$85k a year in Seattle area enough? (Everett, Yakima: real estate, foreclosures)

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by JOinGA

Are there specific neighborhoods they should look at? They want to try to rent where they might possibly buy since they really need to learn about the area.

They can rent anywhere in W Seattle, and scope out all the neighborhoods, going to open-houses to familiarize themselves with the market up-close and personal, and keep en eye out for good deals, when they're ready to buy. Gentrification is proceeding south and eastward in West Seattle. They might be able to watch the process from a ringside seat, and grab a good deal, like that beautiful Craftsman, that was somewhere in the vicinity of Camp Long, I'm not sure, exactly.

[JOinGA]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

They can rent anywhere in W Seattle, and scope out all the neighborhoods, going to open-houses to familiarize themselves with the market up-close and personal, and keep en eye out for good deals, when they're ready to buy. Gentrification is proceeding south and eastward in West Seattle. They might be able to watch the process from a ringside seat, and grab a good deal, like that beautiful Craftsman, that was somewhere in the vicinity of Camp Long, I'm not sure, exactly.

Good advice. Thanks!

[Flightoficarus87]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

How would living on the Kitsap Peninsula help the OP find housing within commute distance of Microsoft? I'm not getting your concept, here. Are you suggesting a ferry commute? That sounds brutal, to add a car commute from any ferry terminal (Edmonds, or wherever) to Microsoft to a ferry ride.

My apologies if I made it sound like that's what I'm suggesting the OP does - I was just stating the overall reality of the housing market on that salary if they wish to own a detached house in the metro. I don't wish a ferry commute to Microsoft on anyone - well, just about anyone, at least!

Come to think of it, there might be some options further out east for the OP (although prices were getting pretty crazy last time I looked).

[homesinseattle]

Places like Everett and Tacoma are very doable on this salary, depending in how much debt you are servicing. As traffic has gotten challenging and housing prices gone up, more people are using the commuter rail (about an hour) from these places to Seattle. People have done this on the East Coast and Midwest cities for many years, get on, take a nap, get to work. People in this area are learning to think differently than they have in the past.

[Scorpion3510]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Single guy, 2 cars (need a garage), 4 cats (major apartment hurdle), paying on student loans (high payments).

Not willing to sell a car or get rid of any cats.

Job offer to move to Seattle metro - Job site in Redmond. $5k sign on bonus and $85k a year. I don't mind living in an apartment if they're willing to house the cats and have a garage for atleast one of my cars. Not looking to live Downtown, but rather anyplace in a safe area within the metro is fine but the closer to I can be to Redmond, the easier my commute.

Im highly doubting that (especially with student loans) $85k is enough to buy a house in Seattle but willing to be proven wrong.

thoughts?

OP, can you leave one of the cars in Austin or drop it with family in Atlanta? If you get a raise, you can bring it to Seattle later. Or if you don't like Seattle, you only have to move somewhere with one car.


I'm a pet guy so I don't suggest leaving any cats even though it will be difficult to move with them.


At this point, I wouldn't worry about a SFH. Rent for at least a year (or more) and reassess with either a higher income or the housing market comes down a bit. Hell, in a year you might want to move to another metro area or get a better job.


Good luck on your decision!

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Places like Everett and Tacoma are very doable on this salary, depending in how much debt you are servicing. As traffic has gotten challenging and housing prices gone up, more people are using the commuter rail (about an hour) from these places to Seattle. People have done this on the East Coast and Midwest cities for many years, get on, take a nap, get to work. People in this area are learning to think differently than they have in the past.

I did the Tacoma commute to Bothell when I was last there.... all I can say is....OUCH. I-405 between Southcenter and Bellevue.. painful. I ended up starting to leave early at about 5am to avoid traffic and slept in my car in Bothell from 6am until about 8am when my shift begun...

but let me tell you something that got ten times funner...

My car blew the motor on my way home from work right in Downtown Tacoma climbing up toward hilltop, pulled over, oil all over the engine, so from that point throughout the remainder of my stay I was on sound transit... bus left downtown Tacoma at like 4:50am, got to downtown Seattle at about 5:45am, RUN into the transit tunnel and catch another bus to Bellevue right before it left. Arrived at Bellevue around 6:30am. Grab coffee at Starbucks, wait for the Bus that travels up the HOV Lane on I-405 .. took that to Bothel-Everett Hwy, exit bus... Jog to work, arrive by 7:50am.

And reverse it to go home. In short left at 4am, got home at 10pm...all for $40k a year...and the car never got fixed

On a side note, I love riding The Sounder train.

Originally Posted by Scorpion3510

OP, can you leave one of the cars in Austin or drop it with family in Atlanta? If you get a raise, you can bring it to Seattle later. Or if you don't like Seattle, you only have to move somewhere with one car.


I'm a pet guy so I don't suggest leaving any cats even though it will be difficult to move with them.


At this point, I wouldn't worry about a SFH. Rent for at least a year (or more) and reassess with either a higher income or the housing market comes down a bit. Hell, in a year you might want to move to another metro area or get a better job.


Good luck on your decision!

If I do it I'm going to leave it in Austin as my lease doesn't expire until May, then decide whether I'm going to bring it with me or send it to my family in Atlanta.

My family is highly against me going there because of all the crazy stuff that happened to me the last time I was there. I am still on the fence about it. It's a good opportunity but worried about what may happen if I pull the trigger and it doesn't pan out.

[mhays25]

Why on earth didn't you move closer? You can live in a lot of cheap places with a direct bus to Bellevue.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by mhays25

Why on earth didn't you move closer? You can live in a lot of cheap places with a direct bus to Bellevue.

When I initially moved to Seattle, it was to finish college, and it was in Federal Way, and so was my job at the time but things didn't pan out at the job.

I was working the ACS for a Verizon Wireless project and they were murdering people on overtime but I gave them double the overtime they asked for ( $$$$ ) -- in short, my boss hated me so he basically told me to either quit or I was going to be fired within the month. I ended it before they could as to leave on a good note but I was still in a lease and went about 6 months of that lease unemployed while looking fresh out of college, couldn't get anything because lack of experience.

I nearly went bankrupt before I found my final project with AT&T, but it was in Bothell and it was an internship that was only slated to last about 4 months or just enough to recover from my debt. At that point I had to take what I could get or I was going to literally...starve in Tacoma.

For the most part I recovered, however being in a lease, I couldn't relocate without breaking it on top of the project not being for a full year and the job luck I was having in Seattle, I wasn't ready to commit to another lease, especially in a more expensive suburb.

After that project ended, I gave it one more shot but I couldn't find a job immediately so I cut my losses and went back to Atlanta.

[sll3454]

Don't rule out buying until you've talked with a realtor and/or lender. You definitely can't afford a "nice" area, but if your priorities are having a place for the cats (and cars), then that doesn't really matter. Pets are one of the best reasons for buying a home.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by sll3454

Don't rule out buying until you've talked with a realtor and/or lender. You definitely can't afford a "nice" area, but if your priorities are having a place for the cats (and cars), then that doesn't really matter. Pets are one of the best reasons for buying a home.

If I chose to buy, what areas would most suite my salary range?