relocating to Vashon - good idea? (Seattle, Snoqualmie: for sale by owner, rentals, how much)

[HydroBoy]

Hi there,

I am curious how easy the transition would be to move to Vashon. I am interviewing for a position at the Corps of Engineers in West Seattle. Vashon seems like a great, obvious choice. Am I missing anything? My wife would be looking for graphic design work and probably take the passenger only ferry to downtown. How is the public transportation on the Pier 50 and Fauntleroy sides? Do people rent parking spots and leave their cars there? Currently we live in Colorado, will sure miss the skiing, but ready for a change. I think that we'd have to wait for her to get a job until we purchased. What is the best site to find Vashon long term rentals, and private for sale by owner, fixer upper type homes? I am thinking that we could spend around 350 - which would be a tough one. Also, what are the hidden costs, i.e. - how much does it cost per month to commute and on the ferry - and what is the easiest/best/closest route and how long to a ski area?

Thank you for all of your help.

[Tony1790]

Biggest drawback to Vashon is living and dieing on the ferry schedule and the fact that it's King County, so you have to live with King county rules (more restrictive than say Kitsap county).

Ski area, Snoqualmie, etc is within, like, 1/2 hour maybe 45 minutes? Mapquest it and you'll know for sure.

Good luck with the move.

Tony

[storybird]

Moving to vashon is tough.
You are reliant on the ferries, the passenger ferry to downtown is under constant threat of being discontinued, so you can't count on it. The ferry costs about 20 bucks to ride and an additional 5 bucks or so per passenger (other than the driver). The passenger only ferry to downtown is 8 or so.
Buying things on island is expensive. Buying them off island is bad for the island economy, is looked down upon, plus you have to factor in the price of the ferry ride. And the time. Ferries don't take you to seattle when they show up - they are on a schedule. So you drive to the ferry dock arriving at least 15 minutes early (or more, and often the boat is late) you wait in line, load onto the boat and have a ferry ride, unload from the boat and drive to your destination. Getting back to the island is usually a much longer wait somehow, unless you are traveling before 7 am or between 10am and 2 pm or after 11 pm.
It is a beautiful place, but if you are looking for accessible to west seattle, it isn't that great. Maybe look for homes in west seattle, it is well into it's revitalization stage.
If you could live here and not work off island it would be reasonable. It's a great place for kids, but not for singles. Most people who move are coupled up.
The other thing is it is not diverse at all. I hate that. It's 95% white at least and mostly people with money. Ugh.

[cobolt]

When you factor in the ferry and how expensive housing is, it's only a good choice for the retired, wealthy, or self employed. Save Vashon for your day trips when you want to get away. As far as a working equation, it doesn't