Relocating to Seattle (Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Roosevelt: cheap apartments, lease, condos)

[photogirl81]

My future husband and I have to move to Seattle this June, due to the relocation of his research lab to the Seattle Children's Research Institute. We've been looking at apartments in that area, but would prefer to be outside of the main downtown hub for more affordable rent (5-10 miles from the Institute). Our monthly budget for rent will be between $700-$900, and we've already found many places in this price range we would like to check out. Can anyone recommend some nice neighborhoods/apartments for us? I found some places in the Wedgewood and Maple Leaf neighborhoods...how are those?

We're a quiet, soon-to-be-newlywed couple in our mid-twenties that have lived in suburban Cleveland, Ohio for our entire lives. We don't go out much, but enjoy the art scene and love being in nature. We're concerned about safety, noise, and being taken advantage of for being "newbies". We also want to start a family while we're in Seattle, so a young couple/family-friendly neighborhood would be more of what we're looking for.

We'll be visiting Seattle for a week in May to look at apartments and hopefully sign a lease, so we can move right in by June 9-12th.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Ira500]

Wedgewood and Maple Leaf are fine, but when trying to rent or sell a property, it's typical of realtors( believe me, I know!) and others to call something a neighborhood it's near, not the neighborhood it's in. For example, both Wedgewood and Maple Leaf are near Lake City, which is okay but not nearly as desirable.

[Prple]

Wedgewood and Maple Leaf are both great neighborhoods. Wedgewood Elementary is one of the best schools in Seattle. Lake Forest Park and Shoreline would be okay too, might be more affordable, but not sure.

[reederb]

Hi. Is this the institute over on 9th Ave? Capitol Hill is close by and is a very good neighborhood, but I'm not sure of the rents over there. I live in the Roosevelt neighborhood, just north of the U District, and it's very nice here. Friends here rented a studio apartment recently for $840 a month, so rents are a little high, but the area is great. Maple Leaf and Wedgewood are just a little north of us. Roosevelt features Ravenna blvd and Cowen park, which has nice hiking and jogging paths. We're also close to Green Lake, which is very nice, but expensive. The U District is full of young people and some cheap apartments, but too close to the UW is really dumpy and full of drugs. Stay away from there.

Fremont is also very nice, especially if you like art. It's a big artist community. Lots of apartments there, but you may only get a studio in your price range. Still might be worth checking out.

There are a lot of apartment buildings here that are planning to convert to condo's so check to make sure wherever you move will still be there for a while. good luck!

bob

Originally Posted by photogirl81

My future husband and I have to move to Seattle this June, due to the relocation of his research lab to the Seattle Children's Research Institute. We've been looking at apartments in that area, but would prefer to be outside of the main downtown hub for more affordable rent (5-10 miles from the Institute). Our monthly budget for rent will be between $700-$900, and we've already found many places in this price range we would like to check out. Can anyone recommend some nice neighborhoods/apartments for us? I found some places in the Wedgewood and Maple Leaf neighborhoods...how are those?

We're a quiet, soon-to-be-newlywed couple in our mid-twenties that have lived in suburban Cleveland, Ohio for our entire lives. We don't go out much, but enjoy the art scene and love being in nature. We're concerned about safety, noise, and being taken advantage of for being "newbies". We also want to start a family while we're in Seattle, so a young couple/family-friendly neighborhood would be more of what we're looking for.

We'll be visiting Seattle for a week in May to look at apartments and hopefully sign a lease, so we can move right in by June 9-12th.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Ira500]

But the very latest trend is for re-apartmenting, buildings converted to condos which aren't selling, converted back to apartments.