Questions about Moving to Seattle - I Welcome Any and All Advice! (apartments, lease)

[La Pomme Bleue]

Hi all, I'm a 31 year-old from the Rocky Mountains who fell in love with Seattle and is planning to relocate there later this summer. I have a great job that allows me to work from home, and so long as I am near an airport for travel, I can pretty much live wherever I want. After 10 years in the high sunny desert of Wyoming (310 average days of sun every year), with its loooong cold winters and hot drrrrrrry summers, I'm ready for a big change!

I have two family members who recently (late 2008) moved to Seattle and I jsut returned from a 10-day visit with them. I spent about 8 hours each day exploring the city and I have to say, I'm smitten! I am one of those who actually prefers overcast skies and rain, and in looking at the average temps throughout the year, I can honestly say it will be nice to live somewhere that is not prone to such extremes as what I'm used to. I also loved how pedestrian-friendly the city is, how young it is, the cultural diversity, and quality of produce and seafood, the abundance of parks, the proximity to outdoorsy activities, and I could go on and on.

Needless to say, I'll be moving in July!

I've been reading through the threads here for several days and I've also been visiting other sites, reading Seattle guide books, and talking to people I know who live or have lived there. Now that I've finally made the decision to move, I simply cannot get enough info about Seattle! So I have some questions I'd like some more input on, if anyone is willing to provide me with their thoughts.

1. I have three dogs. That seems to sound like a lot to people, because I get a lot of surprised responses, but honestly, having 3 dogs isn't much different than having 2, so long as they're all trained and well-behaved. Also, one of my dogs is weighs 12 pounds so I consider her 1/3 of a dog, really. My question is - In my initial research on apartments, I'm finding that the apartments that allow dogs tend to put a cap on 2 dogs total (along with other various regulations regarding size and breed). I have a Labrador, a border collie mix, and a miniature dachshund. Do you think it will be impossible to find an apartment in the city that will allow all three? My rent budget could go up to $1200, although I'm much more comfortable in the $900 range, if it's dependent upon that.

2. Is there anywhere on-line where I could order or view a map that shows all of the city with all of the bus routes? I picked up several individual route maps on the bus, but would like to see a "bigger picture" view of the bus system, or at least something that would help me see how close to a stop a certain address is. I don't know if that would even exist? I looked on the King County Metro site but if one is there, I couldn't find it. I know I can use their site to type in addresses and see the closest stop, but I'd like something more visual and more expeditious.

3. I have spent the past 10 years in a relatively small city (~35,000 people) and I've never lived in a city the size of Seattle. In my (perhaps naive?) thinking, I could fly out to Seattle in June, look at apartments and find one I like, sign a lease and pay my deposit & rent, fly back to Wyoming, and drive out with my stuff sometime in July. Is this a reasonable plan? Should I come out earlier than June? I will need to be out of my house here by July 31st. When I was in Seattle, I noticed that almost every other building in Capitol Hill had "FOR RENT" signs out and the results on craigslist and other apartment-finder websites are pretty voluminous for many neighborhoods. This leads me to think that demand is way down and I won't have to worry about finding the right place. Or will I...??

4. If any of you relocated to Seattle from the Rocky Mountain area or from the mid-West (I'm originally from the Mid-West) and have some advice you think I might benefit from, please let me know! It will certainly be an adventure and I'm looking forward to it, but any and all "heads up" information I can get is surely appreciated!

[MaikeerinWA]

Not sure if this is the sort of thing you are looking for:

Metro Transit System Map (http://transit.metrokc.gov/tops/bus/psystem_map.html - broken link)

Keep in mind that there is more to the area than Seattle proper, when looking for places to live.

Originally Posted by La Pomme Bleue

2. Is there anywhere on-line where I could order or view a map that shows all of the city with all of the bus routes? I picked up several individual route maps on the bus, but would like to see a "bigger picture" view of the bus system, or at least something that would help me see how close to a stop a certain address is. I don't know if that would even exist? I looked on the King County Metro site but if one is there, I couldn't find it. I know I can use their site to type in addresses and see the closest stop, but I'd like something more visual and more expeditious.

[seattlenextyear]

Have your family members vette neighborhoods for you. The more help you can get from them, the better place you'll end up. A lot of the places that have voluminous Craiglist postings are not places you want to live. Good places in good neighborhoods go fast!

[Heiwos]

On #1, that might be a big issue for the money you want to spend. Have you considered the possibility of sharing a house w/ a yard for the dogs?

On #2, the full-city bus map is confusing to me because there are so many routes.

On #3, I don't think that's unreasonable. I agree with seattlenextyear on having your Seattle family members help you. I'd narrow down the area you want to live in before you come looking (this forum can help on that).

On #4, I've lived in the deserts of Idaho and Montana. I prefer the milder weather here, even though it's not nearly as interesting (few thunderstorms here, for example). It helps a lot that you like overcast! We do get a lot of partly sunny days and the summers are near perfect. A lot of people including myself think it's harder to make friends here; if you're an extrovert the "Seattle freeze" (see thread on that) might be a problem.

