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Old 09-14-2013, 12:54 PM
 
1,632 posts, read 6,832,770 times
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Years ago, I accepted a position with Boeing and the official job posting referred to "Tukwila," even though the office was at Longacres on the edge of Renton.

This HR labeling quirk might not still be in effect, but in my case (working at Longacres), we opted to relocate to the East Renton Highlands and never regretted it at all. The neighborhood and commute were both very nice. Fairwood is another good option for that site. Some of the other areas mentioned, like Seward Park/Columbia City and West Seattle, are good possibilities also, depending on work location.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tobester View Post
When you say Tukwila, exactly where? My Boeing office is listed as 'Tukwila' but at the Development Center near the Flight Museum. If you are working at the DC or nearby, consider Seward Park (where I live) or Columbia City. My commute is 15 minutes from out the door to at my desk.
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Old 01-10-2014, 06:26 PM
 
Location: Auburn (Seattle), WA
17 posts, read 26,553 times
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Thank you all for your input, it was really helpful. I was holding off on replying and adding more information until after I knew a little more about the position and location. The location will actually be in Seattle, outside of Georgetown. Here is a link https://maps.google.com/maps?q=boein...ed=0CAoQ_AUoAA . It also comes with a relocation incentive, which allows us to buy a house. We would be looking for a three bedroom with at least a small yard to let the dogs out. Our price range would be no more than $330,000, in a nice, safe, yet young and fun area. How would any of this additional information change your advice, if not at all. Thanks again for all the help.

Thanks,
Ted
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Old 01-11-2014, 07:58 AM
 
7,934 posts, read 8,571,054 times
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I wouldn't buy a house till you know the area better and have a better idea you'll actually like it as a longer term place to live, but I think you will. Nothing against Philly PA but I suspect you'll find Seattle to be an upgrade in just about any way you can imagine, once you get your bearings and figure out what's what.
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Old 01-11-2014, 01:37 PM
 
9,618 posts, read 27,291,711 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tscherm1 View Post
Thank you all for your input, it was really helpful. I was holding off on replying and adding more information until after I knew a little more about the position and location. The location will actually be in Seattle, outside of Georgetown. Here is a link https://maps.google.com/maps?q=boein...ed=0CAoQ_AUoAA . It also comes with a relocation incentive, which allows us to buy a house. We would be looking for a three bedroom with at least a small yard to let the dogs out. Our price range would be no more than $330,000, in a nice, safe, yet young and fun area. How would any of this additional information change your advice, if not at all. Thanks again for all the help.

Thanks,
Ted
Nice, safe, yet young and fun, and under 330,000. That rules a lot of places out. So maybe something close to downtown Renton( which is a little young and fun) or close to downtown Burien( a little more young and fun.) Both would be about a 15 minute drive to your location. West Seattle would be good, except it's hard to find something at that cost except in areas less young and fun, or less nice. White Center is young and fun, and close to a big dog park, but it's thought of as less nice( but a helluva lot nicer than North Philly or Camden.)
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Old 01-13-2014, 02:21 PM
 
Location: Wallace, Idaho
3,353 posts, read 6,652,920 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tscherm1 View Post
Thank you all for your input, it was really helpful. I was holding off on replying and adding more information until after I knew a little more about the position and location. The location will actually be in Seattle, outside of Georgetown. Here is a link https://maps.google.com/maps?q=boein...ed=0CAoQ_AUoAA . It also comes with a relocation incentive, which allows us to buy a house. We would be looking for a three bedroom with at least a small yard to let the dogs out. Our price range would be no more than $330,000, in a nice, safe, yet young and fun area. How would any of this additional information change your advice, if not at all. Thanks again for all the help.

Thanks,
Ted
You could look right around Georgetown. It's an older Seattle neighborhood, but there are a few bars and restaurants to pick from. It has kind of a gritty industrial vibe, with a lot of old brick buildings repurposed into things like music stores and art schools. And when I say gritty, I don't mean ghetto. Seattle has nothing even remotely like the slums on the East Coast. It's kind of an isolated little neighborhood, right at the southern edge of the city, and it almost feels like its own little town. Yet you can get to downtown in 15 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic. Pretty quiet place with some older houses -- I imagine you could find what you're looking for there, and probably at a better price than if you lived closer in to downtown. $330K with three bedrooms is pushing it anywhere in Seattle, but the farther from downtown you are, in general, the more affordable the houses.

We live in Renton and drive through Georgetown every day. Renton and Burien would both be decent options. West Seattle also isn't too far away and has a great atmosphere, though it's more expensive and you have to get in and out on a big bridge that can clog up at rush hour.

