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Old 02-17-2010, 08:47 AM
 
Location: Tokyo, Japan
12 posts, read 38,554 times
Reputation: 14

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Hi there.
I have been looking around for the past two days along the 405 corridor and can't seem to find anything for less than $550K with the combination of home features that we're looking for- 4 bedrooms, large, flat back yard for the kids, 5pc master bath or bathroom big enough to install a large soaking tub (Japanese people take baths every day), den/home office on the main level (it needs to be separate the sleeping areas because I'll be working at night), laundry room not in the garage, not near a noisy street, freeway or power lines, not requiring a ton of renovations make the place as comfortable as a <25 yr old place, etc.

I guess we need to try harder to sort out the good stuff from the bad.

But this largely answers my my original question of whether 120K per month and a $1800 mortgage is impossible or not.

Thanks.
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Old 02-17-2010, 09:00 AM
 
9,618 posts, read 27,287,468 times
Reputation: 5382
But this largely answers my my original question of whether 120K per month and a $1800 mortgage is impossible or not.

Oh, with an income of 120k per month, you can pretty much live anywhere you want
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Old 02-17-2010, 09:39 AM
 
301 posts, read 1,434,384 times
Reputation: 165
Yeah, but he wants to save $2600 a month... and has 3 kids.
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Old 02-17-2010, 09:48 AM
 
Location: Tokyo, Japan
12 posts, read 38,554 times
Reputation: 14
Oops I meant to say 120K per _year_ :-)
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Old 02-17-2010, 10:00 AM
 
Location: Seattle USA
4 posts, read 22,465 times
Reputation: 18
Are you finding houses in Klahanie for $475-$500K? I would guess they would be mostly 3 bedroom places and you have three kids. Might get kinda tight. You might also look down by Phantom Lake, Lake Hills, Lake Heights and the area between Lake Sammamish and 148th in Bellevue. It just seems that the Plateau is way out there, and being closer is a lot more convenient. Don't get me wrong, the Plateau is a nice place, my wife works at the Sammamish Library so she is out there quite a bit, but when the weather turns bad, it seems like they are the first to loose power and also get cut off from the rest of the area. The hill up there from I-90 and Issaquah is always a problem when it snows, though not so much this year (see Vancouver Olympics ).
We know lots of folks who have moved FROM The Plateau to Issaquah, Bellevue and Mercer Island as they found that Klahanie and places out there were just so far. I would suggest you consider renting for 3 months or so --if you can -- and take your time to look around and make sure you decide on the right place for you. Spring will be the time when a lot of places will come on the market.
You might even consider contacting a real estate agent here before you leave Japan and ask them for suggestions. There are a few Japanese agents here that speak both English and Japanese which might be comforting for you wife so she can be part of the decision-making process. I know, my wife in Japanese too, and it is best to get her to buy-in.

If you want some suggestions of real estate agents PM me and I can give you so names and email addresses.
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Old 02-17-2010, 10:09 AM
 
Location: Tokyo, Japan
12 posts, read 38,554 times
Reputation: 14
Thanks for the great advice.

Actually there are many 4 bedroom places for less than 500K in Klahanie right now. It gets up to around 500K or so if I want one with a home office but the neighborhood is generally in better shape and there is a lot of nice nature up there.

I thought that the Sammamish Plateau is a little too far out there as well but thought that Klahanie is on the end that is closer to I-90 and might be close enough. I drove down from Klahanie to Bellevue and timed my trip.

You're right that it's hard to tell for sure 100% if it's too far or not.
With school age kids it's going to be hard to rent without changing schools again once we find the right place.
We are actually working with a Japanese real estate agent right now and are planning on visiting the area later this spring. We should have some more clarity then.

I know a few people who live in Sammamish / Klahanie area and they love it. I also know a few people who live in Seattle and wouldn't live anywhere else. So I guess we'll just need to make a decision.

So you have a Japanese wife too -
So what kinds of places does she typically go to? How often? What kinds of things does she complain about living in the Seattle area? Do you have workarounds?
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Old 02-17-2010, 11:00 AM
 
7,743 posts, read 15,838,159 times
Reputation: 10451
Are you also looking into Mill Creek?

That's a community originally planned by Japanese people and my mom (who is Japanese) knows some of the folks that live there.

Some of the house needs might have to be compromised. Like the large backyard may not be necessary if you live close to a park-- newer construction tend to have smaller lots. Older houses-- well, this is Seattle, everything is hilly anyways.
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Old 02-17-2010, 11:09 AM
 
301 posts, read 1,434,384 times
Reputation: 165
My mom lives in a new construction development in Mill Creek--prices are a STEAL up there right now (she's not happy about that, since she bought in the bubble), and definitely a large Asian population. She lives in a very large 4 bedroom (master is bigger than the living room), 3 bath, PLUS office/bonus room... not a huge yard, but she lives right next to a huge community park. And I mean, literally, like a 30 second walk away. I suppose you'd have to drive down Seattle Hill Road to Hwy 9 and take that into Redmond... no idea how long that would take, never commuted that way. Might be similar developments closer to Woodinville?... which is very close to Redmond.
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Old 03-07-2010, 03:57 PM
 
Location: Rochelle, TX
9 posts, read 24,912 times
Reputation: 13
We, family of three, lived in Issaquah on $30,000/year. No we didn't get any government help at all and managed to eat organic healthy food and with out any credit cards. We also lived in a duplex that was in a nice area but because it was older we paid only $650/month and it was couple of years ago. Issaquah was a nice place but we like Walla Walla much better.
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Old 05-27-2010, 10:54 PM
 
138 posts, read 462,780 times
Reputation: 79
Bumping this older thread to see if the OP has any update to their home buying and relocating adventure!
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