Too many apartments and condos built in the wrong areas. It's a housing bubble.

[cmswazey]

I sometimes wonder what constitutes a suburb. I always thought it'd be someplace outside city limits but seems like it's sometimes used to mean residential areas, even if in-city.

[Hemlock140]

There are areas of Seattle that many consider Suburban, toward the north end, and homes sell fast there too. Sammamish is a real suburban "bedroom" community with very little commercial, no industrial, and no downtown, just two strip malls. Also very few apartments or condos. Existing single family homes sell fast, most over asking, and the several hundred new 4,000+ SF homes being built are already selling, at 1 million and up. In our neighborhood, those sold recently have been to young families with kids replacing the empty nesters. Yes, a few that we know moved here from Seattle when the kids got to age 3-4.

[misscross]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Sammamish is a real suburban "bedroom" community with very little commercial, no industrial, and no downtown, just two strip malls. Also very few apartments or condos.

yup, Sammamish is what I would describe as "suburban SUBURBAN". I mean it is a different animal from other suburbs such as Bellevue, Kirkland, Lynnwood, Woodinville - these are also commonly described as suburbs of Seattle but they have their own downtowns and commercial areas.

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by misscross

yup, Sammamish is what I would describe as "suburban SUBURBAN". I mean it is a different animal from other suburbs such as Bellevue, Kirkland, Lynnwood, Woodinville - these are also commonly described as suburbs of Seattle but they have their own downtowns and commercial areas.

In other 'urban' areas, Ballard and Columbia City would be considered suburbs. Sammamish would be the exurbs. It's only due to Seattle's small population and relative lack of density that these areas are suburban.