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Old 07-01-2015, 05:00 PM
 
2 posts, read 1,992 times
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I'm originally from the south and have started to look into the finances of moving to the Seattle area. How far do you think a salary of 52k would hold me in this area? Are there cheaper neighborhoods to look into with reasonable commute times that might do better? Would I have enough leftover money for any savings or expendable income at all? I'm just worried about my expenses (primarily) and traffic (secondarily). Thanks in advance!
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Old 07-01-2015, 07:54 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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You have good reason to be concerned about both. Kirkland and Redmond would both be difficult on that income, but go a little north to Mill Creek, Bothell, or Lynwood and you can afford a nice apartment or even to buy a small fixer house. There may even be affordable apartments at the northern part of Kirkland, Kingsgate or Juanita. You won't like the commute, but it's definitely not the worst or longest that many people make every day. Eventually you will figure out some back roads that are not as gridlocked as 405.
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Old 07-01-2015, 08:05 PM
 
Location: Seattle
338 posts, read 846,285 times
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Originally Posted by Hemlock140 View Post
Eventually you will figure out some back roads that are not as gridlocked as 405.
Sorry to highjack the conversation, but is 405 all that gridlocked? I've driven it in the AM/PM four times this week (around 8 AM and 6 PM) and both ways were free and green from Kirkland to Bellevue. South of Bellevue I can't say but the north looked fine.
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Old 07-01-2015, 10:18 PM
 
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Those two cities are pricey. But the only thing that might save you is that there are so many apartments being built in Redmond. It amazes me how many units are going in and who is going to fill them. That said, I haven't checked what the rents are running.
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Old 07-02-2015, 12:07 AM
 
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Plan on spending at least $15K a year on rent, which is $1250/mo for a studio or 1 bedroom. Also, know that Washington state does not cap rent increases, so make sure to sign up for a year lease if for no other reason but to forestall the inevitable rent increase.

Kirkland, Bellevue, and Redmond basically have the trifecta of low (violent) crime, high average salaries (think over $90K), and high-powered employers (Microsoft, Google, and Facebook have offices in these cities). As a result, people tend to pay a premium to live in those cities. You can go a little further out as long as you are willing to swallow the commute, which can go from bad to awful depending on how far you are from your destination.
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Old 07-02-2015, 12:22 AM
 
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along with low crime, high salaries and top employers, i'd add top rated schools in those cities as the reason why those areas are so desireable (and pricey!)
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Old 07-02-2015, 07:45 AM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,287 posts, read 80,518,848 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaonevar View Post
Sorry to highjack the conversation, but is 405 all that gridlocked? I've driven it in the AM/PM four times this week (around 8 AM and 6 PM) and both ways were free and green from Kirkland to Bellevue. South of Bellevue I can't say but the north looked fine.
We drove it several times around 5:30pm from 520 west to 405 north a few weeks ago, and it was gridlocked every day. We eventually found that going out Avondale to 124th was a much faster alternative. Maybe a lot of people took this week off for vacation with the holiday on Friday. I agree though, it's not as bad as heading south on 405.
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Old 07-02-2015, 08:26 AM
 
1,155 posts, read 957,547 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Densi52 View Post
Those two cities are pricey. But the only thing that might save you is that there are so many apartments being built in Redmond. It amazes me how many units are going in and who is going to fill them. That said, I haven't checked what the rents are running.
I have checked. For one of those newer one-bedroom apartments in Redmond, rents such as 1500, 1600, 1700 and up are expected. Not counting utilities.
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Old 07-02-2015, 08:45 AM
 
Location: Pacific NW
9,437 posts, read 7,341,115 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaonevar View Post
Sorry to highjack the conversation, but is 405 all that gridlocked? I've driven it in the AM/PM four times this week (around 8 AM and 6 PM) and both ways were free and green from Kirkland to Bellevue. South of Bellevue I can't say but the north looked fine.
A holiday week (many people take vacation days) in the summer (all schools out) is not representative of the commute the rest of the year. 405 routinely has 8+ hours of congestion / day.

I-405 misery: 2 megaprojects could tackle chronic delays | The Seattle Times

A 16-mile trip from Lynn*wood to Bellevue, for example, averaged 44 minutes during the morning commute. But to ensure on-time arrival 19 out of 20 days, drivers needed to allow almost 70 minutes.

“Everybody thinks I-5 is the worst, but I-405 is the most congested,” said Rep. Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island and chair of the House Transportation Committee.


You just got lucky this week.
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Old 07-02-2015, 08:51 AM
 
1,359 posts, read 2,472,380 times
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Originally Posted by josie13 View Post
I have checked. For one of those newer one-bedroom apartments in Redmond, rents such as 1500, 1600, 1700 and up are expected. Not counting utilities.
This is largely true.

The older complexes are a little cheaper. There are complexes in North Kirkland that are a little cheaper. Not by much, though.
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