Potentially Working in Downtown Seattle, No Car (Tukwila: sublets, apartments)

[jabogitlu]

Hi everyone-

My husband is potentially moving to Seattle (we would split up for a while, until I can find a job and move too) for work. The rub is that we have one car, can't afford another, and we live in rural Alaska so I must keep the car.

He would be working downtown (I think - it's around Pike/Broadway, Cal Anderson Park area - is this downtown?).

Neither of us has been to Seattle before. Any suggestions on where to look for rental housing would be greatly appreciated. He's open to studios, 1 bedrooms, sublets, shared housing, roommates, anything respectably close to public transit that goes into downtown. In that vein, any feedback on living in Seattle without a car would be appreciated.

We're trying to stay under $900/monthly, hopefully less than that, more like $700. We lived in Memphis for years so "scary looking" and "bars in windows" do not intimidate us at all. We're used to living in neighborhoods where you hear gunshots a few blocks down in the worse neighborhood.

Thanks!!

[Hemlock140]

That's actually Capital Hill, an easy walk to downtown, but very popular and therefore expensive. Here the areas that are "scary looking" and "bars in windows"are still more than your budget, with studios running $1,000, 1 bedroom $1,100. In Capital Hill and the other more popular areas it's hard to find anything under $1,400. If you go to West Seattle, especially the southern part, there is good bus service and it's more affordable. Also, Tukwila, and he can take the light rail. Maybe not $700 but certainly below $900.

[MmeZeeZee]

If I were him, I'd go for roommates. This is a university town and there are plenty of people renting rooms. That way he can stay within budget and live in the city so he can save on the commute and stress.

As a single man without kids, he can absolutely do without a car in Seattle.

I wouldn't recommend it for a single mom with two kids to get to daycare before work, because there are sometimes waits on the buses, and you sometimes will need walk a ways from a stop to your destination, but for an adult alone or a student (like I was), it's fine. Worst case scenario, if he doesn't have bus fare, he can do like I did which was live in the cheaper area of the U District and walk all the way to Capitol Hill and back.

I had the hottest legs back in those days! The hill is a killer when you're in a hurry.

He can probably get a cheaper bike on Craigslist and that will save him some trouble as well.

[GatsbyGatz]

That job is in Capitol Hill. In that neighborhood, you'll be paying $1,000+ for a 500 sq ft studio with no parking (you can find parking in a garage for $150/mo).

[BATCAT]

I do know a few people who actually currently pay under 900 for decent studios on Capitol Hill, and less than a year ago I even spotted a couple one-bedrooms under 1000 (admittedly these were kinda shabby), and we recently moved into a cute-if-old one bedroom for 1120... but there were the kind of deals that might be tough for an out-of-towner to get without a lot of luck. So it wouldn't hurt to look at the Hill given its so close to work, but I would pay attention to neighboring areas like First Hill and the Central District- you might be able to stay closer to on budget and still walk to work.

If nothing within walking distance pans out, I'd consider the U-district as its pretty easy to get to Capitol Hill by bus.

I've spent a very good portion of my time in Seattle without a car. If you live within the city itself or near the routes well-served by transit, it's just fine. If you don't, well then it's not so fine. The problem is that the former areas tend to be pricier.

[GoBlueInSeattle]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Hi everyone-

My husband is potentially moving to Seattle (we would split up for a while, until I can find a job and move too) for work. The rub is that we have one car, can't afford another, and we live in rural Alaska so I must keep the car.

He would be working downtown (I think - it's around Pike/Broadway, Cal Anderson Park area - is this downtown?).

Neither of us has been to Seattle before. Any suggestions on where to look for rental housing would be greatly appreciated. He's open to studios, 1 bedrooms, sublets, shared housing, roommates, anything respectably close to public transit that goes into downtown. In that vein, any feedback on living in Seattle without a car would be appreciated.

We're trying to stay under $900/monthly, hopefully less than that, more like $700. We lived in Memphis for years so "scary looking" and "bars in windows" do not intimidate us at all. We're used to living in neighborhoods where you hear gunshots a few blocks down in the worse neighborhood.

Thanks!!

As others notes, Pike/Broadway is Capitol Hill, not downtown. Its walking distance to downtown, but also separated from downtown by an interstate highway.

Since your husband will be solo - and given your budget - he might look into microhousing. Seattle's rental market is very expensive & one of the hottest in the country- what you are used to in Alaska or Memphis doesn't really apply, unfortunately.

Microhousing is recent development in Seattle - its basically very small single-occupancy bedroom units that include a small shower & toilet, along with a small kitchenette (a small wash sink, a cabinet, a microwave & a mini-fridge). The buildings also include a common kitchen - full-sized kitchen with stove, fridge, counters, etc. to share with other tenants. Generally, there is one common kitchen for every 8 units.

The rental prices are much lower than for a studio unit in the same neighborhood. There are a number of microhousing apartments in Capitol Hill - as well as the University District. Capitol Hill and the U-District are probably two areas of the city best served by public transit outside of downtown.

Here's some microhousing websites -

Calhoun Properties - Seattle's Solution for Affordable Housing

Footprint

[jabogitlu]

That job is in Capitol Hill. In that neighborhood, you'll be paying $1,000+ for a 500 sq ft studio with no parking (you can find parking in a garage for $150/mo).

Yes, we haven't concentrated much time looking for rentals in the immediate area. Too pricey for our budget, especially since we will effectively be sustaining two households. No car, so don't have to worry about parking.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I've found some great deals on Craigslist that are professional families (often airline folks) who rent out the top room or basement room. That would be fine with my hubs I think.

As far as the U District, we're talking 45th St/5th Ave? Just making sure I'm looking in the right area. MmeZeeZee, looks like a hell of a walk from the neighborhood down to Capitol Hill. I'm sure your legs looked great!


Looks like light rail terminates in downtown around Nordstrom. How easy is the walk from that area to the Cal Anderson Park area of the Hill? Fairly safe doing the reverse walk at night? He could be out there pretty late. The Tukwila/airport area seems much more affordable and yeah, probably a long ride on the light rail, but doable.

[jabogitlu]

Originally Posted by GoBlueInSeattle

Here's some microhousing websites -

Calhoun Properties - Seattle's Solution for Affordable Housing

Footprint

These are great. Very dorm-style, but this may be temporary or may only last until I move down, so I think it's doable. Forwarding these to my husband. Thank you!!

Seattle's rental market is very expensive & one of the hottest in the country- what you are used to in Alaska or Memphis doesn't really apply, unfortunately.

Prices seem somewhat comparable to Memphis, for the 1-2 bedrooms close to the Memphis streetcar or in downtown itself. Where Seattle seems to take the cake is in these 3-4 bedroom units that can easily go for $3-$4k. Not used to seeing that. Of course, Memphis had thousands of acres of plain, substandard suburbs with cheap housing. We lived in the old streetcar suburbs (now "Midtown") in a shotgun for $695/mo. The Alaska rental market was a big adjustment after that - we pay nearly 3x that.

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Looks like light rail terminates in downtown around Nordstrom. How easy is the walk from that area to the Cal Anderson Park area of the Hill? Fairly safe doing the reverse walk at night? He could be out there pretty late.

Up the hill from the downtown light rail station is an easy to Cal Anderson is an easy 10-15 minute trek for a fairly brisk walker in decent shape.

The way back at night... reasonably safe. Just fine during normal commute hours. If it was really late I would definitely exercise some caution, especially around the park itself and downtown, but it's not that bad.