How much to rent 2bedroom house (Seattle: rental, crime, buying a house)

[zorph]

Hey,
So me and my significant other just received job offers in Seattle, yay. I'll be working near the amazon campus and he'll be working remotely. We have a dog and would like to rent a 2bedroom 2 bath with a yard. I want to commute to work on the light rail. What are good neighborhoods? How much should we expect to pay? Thanks so much.

[amaiunmei]

What neighborhood do you want to live in? What is your budget?

A caveat: a LOT of people are getting hired here by Amazon and the like. That means that properties in close proximity to South Lake Union - Queen Anne/Capitol Hill/Downtown/Fremont - tend to be more expensive than other areas.

[zorph]

Max is 3k/month. I have no idea about which neighborhoods would be best. We want somewhere relatively quiet with not too much traffic noise but we still want to have shops nearby that we can walk to. We are young-30/34 with no kids, so we don't need family friendly. I do want to be <5-10 min walk from a light rail.

[Ira500]

By saying that you want to be within walking distance to the light rail line, you're going to be ruling out a lot of otherwise suitable neighborhoods. The light rail line only goes south at this point, to the airport, and some of the neighborhoods it goes through are thought of as less than desirable. The light rail is being extended northbound soon- within a couple of years it will have a Capitol Hill stop and go to the University District. But in the meantime, if you're going to want to live near the light rail line, your best bets would be to look at North Beacon Hill, Mount Baker, and Columbia City.
Most people in Seattle who take transit take the bus, because light rail is newer and much more limited.
Finding the rental for less than 3k per month will be no problem. I'd suggest Eastlake, Capitol Hill, Fremont, and Wallingford. And if you want to be on the light rail line, Columbia City has the walkable, cool shops and restaurants thing going on( and a great bakery.)

[zorph]

I am willing to go to other places if the buses are generally on-time. I have lived in Miami, DC, and Philly where the time reliability is much better along the train.

[GoBlueInSeattle]

Originally Posted by zorph

I am willing to go to other places if the buses are generally on-time. I have lived in Miami, DC, and Philly where the time reliability is much better along the train.

Seattle (and much of the West Coast) is really a far cry from any of those cities. (I moved to the West Coast from the Northeast (NE PA & Boston), first to the Bay Area, and now in Seattle)

You'll need to dramatically adjust your preconceptions/understandings from your old frame of urban reference. You'll generally find the West Coast less dense, safer, more casual, somewhat cleaner and less corrupt. On the other hand, lower density means access to urban amenities (shops, services, entertainment) is less packed in and requires more traveling around to get to. You may find it more of a challenge to get around without a car.

For transit, you will need to use the bus. Seattle is almost solely served by bus for its mass transit. The buses are pretty clean, and generally frequent and on-time. Much more so than most cities I have lived in or visited. I've rarely found a bus for my commute to be more than a few minutes late in the morning.

There is no subway or rail network in Seattle. There is just one single light rail line that was only recently built. It runs from downtown to the airport, passing through the industrial areas & port and southeast Seattle, which is primarily a low-income / working class area, predominantly immigrant families, although some areas have started to gentrify (Columbia City, Beacon Hill). Even if you live along the light rail line, it won't get you to Amazon campus in SLU. It stops in downtown at Westlake Center. Amazon campus is a 20 minute walk from there, or you'll need to transfer to a bus. There is an extension under construction opening in 2016 going to Capitol Hill and the UW stadium, but neither stop will put you at Amazon campus. So you are better off finding a place to live that has a direct bus line to Amazon campus in SLU.

Also too - if you are looking to spend $3,000 a month on renting a house, you are better off buying a house. Homeownership in Seattle is a LOT more affordable than in DC or Miami. Probably a little more expensive than in Philly. Most neighborhoods in Seattle are quite safe, especially compared to DC, Miami & Philly. In fact, so much more shockingly safe than those cities that when you hear locals talking about crime in a particular area, you'll find yourself laughing internally to how quaint the locals can be.

[NewbiePoster]

Originally Posted by zorph

Max is 3k/month. I have no idea about which neighborhoods would be best. We want somewhere relatively quiet with not too much traffic noise but we still want to have shops nearby that we can walk to. We are young-30/34 with no kids, so we don't need family friendly. I do want to be <5-10 min walk from a light rail.

3K should do it, easily. Look around the north end of Seattle. There are neighborhoods out there that are quiet, scenic, and have a lot of 2-br. homes. You can also try West Seattle.

The buses run on time. Seattle is way behind the times in terms of building light rail. You'll have a lot more choice if you're ok with buses.

[Salmonista]

The light rail isn't really that much different than the bus. It has to stop at stop lights!

It's totally normal to ride the bus in Seattle. I'd recommend looking on the Metro website (King County Metro Transit) or Google Transit for which routes run closest to your office. Then look for neighborhoods where those buses go. As long as you don't have to transfer, you will usually find the bus to be a reliable form of transportation. Personally, I find transferring to be annoying because there are too many variables/opportunities for delays.

If you take the light rail and are working in SLU, you'll have to either walk several blocks from the end of the line, or transfer to the trolley or a bus.

[Ruth4Truth]

Dude, the buses go to pretty much all the neighborhoods. Just sayin'.

[kaonevar]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Dude, the buses go to pretty much all the neighborhoods. Just sayin'.

Unless you live in Magnolia where we get 2-3 buses during the day at somewhat regular times and then 1 at night if we're lucky. Going Magnolia to SLU via bus sucks. :/