Near the trains (Seattle, Vancouver, Bellevue: apartments, condos, co-op)

[lucy1965]

It's been about a year since I last visited; in that time I sold my place in Utah and moved to Bellevue. The Husband has a new job that lets him work from home, but he has a monthly commute to the company offices in Vancouver BC. The drive back from Everett is vexing -- and due to visual impairment, impossible for me during the winter months -- so we're thinking of moving again in a year.

Relevant info: mid 40s, no children at home; 3 indoor cats (2 are 19); need 2 bedrooms (1 for use as a home office), reasonable distance to an Amtrak station, walking distance to a good grocery store. Not interested in purchasing at the moment, as there's a chance the Husband may be moved to the Vancouver or Denver offices (please not Denver). Best friend works for the state in Olympia; honorary aunt and uncle live in Bellingham. Need to get into Seattle for concerts and the occasional work-related conference/museum exhibition, but those can be planned-for events.

Would be nice: nearer the water; an apartment or condo is preferable to a house.

I'm looking in Edmonds, but would welcome suggestions.

[Gardyloo]

Originally Posted by lucy1965

It's been about a year since I last visited; in that time I sold my place in Utah and moved to Bellevue. The Husband has a new job that lets him work from home, but he has a monthly commute to the company offices in Vancouver BC. The drive back from Everett is vexing -- and due to visual impairment, impossible for me during the winter months -- so we're thinking of moving again in a year.

Relevant info: mid 40s, no children at home; 3 indoor cats (2 are 19); need 2 bedrooms (1 for use as a home office), reasonable distance to an Amtrak station, walking distance to a good grocery store. Not interested in purchasing at the moment, as there's a chance the Husband may be moved to the Vancouver or Denver offices (please not Denver). Best friend works for the state in Olympia; honorary aunt and uncle live in Bellingham. Need to get into Seattle for concerts and the occasional work-related conference/museum exhibition, but those can be planned-for events.

Would be nice: nearer the water; an apartment or condo is preferable to a house.

I'm looking in Edmonds, but would welcome suggestions.

Look at Mukilteo too. Would somewhere in Seattle be out of the question?

[lucy1965]

Seattle's not out of the question, but possibly out of our price range: we're paying $3k a month now, including parking and pet fees, and I'd rather be under that. Retirement, like Winter, is coming . . . .

My goddaughter and her husband are in Langley, on Whidbey Island, and they've rather wistfully asked if we'd come a bit closer: his parents also live there, but hers are selling their place in Colorado and moving back to Italy, and she'd like to have some sort of family nearby, especially as they're thinking of trying for kids soon.

Any other information I can provide that might help?

[Ira500]

Mukilteo would be a good choice if you wanted to take trips to Langley.
Stanwood and Mt. Vernon also have Amtrak stops, and Mt. Vernon is really close to Bellingham.

[lucy1965]

I've only seen Mt. Vernon driving/riding the train through, and I liked what I saw, but I am concerned by what I've read about the flooding in town. There's time to research that, though; I'm not moving next week!

[Gardyloo]

Originally Posted by lucy1965

Seattle's not out of the question, but possibly out of our price range: we're paying $3k a month now, including parking and pet fees, and I'd rather be under that. Retirement, like Winter, is coming . . . .

What about Mercer Island? Here's a 2 BR apartment across the street from the QFC, probably 10 min. to King Street Station.

Comfort and Convenience, Stainless Steel Appliances, Wine Tasting Room

Walk around using Google Street View - http://goo.gl/maps/tjqX2

[MargaretBartley]

Originally Posted by lucy1965

I've only seen Mt. Vernon driving/riding the train through, and I liked what I saw, but I am concerned by what I've read about the flooding in town.

There is high ground in Mt. Vernon. In fact, some of the most interesting neighborhoods are on the east side of I-5.

The other nice thing about Mt. Vernon is they have a good food co-op there.

[lucy1965]

Originally Posted by MargaretBartley

There is high ground in Mt. Vernon. In fact, some of the most interesting neighborhoods are on the east side of I-5.

The other nice thing about Mt. Vernon is they have a good food co-op there.

Thanks, that's really good to know!

Something like the Grow community in Bainbridge Island could work well; I'm going out this summer on a tour because I've been a fan of Bioregional's work for years. But on a practical level BI's all wrong for us, so unless the developers branch out it's apartments/condos with a little room for a garden.

[lucy1965]

I wanted to thank everyone who responded, as it may be about to become a theoretical question: the Husband's manager has taken another job, and he's in the running for hers, which would mean a move to either Vancouver or Denver. (No ill will: she was offered a position at a research university back East that sounds fantastic, and recommended him as her replacement.) Any threads you could recommend in those groups would be welcome. Thanks again!