Moving to Seattle Family of 6 (Tacoma, Bellevue: middle school, live in, price)

[maddieinoz]

Thank you CrazyDonkey. I appreciate your suggestions- Maddie

[homesinseattle]

Maddie, in my professional experience, most people who articulate as clearly as you did ("We would love to be in a neighborhood that's walkable with cute shops, cafes, coffee shops, etc."), then settle for something less than that, end up really regretting it. I still think West Seattle would be the best for you, your commute, your desires and your budget.

[CrazyDonkey]

She might be looking at the high school rankings, even though her kids have a good way to go before they'll get there. Seattle's "north" high schools, other than Roosevelt, were considered to be "mediocre" a decade ago, but with richer families having moved in...

If she insists on an "8" or higher ranked HS, now, she'll have to resign herself to either a long commute or poor walkability.

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

She might be looking at the high school rankings, even though her kids have a good way to go before they'll get there. Seattle's "north" high schools, other than Roosevelt, were considered to be "mediocre" a decade ago, but with richer families having moved in...

If she insists on an "8" or higher ranked HS, now, she'll have to resign herself to either a long commute or poor walkability.

Yes Crazy, I completely agree. I just think it's best to actually visit schools before saying no to them. A "7" with great administration/principal can be an excellent place to attend. I also think it is important to realize that the presence of some recently arrived immigrant children (who are learning English) can skew scores down a bit. To me, their presence makes the school experience more rich.

[CrazyDonkey]

It is also under-appreciated that walkability is not just good for parents, but for their kids as well - it would be interesting to map childhood obesity rates to walkability scores, for instance.

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

It is also under-appreciated that walkability is not just good for parents, but for their kids as well - it would be interesting to map childhood obesity rates to walkability scores, for instance.

You are spot on today, and usually are . That's just the physical part, I have to think kids benefit socially and emotionally when they live in a place that is more conducive to "community building", which walkable neighborhoods are.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

You are spot on today, and usually are . That's just the physical part, I have to think kids benefit socially and emotionally when they live in a place that is more conducive to "community building", which walkable neighborhoods are.

I agree. Stretching their minds and hearts can be just as important as stretching their legs. Diversity and walkability tend to go hand-in-hand. Kids who can walk to school, the library, activities, and friends' houses (or apartments!) without having to be "ferried" everywhere are more likely to become independent and mature adults. "Free-range" kids are less likely to fall victim to social tribalism.

[maddieinoz]

Hi everyone! Yes- thank you for your advice. Walkability is extremely important to us, and we will always walk to our children's schools, the shops, cafes, etc. (We walk or cycle almost 4k daily to our children's schools). West Seattle is first on our list, but want to make sure I have a good list of neighborhoods to check out as we will be flying in for a brief trip to scope houses out before our final move. The school ranking is unimportant to me- as a school administrator I take GreatSchools with a grain of salt, so we are definitely going to be visiting all of the schools as well. I just want to diversify beyond West Seattle so we have options.

To sum up: We should check out- West Seattle, Columbia Heights, Madrona (I think it's prob. too $$$), Burien, Newcastle, Wallingford and surrounds, Queen Anne, and possibly the Renton/Bellevue area? Any last recs? THANK YOU! - Maddie + Fam

[maddieinoz]

Sorry! One more silly question Since we are a family of six with the potential of needing an au pair, I have only been searching for 4 bedroom homes. We've been living in a 2br house for a long time, and I'm ready to be a little less squeezed. Where I live in Melbourne, there aren't "extra" rooms. You get your bedroom, open plan kitchen/living and a bathroom.
Should I open up the search for 3br homes as well? Since floor plans aren't provided most of the time, I'm struggling seeing if a 3br would have the potential to be converted to a 4br or a different floor plan if needed. Apologies if this question is too general or silly. Thank you.

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by maddieinoz

Hi everyone! Yes- thank you for your advice. Walkability is extremely important to us, and we will always walk to our children's schools, the shops, cafes, etc. (We walk or cycle almost 4k daily to our children's schools). West Seattle is first on our list, but want to make sure I have a good list of neighborhoods to check out as we will be flying in for a brief trip to scope houses out before our final move. The school ranking is unimportant to me- as a school administrator I take GreatSchools with a grain of salt, so we are definitely going to be visiting all of the schools as well. I just want to diversify beyond West Seattle so we have options.

To sum up: We should check out- West Seattle, Columbia Heights, Madrona (I think it's prob. too $$$), Burien, Newcastle, Wallingford and surrounds, Queen Anne, and possibly the Renton/Bellevue area? Any last recs? THANK YOU! - Maddie + Fam

Hey Maddie,

You could find something in Madrona in your price range, I'd keep that on the list. Madrona though is rather embedded, takes some time to get to the I-5 and would (similar to the top of Queen Anne) nullify your southern progress. That neighborhood you mentioned is called Columbia City, you might also throw closeby Mount Baker on your list, though Columbia City wins that walkability contest. Go sit there at Island Soul Caribbean restaurant, La Teranga Senegalese cafe, Geraldine's or any of the Ethiopian places there and you'll see what I mean. Parts of the Seward Park neighborhood could work too, the actual park is fantastic, the oldest growth trees in Seattle and great walking, running trails. Upon reflection, Seward Park might be a good fit, nice home value for money. And yes to South Bellevue-Newport Hills and Renton, though neither really offer much walkability, cafes, etc.

Yes. Be open to 3 bedrooms, especially when looking at "character", mid century or "historic" homes, very common in this area. Try to reconcile the bedrooms with square footage, if you see a 3 bedroom with 2500 SF, you can bet there is some kind of very useable rec room (which could easily be a 4th bedroom) distinct from the living room. Also, I would encourage you (when perusing homes of this kind) to not automatically reject homes with just one bath when establishing search parameters. Quite common in this area are spacious character homes that were only created with one bathroom but have a great canvas/unfinished square footage for more. We turned our last 3br/1ba, 2100sf 1920s built into a splendid 4br/3ba.

Yes, West Seattle on top, though the sheer beauty (next to Puget Sound) of the Three Tree Point area of Burien will take your breath away.

Cheers, Vince