Where to live? Emphasis on schools, golf and water (Seattle: apartments, house)

[SouthafricatoUS]

What sort of budget does one need to be on the water in the other areas?

[homesinseattle]

$2.5 to $4mil in Laurelhurst, you could also spend $8 mil there. $2-$3mil on Bainbridge, same in West Seattle.

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by SouthafricatoUS

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have lived so many times 30 minutes, or more, away from the city center that this time I really want to be closer - I would happily drive to golf if for example I was on the water as opposed to having a view of the water.

In many ways I just want a more vibey, more busy, more children friendly place - and something on the water for me to make up for the loss of the the golf course. I don't want, in traffic to be driving 45 minutes to downtown from 15 or 20 miles away. Some of the suggestions are beautiful residential golf communities but they are too far away.

What I like about golf communities if they increase your chances of meeting new friends etc but I am sure there must be suburbs or areas where there are more active communities that are not for example gated?

Are you good with golf in the rain/mist?

[CrazyDonkey]

1. There is this waterfront property on Lake Washington:

7736 Seward Park Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 | MLS #1014922 | Zillow

Near Seward Park. Public schools aren't great, but there are quality private school options.

2. Another waterfront property on Lake Washington, south of the one above:

9836 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 | Zillow

Has two docks with room for two 40' boats, plus a covered boat garage with power hoist. Comment above on private schools applies.

3. This one, in Laurelhurst, has great views of Lake Washington and Mt. Rainier, and is eligible for membership in the Laurelhurst Beach Club:

3801 49th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105 | MLS #1046285 | Zillow

Laurelhurst Beach Club

Public school options are very good: Laurelhurst Elementary (9), Eckstein Middle (9), and Roosevelt High (9).

4. This one, on Sunset Hill, has great views of Shilshole Marina, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains:

6701 37th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117 | Zillow

There are sailing clubs at Shishole and Golden Gardens Park/Beach is nearby. Schools: Adams Elementary (8), Whitman Middle (9), Ballard High (10).

5. Another, in North Admiral, is a historical home with great views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Is above your stated budget ($3.5M), but is a special property:

1620 Sunset Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 | Zillow

Has a tennis/basketball court, lap pool, sauna, hot tub, etc. Close to Alki Beach. Elementary and Middle are high scoring (9 and 8), but high school isn't (3).

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

5. Another, in North Admiral, is a historical home with great views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Is above your stated budget ($3.5M), but is a special property:

[URL="http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1620-Sunset-Ave-SW-Seattle-WA-98116/49124301_zpid/"]1620 Sunset Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 | Zillow[/URL]

Has a tennis/basketball court, lap pool, sauna, hot tub, etc. Close to Alki Beach. Elementary and Middle are high scoring (9 and 8), but high school isn't (3).

I need more money...

[SouthafricatoUS]

Thank you. Some of those look great - although quite a few on not on the water and obviously some have far less desirable views than others.

[American Expat]

Originally Posted by SouthafricatoUS

We have lived in Orlando for 18 months - in a gated golf community - and following the election are looking for something different. Somewhere that kids play outside or interact (most in Orlando sit inside on the ir phones all day), somewhere that kids are not told at school that humans are not responsible for climate change and that it is just normal. Nobody appears to have heard of recycling and I am surrounded by Trump supporters. In fact for veterans day (2015) our kids private school even brought in a Republican candidate to announce why he was the best candidate for Marco Rubio's soon to be "vacated" seat.

A few suggestions, from the forum, would be appreciated on where in Seattle where to begin our search based on:

1. School - 3 kids in elementary - one going to middle school
2. my love to play golf some of the year and preferably at top rated golf courses
3. views of the water and/or mountain - ideally access to the water

If I was buying my budget would be about $3 million, if I was renting about $10 000 a month.

My initial research has focused largely on Mercer Island, but i struggle to see how kids can walk around with such narrow streets. When I visited I loved Bainbridge Island but guess that's a bit isolated and even if its not, not going to be close to any top rated golf courses (Eg. Golf Digest say the No 1 course in Washington is Sahalee CC in Sammanish).

My wife suggested Magnolia but on the data I am seeing on schools, thats not the best option.

Where will my kids be in top public courses and I not too far away from golf courses, water and the vibe of a city with an actual culture?