As for what to expect out here versus the East Coast -- people are a lot more laid back, the pace of life is slower, and the weather is better. As long as nine months of clouds and drizzle don't bother you, you'll love it. And anyway, the summers are gorgeous and well worth the wait. Sunny and dry, usually in the 70s, with a few days in the low 80s. Can't ask for much better.
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Old 01-19-2014, 09:04 AM
 
Location: Auburn (Seattle), WA
17 posts, read 26,553 times
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So thanks again for all the comments and advice; it's very helpful. Our intention is to rent for about 6-9 months before we buy, probably. I wouldn't normally just move to a new area and purchase a home, but that's the incentive offered through the relocation package. They offer covering closing costs on the house and some of the incidentals, as well. You have to purchase home within your first year, I believe. So it does give us a little time. We're in kind of a weird period of our lives, in which we want to be near the action so to speak, and yet have our own space. It seems like Seattle can really offer that. Right now we live in the suburbs of Wilmington DE, and although it's nice here, it's very boring, and not much to do. On the other hand we lived in Northern Liberites, in downtown Philly, prior to moving to Wilmington and that was a lot of fun, but inconvenient for the dogs, with no yards available. We also want to eventually have kids here soon, so schools and a safe area would be a good consideration too. Too many factors haha. It's starting to sound like we want to have our cake and eat it too. I'm guessing we're either going to have to up our budget to get what we want or lower our expectations. How far away are some of the northern neighborhoods, like Ballard, Queen Anne, greenwood phinney ridge, etc.? Does renton have a walkable area downtown? Thanks again for all the inputs. You're really helping us out and influencing our search.
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Old 02-12-2014, 07:38 PM
 
Location: Auburn (Seattle), WA
17 posts, read 26,553 times
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Leave it to us to complicate this situation even more; but we just found out yesterday my wife is pregnant. This of course changes our search criteria a little. We still want the same sort of area, but safety and walk ability is extremely important. Schools are also a concern, not that it's an immediate issue, but eventually will be important. I would still love something with a downtown, but the suburbs will be fine; just something family friendly, particularly younger families. Price is now extremely important too, since saving is essential; a 3 bedroom $330,000 or less, preferably less. We're headed out to finally house hunt this next week, but I wanted to figure out the areas we want to explore beforehand, since we have limited time and don't want waste it. If your advice still stands, then no further input needed, but if anyone has any other information, feel free to chime in. Thanks again for all the information.
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Old 02-13-2014, 12:06 PM
 
9,618 posts, read 27,291,711 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tscherm1 View Post
Leave it to us to complicate this situation even more; but we just found out yesterday my wife is pregnant. This of course changes our search criteria a little. We still want the same sort of area, but safety and walk ability is extremely important. Schools are also a concern, not that it's an immediate issue, but eventually will be important. I would still love something with a downtown, but the suburbs will be fine; just something family friendly, particularly younger families. Price is now extremely important too, since saving is essential; a 3 bedroom $330,000 or less, preferably less. We're headed out to finally house hunt this next week, but I wanted to figure out the areas we want to explore beforehand, since we have limited time and don't want waste it. If your advice still stands, then no further input needed, but if anyone has any other information, feel free to chime in. Thanks again for all the information.
Congratulations!
If the question is " Where can I find a three bedroom house in the Seattle area for under 330 thousand, with a bit of a yard for the dog, in an area with decent schools, that's safe and walkable, and not a terrible commute from Boeing Field/Georgetown?", I see a few options:

1. Normandy Park-
Near Puget Sound. It's pretty. It's safe. There's a great elementary school. It has a Trader Joe's. Five minute drive to downtown Burien, which has bookstores, cafes, a brewpub, an independent cinema, and some of the best Mexican food in the Seattle area. Burien itself has nice parts, and I think of downtown Burien (SW 152nd, between 2nd AVE SW and about 16th SW) as charming, pleasant, and fun. But Burien's schools are not on par with Normandy Park's Marvista Elementary.

2. Renton, in the Issaquah school district. More of a suburban feel, it's a little further east, so closer to the "Issaquah Alps", Cascade mountain foothills. Great hiking nearby. Sufficient enough amount of restaurants and supermarkets(great produce stand/meat market/seafood market) but for a real downtown, it's 10 minutes or so to either downtown Renton or downtown Issaquah.

3. Renton, Kent school district:
Also a little further east. Includes Fairwood, where there's a golf course and country club, and Woodside, a newer development of homes. Family friendly, lots of young families. The best schools in the Kent school district are in Renton. Fairwood has lots of suburban shopping and restaurants..the nearest downtowns would be Kent or Renton, 10 or 15 minutes.
Downtown Kent has the Sounder commuter train into downtown Seattle. The East Hill of Kent is a great place to visit( though I wouldn't want to live there). It's one of the most ethnically diverse parts of the Seattle area, with Mexican markets, Indian buffets, Kenyan restaurants, Russian delis.

None of these places would be more than a 25 minute commute.
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Old 02-18-2014, 12:08 AM
 
Location: Auburn (Seattle), WA
17 posts, read 26,553 times
Reputation: 13
Thanks Ira500, very helpful. I actually spoke to our realtor and mentioned these areas, and she echoed what you said. She had also mentioned Federal Way, Auburn (Lakeland hills), and Maple Valley. How would these other areas stack up? How's the commute time to Georgetown in traffic? Thanks so much, good advice.
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