medina and Mercer Island, and when you're driving through the neighborhoods it feels much like Mercer Island, which is just across a short bridge. That neighborhood would be convenient to both Bellevue and Seattle, it's right by a major Park & Ride with express buses to Seattle, and puts you on the biking route along I-90. Nice houses, many with water views or on waterfront.

ETA: You should also consider Clyde Hill, which is situated between Bellevue and Medina, in my opinion, if you haven't already.
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Old 05-24-2012, 04:00 PM
 
2,064 posts, read 4,426,192 times
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ok thanks! i was looking at the northern part of MI because the southern tip does look pretty far from the I90.

i will look in both areas.

texastrigirl, do you do a lot of triathlons? i usually compete in 2-3/year mostly olympic distance. how is the tri community in seattle?
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Old 05-24-2012, 08:50 PM
 
Location: WA
4,242 posts, read 8,760,686 times
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No, you can walk from where the 554 drops you off downtown. One bus. My hubby does it every day and he's not athletic at all. You just have to ignore the homeless people and resist the temptation to stop for donuts, biscuits, pastries, etc.
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Old 05-24-2012, 09:20 PM
 
Location: Greater Seattle, WA Metro Area
1,930 posts, read 6,524,382 times
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I was heavily involved in triathlon in TX hence the name as the moniker was developed while still in TX. I have helped coach a few groups out here for a few races but I teach so many classes at the gym now I don't have time to train much for myself anymore between that, my other job and my kids! My husband is back to racing this year so maybe I will try a few. Tons of great races though in the area starting in early June through Sept. You have a few Sprint tris for warm ups and then the Seafair Tri is in late July. Also the Kirkland Tri is a good one in Sept and I had a few friends do the Mercer Tri as well and enjoy it. Beaver Lake Tri is a fun race too. I am more in tune with the races on the Eastside but people rave about the Lake Stevens Half Ironman experience and I have friends that regularly do the Coeur d'Lane Ironman. So plenty of folks doing that and it's very easy to plug into trail running groups and races as well as cycling groups.
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Old 05-24-2012, 09:27 PM
 
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nice, sounds good up there.

taking one bus is great. glad to hear that.
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Old 05-25-2012, 02:39 PM
 
Location: West Coast - Best Coast!
1,979 posts, read 3,517,780 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RVD90277 View Post
nice, sounds good up there.

taking one bus is great. glad to hear that.
You would be able to take one bus from either MI or Medina. Both have several routes that would drop you off downtown, where you could either walk to Amazon or take the South Lake Union Trolley, which was basically made for getting people to Amazon's campus.
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Old 05-25-2012, 05:28 PM
 
3,117 posts, read 4,577,423 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RVD90277 View Post
ok thanks! i was looking at the northern part of MI because the southern tip does look pretty far from the I90.

i will look in both areas.

texastrigirl, do you do a lot of triathlons? i usually compete in 2-3/year mostly olympic distance. how is the tri community in seattle?
Yeah, the northern side is the way to go. It's the part of the island I live on, and I like it immensely. That said, I don't know that 1.5 million is going to get you something real solid on that side. Certainly not waterfront. Probably more South/South-Central part of the island. Southern tip will take you 15 minutes to 90, which is a real drag. Lighting also sucks down there, so if you're riding a bike, you're taking your life into your hands.

1.5 will get you laughed right out of Medina.
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Old 05-25-2012, 09:18 PM
 
Location: West Coast - Best Coast!
1,979 posts, read 3,517,780 times
Reputation: 2343
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanathos View Post

1.5 will get you laughed right out of Medina.
Not necessarily, the thing is there isn't a ton of turnover in Medina, and only a small number of the properties that do turn over are going to be in that price range. I see a handful of nice properties in Clyde Hill and West Bellevue within that range, and several on Mercer Island (including the north half of the island).
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Old 05-26-2012, 12:01 AM
 
1,316 posts, read 2,460,443 times
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A great website to browse for homes is zillow.com. You are able to see houses that are for sale and ones that have sold. It will also give you other important data like property taxes and resale history. I used it searching for our vacation house and found it to be a great source of information. Did a quick search and there are definitely more houses for sale in your price range on Mercer Island vs. Medina. It's a great time to purchase. Interest rates are at record lows. Enjoy your search!
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