Moving to Seattle and need some customized advice (Lakewood, Lake Shore: sales, real estate)

[SweepingTheNation]

Hi, Ive been looking in on these forums for quite a while now and have gotten some useful insights in the past. I finally decided I should post my situation to get some specific help from the forum. Im a 27 yo married guy with a small dog. My wife and I were in the military and are now working professionals. We have lived in quite a few places and were raised in Philly. We have been moved around by our employers and uncle sam quite a bit without recourse and now we are finally choosing the city we will move to. My wife seems to be a shoe-in to transfer to Seattle (from N.Y.) as her company has nationwide opportunities and we handpicked seattle from amongst them.

I am looking for advice as to where to live and any other information that anyone will oblige. You see, we picked Seattle because of the outdoors activities that we could involve ourselves in. Also, we frequent the nightlife scene and would like a few places (doesnt need to be in party central) that we could walk to for a drink and some eats from our home. We would like to live convenient enough to possibly walk kayaks to one of the body's of water but this may be hoping to much. Also, walking my fishing rod to a place of interest would be awesome. We are avid bicycle riders and also would like to take our dog for walks in actual grass (surrounded by concrete currently and my dog hates it). I have been searching the neighborhoods and belltown seems to fit this bill. Please dispell this as needed and provide alternatives. I once lived on Lake Shore drive downtown in Chicago and loved it. Not sure if anyone could accurately compare the two for me. Also, Lower Queen anne and South Lake Union looked nice as well. Capitol Hill seemed too widely spaced to be a cohesive "neighborhood" but thats just my perception from a few photos. We are going to rent and are willing to spend a upwards of $2500 monthly for a 1-2 bedroom. Sucky thing is that we will have 2 cars and will also be paying parking for 2.

Coming from Philly, the downtown really is the only viable place to live for nightlife and no outdoors activities were available. Im stoked to be coming out there. Again, just looking to see if my insights were accurate and for as much new info that I could get. I know that Im asking for a lot so a peacemeal grouping of explanations would be fine.

PS--If anyone knows anything about Ivan Salaverry's martial arts school or Elliott bay plaza apartments in baytown, I'd be interested to know about that as well.

[Ira500]

Looking at your requirements and preferences, it narrows down the choice of neighborhoods to only a few. Sure Belltown qualifies, and some people are very happy living there, but I think of it more as the party central neighborhood you're trying to avoid, and I just don't see it as really comparable to Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.
Belltown, while very conveniently located, does have a certain amount of drug dealing, panhandling, homeless, crackheads, and crime amidst some very expensive high rise housing. I know someone who used to live at the Elliot Bay Plaza and moved out because his car got broken into a couple of times and the noise from a nearby dance club got to be a little much..I'm afraid that living in Belltown might require you to use some of the skills you may have picked up in the military. .Lower Queen Anne is nearby but is a little more "civilized", but still has plenty of bars and clubs and restaurants nearby...
I think you're wrong about Capitol Hill. Broadway has a lot going on, and so does 15th Avenue east, which is quieter and safer than Broadway, but within walking distance of Broadway...South Lake Union is growing by leaps and bounds, and has a lot of newer buildings and activities. The University District would also have the nightlife scene, and lastly, you might want to consider Fremont. No shortage of bars and restaurants, a lively neighborhood, and on the canal that connects Lake union to Puget Sound, you can launch a kayak there.

[SweepingTheNation]

Crikies, my vision of belltown might not be as accurate as I might have expected. My impression of the northern and central aspects of Seattle is that they are very safe. Is it that belltown is unsafe relative to Queen Anne and Fremont or unsafe relative to what someone who really wants to stay out of trouble should live amongst. Is Belltown full of crackheads, drugdealers and panhandlers or are there the couple of local degenerate mainstays that make it look worse than it actually is?

Also, I assume that the Univ. District has a younger party scene? As much as I'd hate to admit it, Im starting to feel too old for that. Starting to is the key portion of that sentence, lol. Does the Univ District have any young professional scene or other draws to it besides the abundant nightlife?

Does South Lake Union compare more to lower queene anne or to Belltown as far as its "civility". If it is as up and coming a neighborhood as Im understanding, I might be able to get a nice deal on a condo. That is well past the scope of the conversation, however.