Considering your belief that humans cause climate change (which I think is rational thought), why would you undertake an endeavor to move yourself and your material goods thousands of miles burning carbon based fuels to accomplish it and then live in a $3M house considering the resources necessary to build and maintain such a house? How does that make one better than the person in Orlando that doesn't agree with climate change but who doesn't burn excessive carbon fuels in conducting their life?


In general, Seattle is not that great for golfing most of the year, the water is cold, and there is significant clouds a good portion of the year.

[homesinseattle]

There are very nice waterfront homes in Medina, Hunts Point and Yarrow Point and the Meydenbauer area of Bellevue as well.

[Gardyloo]

After looking at your OP and the responses so far, it strikes me that you're trying for a "rifle shot" in terms of location, and you're including location factors that might be working at cross-purposes with each other.

Getting a real sense of community and a "community feel" is a little inconsistent with looking for high-value, waterfront, rather exclusive areas. Many (I'd say "most" but can't be sure) of the sorts of properties that would fall into a near-golf-near-water-multi-million-dollar category have consciously been designed to avoid the kind of density and "community" aspects - walkable, good community schools, etc. - that you desire. We have too many tech million/billionaires, professional athletes, corporate CEO types, etc. in this region who want the exclusivity or the anonymity such properties can afford.

Let's deconstruct your priorities a little...

Golf - There's golf everywhere within a half hour's drive. There are private country clubs in Seattle, a couple of relatively unknown ones in the West Seattle/High Point/airport area that offer terrific sport (or so I'm told) or places like the Sand Point Country Club just north of the University of Washington, or the Broadmoor Country Club, just south, that have the potential of offering the kind of community feel you're looking for. But even courses like Sahalee or Inglewood are within a half hour of most of the region, so it's not - in my view - that limiting a factor.

Good schools - All over the place, and plenty of terrific private schools too. And if political/social/environmental values are a priority, trust me, this is ground zero; even the most "traditional" schools, public or private, are going to be very (maybe too) conscious of these things. Seattle and King County are really in a bubble on that front.

Water views or access - With your budget and our current white-hot real estate market, finding a property ON the water is going to limit your choices big time. Finding a property with a VIEW of the water is another story - there are many, many that would fit the bill. But remember the view goes away at night. I'd also say that Seattle has one of the country's highest (if not THE highest) levels of boat ownership, and there are marinas all over the place, as well as lots of boats for sale, so reallocating a percentage of your house purchase to boat and moorage acquisition might be a good idea if that's on your list.

Community identity and "feel" - This is hard to pin down because so many parts are moving all at once. Quite a few areas that had the kind of "feel" that I think you're looking for are very much in transition, as baby boomers age out, recent immigrants to the region move in, kids grow up and new ones are born, work and commuting patterns change, changes in transport, land use and zoning lead to new development... It's impossible to generalize, and only in-person inspection is really going to work, and even then superficial looks can be deceiving.

But for examples I'll throw out two areas that might be worth looking into as having a decent shot at bridging as many of your goals as possible.

Bothell. At the north end of Lake Washington, Bothell's downtown is having a renaissance and there's a lot of investment and refurbishing going on. The area schools are very good, it's close to Lake Washington for water access, and the Inglewood Golf Club - Private Golf Club close to Seattle, Bellevue, Washington - Inglewood Golf Club - is on the PGA circuit. Look at this house for example - 16211 104th Ave NE, Bothell, WA 98011 | MLS# 828824 | TheMLSonline.com

Lake Forest Park. This is an independent town just over the city boundaries from Seattle on Lake Washington. It's VERY tight-knit, but has the advantage of being across the road from a shopping center that's quite unconventional, with a farmers market, terrific cafes and bakeries, and a real sense of community despite being a shopping center. LFP is also close to Inglewood but also not too far from I-405 which would give you easy access to the golf courses on the east side of Lake Washington. One of LFP's strong suits is the community club - https://www.lfpcc.org/ - which conveys access to the private beach and beach club. (This is nowhere as snooty as it sounds.) Look at this listing for example: 17602 Bothell Wy NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155 | MLS# 1032501 | TheMLSonline.com

These are just two areas; there are many more with similar blends of amenity, access, and "community." Some are within Seattle or Bellevue city limits (google "Beaux Arts Bellevue") for example, while others are in smaller or more suburban settings like "old" Issaquah, Edmonds, etc.

[perigee]

This reminds me of an Almost Live sketch.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwbNi79rLaQ