[La Pomme Bleue]

Thanks, MichaelinWA, for the map link! I don't know why I couldn't find it on the metro site, but I never could! Indeed, it is too confusing (too many routes) to be immediately helpful, but thank you for directing me to it!

seattlenextyear - good to know! I'm also considering using a realtor service to help me research places. My cousins will undoubtedly help me out too in the time before I can actually get out there.

Heiwos - thank you so much for your input! I would prefer to have an apartment in the city itself, and live by myself, but I am open to other options and it may come to sharing a house outside the city. My dogs aren't really "yard dogs" anyhow (I prefer to take them running with me in the morning and as I work from home, taking them on short walks is a great way for me to take a break from work). But this will be one of the more challenging issues of finding a place.

I was expecting the weather to be totally rainy and sunless on my last trip, as my internet research said February and March are the worst months for rain in Seattle. But I was surprised at all the sunshine! It tended to be cloudy in the mornings, then the sky would open up and be sunny and blue for the late morning and early afternoon, then cloud up and drizzle into the night. The rain is not what I'm used to in the mid-West and Rocky Mountains, where it absolutely pours down whenever it rains. But in Seattle, I found I didn't even need an umbrella during most of my outings in the rain. A hat and light jacket worked just fine!

I have been reading up on the Seattle Freeze. It's hard for me to believe that people in Seattle could be any more reserved and introverted than those in the mid-West! I've never had a hard time making friends and the fact that I have friends and family already in Seattle is comforting. I wouldn't categorize myself as an extrovert (too much Mid-Western stoicism ingrained in me!) but I do hope to make new friends in Seattle. I guess I'll just have to see how it goes.

[pittsteelerfan]

3 dogs for a 'city person' is alot by most people's standards. I've lived in cities my entire life, and I never knew anyone to own 3 dogs, even 2 is very rare (especially if they are renters). Finding a place by yourself in that price range with 3 dogs won't be easy. I can't imagine that too many apt's are going to allow that. Your only option is really going to be renting a house, even then, 3 dogs? Still won't be easy, good luck.

[eskercurve]

I grew up in the Midwest (Chicago, then Indiana, Cincinnati, then St. Louis). Some thoughts about here vs. out there:

1) The services and people here are more "relaxed" than in the Midwest. I used to think it was just laziness but I do get the honest feeling that people here simply want to strike a better stress/work and life balance. It's kind of refreshing actually.

2) The roads here absolutely suck. There's no two ways about it to anyone who understands what smooth roads are.

3) Seattleites are not that shy compared to Midwesterners. Just like anywhere really, you need to find something that interests you and then dive in. You'll make friends.

4) Cost of living is outrageous. That also hits on another point you raise: $1100 is probably the minimum you will need to rent a house with a yard. Don't bother with the city in that case ... I agree that living in the city with that many dogs is a stretch ... BUT it is doable. Check out the Capitol Hill area ... there's lots of dog lovers there and lots of parks and green space.

5) Summer here is unbeatable. Much sunshine and much pleasant weather. Yeah it drizzles and occassionally rains otherwise, but it's no big deal.

It is possible to come, sign a lease, go back home, and in a month move in. I did it.

[La Pomme Bleue]

Yes, pittsteelerfan, I'm definitely finding that to be the case. Some options have become available to me, however, and I've also been in touch with a realtor who is willing to show me some condos. I'm not thrilled about buying right away, but I am willing to have a higher monthly payment if it's going toward a mortgage rather than rent. That has opened up my options some. But yes, the third dog does limit things. All said, I've found Seattle to be an amazingly dog-friendly city. Much more so than anywhere else I've lived. Eskercurve, so do you find that you prefer Seattle over the Midwest?

[pittsteelerfan]

Originally Posted by La Pomme Bleue

Yes, pittsteelerfan, I'm definitely finding that to be the case. Some options have become available to me, however, and I've also been in touch with a realtor who is willing to show me some condos. I'm not thrilled about buying right away, but I am willing to have a higher monthly payment if it's going toward a mortgage rather than rent. That has opened up my options some. But yes, the third dog does limit things. All said, I've found Seattle to be an amazingly dog-friendly city. Much more so than anywhere else I've lived. Eskercurve, so do you find that you prefer Seattle over the Midwest?

The midwest is a big area, what area or city are you asking about?

[Heiwos]

Originally Posted by La Pomme Bleue

I'm not thrilled about buying right away, but I am willing to have a higher monthly payment if it's going toward a mortgage rather than rent.

Even if the mortgage was $2000/mo, only $500 paying down principal, and rent on a similar place is $700/mo? Beware of your logic here, which doesn't apply so well in a deflationary market. You could end up with a fixed payment throughout a decade of declining rents and house prices.