Yet Another Where To Move Thread (Seattle, Shoreline: rentals, credit, houses)

[ILikeTrees]

Feel free to point me to another thread if this has been asked and answered but I didn't see anything quite right on my first browse around.

Coming from out of state; used to know the Seattle area but a lot has changed!

Suggestions as to where to narrow the house search?



Things that matter (not necessarily in this order)

*Commute: job is in the South Lake Union area; would like to have a door to door (whether by car or public transportation) under 45 minutes if at all possible.

*Budget: looking to rent initially and eventually buy without having to change schools. Rent budget will be around $2500 and eventual purchase budget probably around $500k. Need four bedrooms and enough space for a family of six; probably around 2000 sf or a very well laid out 1700-1800 with storage might work.

*Trees and yard: like older neighborhoods with lots of mature trees and hoping for a lot with at least a little space to garden

*Schools: quality public schools with good extracurriculars are a must. Kids are musical and are in gifted program at current school, so need challenge and opportunities.

*Family & friendly: have four younglings ranging from 5-13 and would like to have other nice families around to get to know. We're down to earth and not snooty and will be seeking same.

*Safety: of course



Things that don't:

*Proximity to shopping/restaurants: not a big deal. Can drive for supplies and prefer to cook at home.

*Views: would be lovely but not willing to pay for them.

*Fancy housing: not willing to pay for it and prefer older sturdier housing anyway. Don't want something falling apart, but willing to accept dated interiors if necessary.

*Hipness: not willing to pay for it and anyway we're a couple of squares with a houseful of kids

*Walkability: coming from Texas. I love driving everywhere.



Strongly considering Bainbridge Island for the beauty and tranquility plus the excellent schools, but housing stock in our price range is limited and commute is a little long and I'm also concerned about the *snoot factor* for the kids with the wealth of the island (I grew up on the Kitsap Peninsula so know Bainbridge by reputation). We're not poor but we live modestly.

Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thank you

[flyingsaucermom]

Sounds like Shoreline or Northshore school districts could be good fit.. maybe Wedgwood/N. Ravenna (if housing stock is still affordable.... was in 2012, but now???)... 45 minutes broadens the options though.. you could go a little further north ... or Eastside.. but those developments tend to be newer...

[MondoTime]

I hesitate to even respond, because I'm not terribly confident, nor had I ever even known the label for this neighborhood as of 3 hours ago, but...

I was just reading Seattle Magazine today, on the topic of the most affordable neighborhoods, and one of their recommendations was "Puget Ridge".

You could have lived in Seattle (or even West Seattle) all your life, and have never even been there, as it is considerably remote in the way that there is no reason to go there if you don't live there.

However, reading over your criteria, the commute works, the budget likely works, there certainly are a lot of trees in the area, though I'm unsure about towering trees of any sort.

I do not pretend to know anything about the schools scenario for the area!!!


I suspect that its Safety is a function of the neighborhood NOT being on the way to anywhere and of it being an unlikely neighborhood for outsiders doing any walking.


Your list of things that don't matter really helped my (will to dare to respond)...

There is proximity to almost nothing in the way of spontaneous trips on foot (and I basically mean that).

The views are there in the area, but you'd have to have fate on your side.

I doubt there is much fancy housing there... and I never got a vibe of hip from the area either...

"Walkability" is not too far from zero, partly depending upon individual spots... BUT you could be a ten-minute drive from everywhere during NON-rush hour.


It's high on a bluff/hill... bordered by a giant drop-off to the east, and to the north.

The roads are NOT on a typical city grid...


but it is worth a check, given all you have spelled-out.

I've lived 2 or 3 miles from it for decades and could count on one hand the number of times I've ever been to that neighborhood. (simply: not on the way toward anywhere)

[mkarch]

^ Puget Ridge isn't an undiscovered gem, it's better known as Riverview or generally as part of Delridge, it's just that both of those names have poor connotations and the schools are not particularly good, which is probably why they want to re-name it. I've been in there a few times, it feels a lot like the unincorporated areas a few miles south.

When I first started my home search, I did a drive-through "Puget Ridge" and at the time it seemed pretty run down. At that point, the market hadn't turned yet so you could find houses there for $150K or so.

[ILikeTrees]

Thank you for the helpful responses Based on them and other info I'm looking largely at Bothell, at addresses in the Northshore district.

[Gardyloo]

Originally Posted by ILikeTrees

*Commute: job is in the South Lake Union area; would like to have a door to door (whether by car or public transportation) under 45 minutes if at all possible.

Originally Posted by ILikeTrees

Thank you for the helpful responses Based on them and other info I'm looking largely at Bothell, at addresses in the Northshore district.

Unless you can carpool and use HOV lanes, I think these two points are at odds with each other.

I'd probably do a little modeling on car and commute costs and see if your rent budget could be adjusted to allow for a slightly higher initial price point. Looking at the likes of Craigslist it seems like $2500 is on the low end for 4-BR rentals (which aren't all that plentiful to begin with) while by $2700 or so more inventory shows up. If you end up having to drive to work that $200 will get eaten in a blink by parking costs, plus your time has to be worth something.

Depending on where in the Bothell area you picked, 45 min. could be seriously challenging many days in the month. I'd probably try to limit my search to the city of Seattle.

[MondoTime]

I just, right NOW returned from a thorough drive-through of "Puget Ridge" and I can really see both the appeal and the upside potential! I have to give Seattle Magazine credit for endorsing Puget Ridge in the current issue. Many homes there are a lot newer than most in my neighborhood (Puget Ridge was probably high wilderness when my neighborhood was built). There remains some room up there for the neighborhood to grow, with more homes.

Its relative isolation is soothing, yet you can SEE all of the various places you look forward to going in just a few short minutes.

If you have designs on WALKING to a small convenience store then forget it - Puget Ridge is proooobably not for you.

There is a school up there called "K-8 Pathfinder", but of course I am leary of any learning institution not named after some geezer who pre-dates my grandfather by at least 3 generations.

There is also something up there called the "West Duwamish Greenbelt Walking Trails", which assures that nature is important to some designer.

All in all, I was impressed! And everything is laced with the vibe of minimal society going through the area.

[CrazyDonkey]

Good schools, reasonable commute, and affordable housing. You'll need to compromise some in one area or another, or be prepared to expect less or pay more.

Bothell and Woodinville will give you good schools and fairly affordable housing, but the commute will be longer. Same for the Edmonds area, which could also be worth looking at.