Frustrated with House Shopping (Seattle, Bellevue: wood floors, for sale, real estate)

[Polymorphist]

Warning: this is a rant, and a long one at that.

I've about had it with this area. I've had it with the sky-rocketing prices, even for someone like me who is in an upper-income bracket and does well. I've had it with watching what the commute might be like. I've had it with being stuck in the boonies for a good house and a good price, and i've absolutely had it with having to choose to live in a ghetto for a good house and a good price.

I've just about had it in general with Seattle.

I want to live on the Eastside, specifically Issaquah but i'll take Factoria/South Bellevue. I already live in Factoria and know that the commute in and out and the location are about perfect for me. I already know this. Issaquah I just like and the commute also won't be too bad for me. However, I can't find a place that won't cost me an arm and a leg and require me to get married just so i'll have another person to help with housing costs. I'm not living in a condo, i'm done with that. I'm done with spicy cultural cooking odors, neighbors who smoke and blow smoke out of their windows only to go into your window, teenage girls who stomp the bass through the wall and jump around on the floor. I'm just done with condo life. Unfortunately, that probably rules out Factoria (which is alllll condo) and Issaquah (for the price).

I found a nice, 1600 foot, nine year-old house in Seattle. It has very high ceilings, wood floors, three bedrooms. It's very nice. It's on the light rail line, one block from one of the stations. It is just south of Columbia City (however not actually IN Columbia City), I think it's New Holly or Holly Park, not exactly sure which neighborhood. It's...sort of convenient, easy access to I-90 and definitely easy rail transit into Seattle and soon to the U Dist and Northgate. Definitely could be worse such as Bothell or Auburn.

So then, what's the problem? Well, I went and looked around the area after dark last night, about 8-9pm, drove MLK Jr Way to the neighborhood, and then up Othello to Rainier Ave. What did I see? I saw crack dealers standing on street corners and hanging around the side streets. I saw skinny, worn, haggard looking people whom are very obviously crack addicts trolling the streets. It was 20 degrees out last night and there were an army of these zombie-like creatures out looking for their next fix. I shudder to think what a summer night might be like. I stopped into Rite Aid and there was an armed security officer stationed at the door. On the door was posted a large notice for a $1000 reward for information regarding armed robberies on retail stores in the area. I saw gang tags spray painted on the various buildings throughout the area. The funny thing is that these properties are going very quickly, and it might be a good investment in 6-10 years due to the light rail (the plan is for the rail to be operational all the way to Lynnwood in about six years). The area might come around, but I don't know.

I don't know if I can live there. Seriously. I keep odd hours and like to go out for runs after dark, or walk around the neighborhood. I don't think I can do that there. I need to decide quickly, though, because it'll probably be gone by Monday. I'm kind of pissed off that this is what i'm reduced to in order to avoid a horrendous commute by living in Bothell/Lynnwood or Kent/Auburn. I was thinking SeaTac, but then one evening it took me nearly an hour and a half to get there from downtown Seattle. Seriously, an HOUR AND A HALF. I'm pretty much ONLY going to work in Seattle, Bellevue or Redmond, and of those probably only Bellevue or Redmond. I need an easier commute. I'm so pissed at how long it's taking to get public transit up and going, i'm so pissed about jammed highways. I'm just pissed at how this area has been managed.

I'm just frustrated with this process. My good friend is a real estate broker and he's been a great help, but I get the feeling that he's getting tired of trying to help me because i'm not pulling the trigger. I was about to make an offer on a townhome in Issaquah, however because I mainly do project work the mortgage lender came back with a requirement for extra reserves. Ugh. All of the other townhomes i'm finding are way too expensive and there haven't been any less expensive ones available lately. I don't know if my frustrations are unreasonable or normal.

[tobester]

Just my two cents ... I live near the area you speak of and know several people who live in New Holly. Yeah, there's lots going on on parts of Rainier late at night. My solution - don't go out on those parts of Rainier late and night and interact with the crack dealers. I've lived in this area for 28 years and love it.

[Hemlock140]

Have you tried the Klahanie area, between Issaquah and Sammamish on the plateau? Very peaceful and quiet, somewhat older late 80's homes and townhomes. The eastside is still experiencing a shortage of homes for sale, especially if under $500,000. One around the corner for us just sold in less than a week. I don't know what it sold for but it was offered at $475k. For the price range of Columbia City without having to see the crime activity you may have to go farther out to places like Mill Creek.

[beautifulseattlehomes]

I would stretch my horizons and look in different areas than the ones you have earmarked. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you find vs cost vs commute time.

The area in Seattle that you found the house in has a lot going for it ...feels very urban, affordable and close to everything but feeling unsafe and hog tied to when I can take a run would be a deal breaker for me personally. Growing up in Manhattan and DC and having a lifetimes worth of urban angst imprinted forever on me! That being said I feel safe in almost every part of Manhattan I spend time in now and less safe in certain neighborhoods of Seattle by comparison. Strange!

My best advice, look in some other areas. I would not buy a home in a neighborhood where you have such huge reservations about safety!

[modc]

You said you need an easy commute to Bellevue or Redmond and possibly Seattle. Maybe it's time to look at some other areas. Where have you looked in Redmond? What about Finn Hill? Both of those places have safe neighborhoods and have a suburban feel that you seem to prefer.

[amaiunmei]

Originally Posted by modc

You said you need an easy commute to Bellevue or Redmond and possibly Seattle. Maybe it's time to look at some other areas. Where have you looked in Redmond? What about Finn Hill? Both of those places have safe neighborhoods and have a suburban feel that you seem to prefer.

Redmond's waaaaaaay more expensive than Bellevue; the lack of inventory there makes the prices much higher.

[Sadie181]

If you can wait until the summer them I would. There will be way more inventory and it won't be such a cut throat market like it is in the winter!

[Seacove]

If this year is like last year, you're entering a very competitive time in the housing market. Not a lot of inventory and anything in the $500K range or less tends to go quickly. Not sure why you are so against Bothell since there are a lot of decent houses for the money around there and Bothell goes all along 405 all the way to 522. But tossing Bothell out, there might be some older smaller homes around Kirkland, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, etc. and as Hemlock mentioned, Klahanie in Issaquah would have seemed one of your first targets. Those homes probably need updates, the yards are smaller so there might be some pricing compromises. Just need to search them out or move on to less green pastures.

[Ruth4Truth]

Have you tried the Seward Park neighborhood? In the opposite direction, try Victory Heights and Pinehurst, off 15th Ave. NE and Northgate Way. Convenient to transit, and there are smaller, more affordable homes there in a beautiful area full of trees. Go just north of there, and it's more affordable still.

[Ira500]

The last couple of years have been pretty bad, inventory wise. When you couple that with the fact that inventory is always lowest in the winter, it is frustrating. It's not that easy being a home buyer in most of the Seattle area these days. Inventory is up a little bit from a year ago, and there will be higher inventory as the weather warms up. At some point it will get easier, but all signs point to another low inventory summer, even if it 'll be a little better than last summer.