Again, thanks for the insight. I'm hoping for others to chime in as well.

[Ira500]

I'm hoping others reply as well, and I'm sure they will.
I grew up around Trenton, New Jersey, and almost every neighborhood in Seattle, including Belltown, is nicer than most neighborhoods in Trenton.
University District: The heart of it is abundant nightlife and good, cheap ethnic eateries, but you don't have to be too far away at all to experience more of the "neighborhood catering to young professionals", like anything north of 50th street or west of I-5...
South Lake Union compares more to lower Queen Anne than Belltown in it's civility, and yeah, there are a lot of condos available at prices that are dropping.
As far as Belltown being full of crackheads, drug dealers, and panhandlers, vs just having a couple of degenerate mainstays...the reality is probably in between. In Philly terms, it's more like Center City than Mount Airy.
But don't take my word for it. There are people who are happy living in Belltown.

[SweepingTheNation]

I dont know if my post alluded that I was casting any doubt on your assessment of belltown. I mostly was just shocked to hear that belltown was unsafe and kinda taken aback by it. Our move to Seattle was somewhat based on the fact that Seattle was safe in general compared to other cities of its size. Its ashame that a portion of the city with an awesome location like belltown, could have a drawback as large as this. Nonetheless, I googled belltown's safety and a lot of folks agree with what you have said about crackheads and whinos. I really will consider moving on to lower queen anne, south lake union, freemont and a new one -- first hill (please advise).

Ira, as a real estate agent, and understanding the sagging market, can you advise me on condo sales? Im a prior homeowner that bought when the market was good. At that time, houses sold for what they listed for. Can you tell me if condos are selling a significant amount lower than their listing price. I dont think it takes a rocket scientist to see that a bubble exists and that a correction will take place. I'd consider buying if the market listings were fickle. Say a 1 bedroom with den or 2 bedroom condo in a nice part of town for 275k - 325k when all is said and done. If this isnt what they are selling for now, I'll wait until they get there (if they do).

[tobester]

The Columbia City (shops, restaurants), Seward Park, Lakewood neighborhoods border Lake Washington (kayaking, fishing) ... there is a large dog park for your dog and Lake Washington Blvd is one of the best biking roads in the city. And you wouldn't have to pay to park cars.

[MaikeerinWA]

I keep seeing these little yellow signs advertising new condos with boat slips, somewhere on Rainier Ave., starting at around $300,000.

Don't know anything about them, but the signs are everywhere, it seems.

[tobester]

Those condos are in Rainier Beach ... just south of Seward Park Ave/Rainier corner. I believe they're converted older apartments.

[Ira500]

Sweeping,
It's not that I thought you were doubting my assessment of Belltown, more that I don't live there( and wouldn't), but I know that there are people happy living there, so what do I Know?
As far as condos, in the neighborhoods mentioned, condos are typically selling for 2-3% less than asking price, but the asking prices have been adjusted downward to reflect the downturn in the RE market. For a 2 bedroom condo in the 275-325 range,there's not currently a lot, but another neighborhood to consider even as a renter, is West Seattle. Alki is full of activity, lots of places to get drinks and food, has amazing views, and is very close to downtown Seattle...There's a water taxi from downtown Seattle from April to October that takes about ten minutes.
Many cities saw real estate start to decline about two years ago, but Seattle started it's decline only about a year ago, so it hasn't fallen as much. Some real estate agents use that to suggest how strong our housing market is, that we haven't fallen as much as most places, but to me I see no evidence that the condo or single family market is turning around any time soon, and I've got no idea whether Seattle will continue falling when other places have stabilized.

[SweepingTheNation]

My wife is a sales rep and will be covering north seattle. She often has to traverse NY (brooklyn to long island to manhattan) 3-4 times in the course of a workday and will be doing the same out there. She'd rather stay north of downtown so that she doesnt have to make the one extra trip to her first account every morning. She covers surgical cases and they often start at 7am. She's not a morning person either. I thank you for the info though. Ive never been to seattle but will be coming out there to look at apartments. I'll consider checking out some of south seattle and west seattle if I get the idea that traffic will allow for a relatively easy commute. But from what Ive gathered, seattle is full of traffic.

Can anyone tell me where the predominant amount of kayaking and fishing is done or are there people on the sound, lake, etc.?