Help honing in on locations

[Baldy]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

You seem to want somewhat contradictory things: urban, walkable, ungrungy, not far from shopping/services, a garage, minimal traffic, and affordable. Something's got to give.

Here's about as close as you're going to get:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...23624540_zpid/ (Bellingham, 62 walk score/86 bike score)

gah, what a dump! That neighborhood is marginal at the best of times, thus the selling after 6 years. Still, they doubled their money on a bad investment, so good on them.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Baldy

gah, what a dump! That neighborhood is marginal at the best of times, thus the selling after 6 years. Still, they doubled their money on a bad investment, so good on them.

You want better than that in Bellingham you are going to have to spend way north of $500K.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Baldy

gah, what a dump! That neighborhood is marginal at the best of times, thus the selling after 6 years. Still, they doubled their money on a bad investment, so good on them.

N. Sunnyland may not be the most prestigious of Bellingham's neighborhoods, but it is far from the worst. The house is within walking distance (6 to 8 blocks) of Cornwall Park, Haggen's, and Trader Joe's. Costco is ten minutes away by car. You can easily bike to Downtown Bellingham.

It is on the right side of I-5 (the left-side). I'm not a fan of the paint-job or the landscaping, but that can be rectified. It is a bit smaller than what the OP wants (825 vs 900 sqft) and a bit cluttered with furniture, but with a spacious backyard and over twice the lot-size the OP wants.

Yes, real estate prices have gone up significantly, but that's at least partly due to Bellingham being a very desirable place to live, with great access to marine and outdoor recreation. The OP is looking for a place to spend her retirement years, so affordability is more important than how much money she'll make on the back-end.

All of the places I linked involve compromises of one sort or another.

[exp01020]

Thanks for all of the info, CrazyDonkey and Baldy - Yes, I agree, I may need to shift priorities to get the best situation. And possibly cough up more cash for a house. It may be best spend a little more time in Bellingham, in particular, and probably Anacortes.


Good location, neighborhoods, walk-ability, etc. are options in some places but not all... I may have to come to terms with that.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Baldy

gah, what a dump! That neighborhood is marginal at the best of times, thus the selling after 6 years. Still, they doubled their money on a bad investment, so good on them.

A dump? It's a nice Craftsman, it looks like. I love river rock fireplaces! And those turquoise bathroom tiles! Fits OP's criteria for price, size and garage. Weird choice of exterior color, and the price is shocking for B'ham (compared to 6 or 8 yrs ago), but Donkey zeroed right in on the OP's criteria, and pulled the bunny out of the hat. Why not let the OP decide if it's a dump or a potential candidate for his consideration?

I'd move the laundry facilities to the garage (plenty of room), and use the back porch room for a home office, or sunroom with various uses. A nice sunny eating area or whatever. Plant some rhododendrons or other flowering shrubs out back, to enhance the view from those big windows.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by exp01020

Thanks for all of the info, CrazyDonkey and Baldy - Yes, I agree, I may need to shift priorities to get the best situation. And possibly cough up more cash for a house. It may be best spend a little more time in Bellingham, in particular, and probably Anacortes.


Good location, neighborhoods, walk-ability, etc. are options in some places but not all... I may have to come to terms with that.

The one thing you need to worry about with Anacortes is the ferry traffic. And maybe growler jet noise.

[bartonizer]

Originally Posted by exp01020

Thanks for all of the info, CrazyDonkey and Baldy - Yes, I agree, I may need to shift priorities to get the best situation. And possibly cough up more cash for a house. It may be best spend a little more time in Bellingham, in particular, and probably Anacortes.


Good location, neighborhoods, walk-ability, etc. are options in some places but not all... I may have to come to terms with that.

I'm not saying that Bellingham is exactly what you're looking for- but it does check off a lot of your boxes, along with Anacortes- and I'd probably through in Mt. Vernon, for good measure- A lot of people I know have ended up there when looking in the area. It's a little cheaper than Bham, but still has some urban amenities, and substantially quicker access to the Seattle metro.

In terms of Bellingham, take what you find here with a grain of salt. For whatever reason, the trolls are relentless here on C-D. People have different preferences, obviously, but a lot of different types of people find it appealing- students, retirees, young professionals, etc. That's a big reason why prices are high here- though they are going down lately.

I actually live in and own a house in Sunnyland and love it, the area is most definitely not a dump, and the comment about the Bellingham listing and neighborhood being "marginal at the best of times" is just plain laughable -and I think the walkscore is actually low for the house; I live seven or eight blocks down and have a walkscore of 92. You could easily walk to get groceries, go out to eat, grab a beer (Sunnyland has 6, soon to be 7 breweries), and accomplish most tasks without even getting in your car. Anyway, the walkability, urban feel, and progressive vibe are in high demand, even if it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Anyway, I think it's hard to explain Bellingham. Honestly, it is probably more like Portland or certain Seattle neighborhoods than anywhere else I could think of, though with much less traffic. If you were from the east coast and could get a suburban McMansion for 300k, you'd have sticker shock. But that doesn't apply to you. I think the main question is whether you want a little more going on, or want it to be quiet. Bellingham isn't loud by any means (and as noted by mayfair- there's no growler noise, but you do hear trains from time to time) but it does have several commercial areas (Fairhaven, downtown, Barkley Village) and a medium-sized university. Anacortes is quieter and a little tidier. Mt. Vernon is kind of in between. I'd check out all three, but given your criteria it sounds like one of them would likely work for you.

[exp01020]

Thanks, bartonizer. I'm sure there is variability... I also noted recently that my idea of "walk-ability" is probably not the average idea of walk-ability. I currently just over 2 miles to get to the grocery store and more to the library. I'm also familiar with train noise as I grew up in a small town with a lot of it.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by exp01020

Thanks, bartonizer. I'm sure there is variability... I also noted recently that my idea of "walk-ability" is probably not the average idea of walk-ability. I currently just over 2 miles to get to the grocery store and more to the library. I'm also familiar with train noise as I grew up in a small town with a lot of it.

2 miles is just a half-hour walk or a little more, depending on your pace. That fits my definition of "walkable", though I think most people would probably define it as closer to 15 minutes or less. But it's a great way to get exercise.

[mayfair]

Bellingham also has a decent bus system if you want to balance walking with the bus.