Moving to Seattle Help (Tacoma, Everett: apartment, rental, condo)

[sandman95]

Hello, my boyfriend and I are looking to move to Seattle. We are both in our 20s and come from small towns and looking for a fresh start. At the moment we both work as servers, I would like to continue doing this and become a manager, he has a paralegal certification and is hoping to find a more 9-5 kind of job.
Basically any help or advice is welcome, especially in regards to places to live and public transport. We will have one car and a bicycle.
Thank you so much in advance for your help!

[Blondebaerde]

Constraints, in decending order of importance:

- Budget
- Tolerance for Commute
- Competitiveness of Qualifications for Professional Employment
- Quality of Schools*
- Ability to Withstand Weather, Long Term
- Ability to Withstand Chilly Social Scene, Long Term

*If applicable

Honestly answer the above, use as baseline to determine where you'll want to live and what career you'll pursue given *extremely* competitive nature of Seattle job market. Seattle 2017 would be nearly last-place of all US major metros for just showing up with few skills and fewer plans.

[Ruth4Truth]

You can't afford Seattle. You could have good luck in Olympia. It's a government town, there will be lots of lawyers, there's a state college in town (cool crowd; it's an alternative school), restaurants, much more affordable COL. It's your best option.

[Tim Randal Walker]

Originally Posted by Blondebaerde

- Ability to Withstand Weather, Long Term

It seems that some people find it hard to adjust to the months of grey, overcast, damp, cool weather. They find it depressing. So if you are thinking of moving to this area, the winter months would be the best time to visit.

BTW, the traffic sucks.

[sandman95]

Thanks for the reply, we were thinking about $1000/month on rent and utilities. I lived in London for 2 years and had a one hour commute on public transport to work and didn't mind. We are looking into the jobs market, but also kind of hoping that as servers with management experience we'll at least be able to find a source of income to start off with if nothing else. Have you lived or do you live in Seattle? Are these expectations realistic?

[Hemlock140]

Average rent for a studio in Seattle is $1,450,1 bedroom $1,800. There will be some for rent but in less popular areas, and they go fast. Most do not include utilities, except maybe water and sewer. I’m in the process of hiring for a position for which paralegal is good experience, but it closed about an hour ago, pay starts at $25-29/hour full time with benefits, so they are out there. That kind of job openings are few and far between, servers are always in demand.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by sandman95

we were thinking about $1000/month on rent and utilities.

You could get a room in a shared household for that. In or near Olympia, you could get a 1-br. apt.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/a...328995407.html

Here's something in Lynnwood, that includes utilities. You may have luck in Lynnwood, which is north of Seattle, and has good transit service to Seattle. https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/a...329282639.html

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

You could get a room in a shared household for that. In or near Olympia, you could get a 1-br. apt.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/a...328995407.html

Here's something in Lynnwood, that includes utilities. You may have luck in Lynnwood, which is north of Seattle, and has good transit service to Seattle. https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/a...329282639.html

Now now Ruth, nothing is final til your dead and even then I'm sure God (or the devil) negotiates.

OP: can you handle living with the SO in 225 square feet? Here is a micro apartment that is $995 a month. Additional occupant is $100, and utilities are $35. So you're looking at $1135 a month. Can you each pitch in an extra $67.50 on the rental budget? If so, welcome to Seattle. You may even be able to get them to reduce that extra occupant fee by at least half.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/a...331540476.html


If you don't find that to be a palatable living situation, you will have to resign yourself to the suburbs. The further south you go, the cheaper it will be. For example:

https://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/a...315646942.html

This is actually a steal if it's legit which it looks like it is. But, you're in Des Moines. Which might as well be Des Moines, IA for someone who wants an urban Seattle lifestyle. Still, not a soul crushing commute and the city is accessible for leisure.

At any rate, you need to unencumber yourself from the notion that $1000 will get you anything but shared housing or a micro in Seattle proper.

[Ruth4Truth]

There are a couple of listings for 1-br. apts. in Everett, near Lynnwood, in your price range. Otherwise, it's only studios. Everett also has good transit service to Seattle. These listings include all utilities.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/a...325211438.html

https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/a...330628405.html

[Neerwhal]

My advice? With that budget you should start in Tacoma or Renton. $1,000 all inclusive for rent and utilities is hard to find in Seattle and there is no rent control so it can and will go up. Lynwood, Renton, and other suburbs going north-south are your best bets because you can take the train. Prices are lower than London but you will likely have an hour commute.

You might consider upping your skills as well—get an office job eventually after getting an associate of arts. You can also get a BA at a local community college and work your way into a good little office job, or substitute teach.

Just waiting tables is a hell of a grind.