$180K budget for condo - which area would you recommend? (Seattle: rent, home)

[gchanel5]

I'm relocating to WA and I'm looking for a condo with $180k budget. I work from home so there's no commute concern. I'd like the following:

(1) Safe nice neighborhood
(2) High walking score
(3) Close to grocery stores
(4) Good public transportation

Which area will you recommend in Washington? Thanks!

[clickclackpow]

u should rent for a yr and get a feel for the area, then ull decide where u wan buy

[tobester]

Walla Walla is nice! You need to narrow your search down a bit ... Washington is a big state.

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by gchanel5

I'm relocating to WA and I'm looking for a condo with $180k budget. I work from home so there's no commute concern. I'd like the following:

(1) Safe nice neighborhood
(2) High walking score
(3) Close to grocery stores
(4) Good public transportation

Which area will you recommend in Washington? Thanks!

In Washington (all-of), don't know.

In Seattle metro, would recommend Mill Creek as a good hit on all your criteria. I lived there more than ten years, in a condo, and had few complaints other than commute to eastside (not a concern for you, sounds-like). I was on the north side, bordering Silver Lake, and bought because they were offering deals on the last couple units in the complex. To do it over again, would probably live a bit closer to the town proper (maybe a mile south), that much closer to the bus line to Canyon Park TC. You can get most places from Canyon Park TC, though I didn't find it as easy as Bellevue TC or anything downtown. I wouldn't bet the farm on bus services, in a time of cutbacks.

When I bought, there was no "town" other than a grocery plaza a mile south. Now, there is.

Must say I'm a bit proud Mill Creek made Money magazine's "Top 50 Small Towns" list, recently, though how one calls a bedroom community of greater Seattle metro a "small town" might be open to interpretation.

Zillow has quite a bit on Mill Creek, check it out.