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Old 06-12-2011, 03:14 PM
 
13 posts, read 36,727 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi everyone. Early 30s couple here who are both going to be working at Ft Lewis in the upcoming months. Can anyone recommend a safe, modern area for us to look into?

I've been reading up on Olympia, Fife, Lacey, and DuPont so far.

We're looking for a safe area that has somewhat recent construction and homes or townhomes that are not too old and hopefully in a quiet area. Quality of schools nearby are unimportant as we don't have any children. We're looking for either an area with townhomes or newer small sized homes (2-3 bedroom, 2 bathroom is ideal), and our budget is $400k.

We'd prefer to live relatively close to work and be able to be within a short distance of supermarkets, banks, restaurants, etc. Can anyone suggest any areas?

Thanks everyone.
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Old 06-12-2011, 09:29 PM
 
28,115 posts, read 63,720,668 times
Reputation: 23268
Quote:
Originally Posted by MajiiDe View Post
Hi everyone. Early 30s couple here who are both going to be working at Ft Lewis in the upcoming months. Can anyone recommend a safe, modern area for us to look into?

I've been reading up on Olympia, Fife, Lacey, and DuPont so far.

We're looking for a safe area that has somewhat recent construction and homes or townhomes that are not too old and hopefully in a quiet area. Quality of schools nearby are unimportant as we don't have any children. We're looking for either an area with townhomes or newer small sized homes (2-3 bedroom, 2 bathroom is ideal), and our budget is $400k.

We'd prefer to live relatively close to work and be able to be within a short distance of supermarkets, banks, restaurants, etc. Can anyone suggest any areas?

Thanks everyone.
At your price range there are many options... you will find Lacey and Yelm are close to Fort Lewis and have more newer amenities...

I like to be more rural with only being about 10 minutes by car from shopping areas... this is why I choose the Boston Harbor area... also has very good school even though you don't need them... it can make the resale easier.
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Old 06-12-2011, 11:40 PM
 
Location: Florida
2,011 posts, read 3,555,316 times
Reputation: 2749
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultrarunner View Post
At your price range there are many options... you will find Lacey and Yelm are close to Fort Lewis and have more newer amenities...

I like to be more rural with only being about 10 minutes by car from shopping areas... this is why I choose the Boston Harbor area... also has very good school even though you don't need them... it can make the resale easier.
Your point about the schools is 100% true, and often overlooked by buyers who aren't concerned with schools. Buying a house located in a good school system is a great investment. For many families, it's priority #1.
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Old 06-12-2011, 11:55 PM
 
Location: Orlando Florida
370 posts, read 1,069,241 times
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Default $400 k

$400 k should buy you a really nice house. Dupont is close to the bases. Fife is a little further way and will have to contend with the Tacoma dome traffic. Consider University place arounf Curtis High school, Puyallup is also a very good alternative. Hope this helps
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Old 06-13-2011, 11:43 PM
 
13 posts, read 36,727 times
Reputation: 10
Thank you for all the replies! I'll definitely look into Boston Harbor, Puyallup, Lacey, and Yelm.
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Old 06-15-2011, 08:09 AM
 
Location: Olympia
1,024 posts, read 4,142,053 times
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Your price range opens up a lot of markets, but the most inventory for the kind of home you're describing would be in Olympia, Lacey or Tumwater. There is a new, very modern, low maintenence and built green community of homes in Tumwater that sounds like it would fit the bill.
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Old 06-18-2011, 09:31 AM
 
11 posts, read 33,631 times
Reputation: 28
As you probably already know, you need to take a good look at recent housing price trends in each of the areas you are interested in. We recently sold a house in Lacey and bought a house in Olympia. Looking at the trends a few months ago, Lacey home prices were declining at a slightly faster rate than in Olympia. But both towns are in better shape than many other parts of the country.

But Olympia is still viewed as a very desirable place to live owing to the schools and its general reputation. The housing maket overall is not bad in the area because of the gov't jobs at JBLM and the state capitol.

It also depends on what kind of town you want to live in. There are big differences in the towns north of JBLM, near it, and south of it. I would recommend spending some time driving around in each of them. It all depends on what your personal preferences are.

After living in the area 9 years, I am a huge fan of Olympia, and I would like to stay here indefinitely if employment allows.
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Old 06-18-2011, 12:59 PM
 
13 posts, read 36,727 times
Reputation: 10
Thank you cj327. We've never been to Olympia before, but we are really looking forward to this change in environment. I guess we won't know enough until we get our feet wet and explore the area and its surroundings. We look forward to driving around and "getting lost" around JBLM and its surroundings.
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Old 06-19-2011, 11:14 PM
 
28,115 posts, read 63,720,668 times
Reputation: 23268
Quote:
Originally Posted by MajiiDe View Post
Thank you cj327. We've never been to Olympia before, but we are really looking forward to this change in environment. I guess we won't know enough until we get our feet wet and explore the area and its surroundings. We look forward to driving around and "getting lost" around JBLM and its surroundings.
I did manage to get lost a few times... my GPS became my best friend.
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