Thinking about relocating to Seattle from Atlanta... Quetions on commute, schoools and neighborhoods (Bellevue: for sale, rental)

[citadelcadet]

Hi all,

My family and I are thinking about relocating from Atlanta to Seattle and we had a few questions. I will be working off Virginia Ave for Amazon. My family includes wife and 2 kids ages 5 and 8.

I am looking for great schools since my sons are in the talented and gifted program and are multilingual. I am also looking for a location with good youth sports, specifically swimming, football and baseball since my kids play.

I would like my commute to be 45 min or less even during rush hour.
I am willing to drive into Seattle and pay for parking if that is a possibility.
We like the suburbs vs living in the city and would like a home built between 1975 and 2000.
I would prefer a larger lot if possible.
We are thinking about renting in the selected area for a year or so to get acclimated to the area.
Our rent budget would be $3000-$4000. The house purchase buget would be $750k or less.
We like bigger homes meaning over 4,000 sq/ft with a basement if possible.
Also we would prefer not to be in a cookie cutter community.

Any suggestions?

[Hemlock140]

You will find many homes here in Sammamish that fit your description, with great schools, except for the basement. Those are extremely rare here. Also, the lot sizes for the homes that age are mostly about like ours (built in 1978) at 12,000 sf. With your budget you might find something bigger but it will be in a more rural area where the homes are farther apart
which should suit you as they will not be as cookie cutter.

There are new construction homes that size for $750k but they are on minimal lots, people these days prefer not to do yard work, and the developers make more money cramming them close together.

From what I have seen the rent is right about what you mentioned, for a good sized house,
$2,800-$4,000. You will definitely want to rent first and take your time looking before you buy. You can drive to Seattle in about 40 minutes if you leave by 6:30am, it will take a little longer coming home. I take the bus and it's about 50 minutes due to multiple stops but my employer, like many, provides a subsidized bus pass. You might also find a great place to live in nearby Issaquah, Bellevue, or Mercer Island, with shorter commutes to Seattle.

America's Friendliest Towns - Forbes

[poopskooper]

I have friends who once had their son enrolled in the Bellevue School District's International School (click here) and had great experiences there. It is part of the public school district in Bellevue. Bellevue is considered one of the more affluent suburbs. There are many other good suburbs on the eastside also.

Somebody such as Ira500 on this forum can give you better advice than I can but I just mention Bellevue and the International School because I know of happy parents that have had good experiences there.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by poopskooper

I have friends who once had their son enrolled in the Bellevue School District's International School (click here) and had great experiences there. It is part of the public school district in Bellevue. Bellevue is considered one of the more affluent suburbs. There are many other good suburbs on the eastside also.

Somebody such as Ira500 on this forum can give you better advice than I can but I just mention Bellevue and the International School because I know of happy parents that have had good experiences there.

BSD's International School is just about impossible to get in. One would have better odds of getting into an elite/highly rated private school than BSD's International School. And it'll be awhile before the OP's elder child can enter the process of the testing and lottery for enrollment as it's 6th grade to 12th grade. It is however an extremely good school, possibly the #1 high school in the state in terms of academic.

I would like my commute to be 45 min or less even during rush hour.
I am willing to drive into Seattle and pay for parking if that is a possibility.
We like the suburbs vs living in the city and would like a home built between 1975 and 2000.
I would prefer a larger lot if possible.
We are thinking about renting in the selected area for a year or so to get acclimated to the area.
Our rent budget would be $3000-$4000. The house purchase buget would be $750k or less.
We like bigger homes meaning over 4,000 sq/ft with a basement if possible.
Also we would prefer not to be in a cookie cutter community.

If you're willing to do buses, I'd point out Mercer Island (though odds are, inventory is low), Bellevue, and Issaquah/Sammamish as being good viable options. Issaquah SD and Bellevue SD have better sport programs (and the money to fuel it).

[citadelcadet]

thanks for the great responses. Are there homes in Bellevue that meet the criteria I mentioned above? How much longer is the commute in rush hour in Issaquah or Sammamish vs Bellevue? A big yard is a pretty big requirement as my kids play outside quite a bit... at least here in Atlanta..... A nice basement would also be high on the list if possible.

[Vinylly]

Originally Posted by citadelcadet

Hi all,

My family and I are thinking about relocating from Atlanta to Seattle and we had a few questions. I will be working off Virginia Ave for Amazon. My family includes wife and 2 kids ages 5 and 8.

I am looking for great schools since my sons are in the talented and gifted program and are multilingual. I am also looking for a location with good youth sports, specifically swimming, football and baseball since my kids play.

I would like my commute to be 45 min or less even during rush hour.
I am willing to drive into Seattle and pay for parking if that is a possibility.
We like the suburbs vs living in the city and would like a home built between 1975 and 2000.
I would prefer a larger lot if possible.
We are thinking about renting in the selected area for a year or so to get acclimated to the area.
Our rent budget would be $3000-$4000. The house purchase buget would be $750k or less.
We like bigger homes meaning over 4,000 sq/ft with a basement if possible.
Also we would prefer not to be in a cookie cutter community.

Any suggestions?

You will certainly have to live in the 'burbs' if you want you kids to go to good schools. Perhaps Mercer Island or Bellevue would be best, -get in line with the millions of simmular commuters crossing I-90 bridge. Your rental budget may be OK but I don't know about a house over 4,000 sq. ft. with basement and large lot for $750k or less. I think your looking at well over $1 million-$5 million. For a $750k your thinking a small tract rambler of three bedrooms, 2 baths and no basement on a small lot or a side by side condo with no yard. There are plenty of those in the Bellevue area. Good luck.

[citadelcadet]

To put in perspective. I think Atlanta has some of the worst traffic in the US. My commute is between 1.5- 2 hours one way each day. The best case commute for me is 1 hour in Atlanta as we live in the suburbs and commute across the city. So I am hoping Seattle isnt worst than this. Atlanta drivers drive 80 mph and there is a fatal accident on I-20/ 85/ 285/ 400 every day. Semi trucks clog the 7 lane highways in every direction.
We definitely dont want to spend over $800k epsecially for a 3BR/ 2BA on a small lot...

[Ira500]

Right now the inventory of homes for sale is pretty terrible. Especially among 4000+ sq ft homes within 45 minutes of Seattle, in good school districts on large lots. Inventory "should" get better in the future. You are not going to be limited to 3 BR/2BA homes on small lots, but I'm sure you have in your own mind where it would be easiest to make compromises. Vinylly likes to discourage people from moving here, so facts aren't so important to him. It will be easier, at this point in time, to find something to rent that meets your needs because of the low inventory of houses for sale. Basements just aren't that common in newer homes, but in Seattle area home listings, are counted in the total square footage. You can find basements more commonly in houses built in the 1980's and earlier. Anyway, Issaquah would add anywhere from 5 to 15, 20 minutes over a commute from Bellevue(depending on where in Issaquah)..Sammamish would another 5 to 15 minutes to the Issaquah commute..Sammamish is one of those places that would come closer to meeting your needs. The commute to DT Seattle would generally be less than 45 minutes.There are a few houses for sale that are on decent sized lots, and over 3500 sq ft, but less than 4000. The other places to maybe consider are Woodinville and Bothell.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by citadelcadet

To put in perspective. I think Atlanta has some of the worst traffic in the US. My commute is between 1.5- 2 hours one way each day.

I'm fairly familiar with both Atlanta and Seattle traffic. Overall I'd say that traffic patterns are about comparable, but you'll find that some routes are better (or much worse,) then others. Generally, Seattle's traffic seems to flow more freely, but at a slower pace. Atlanta seems to be more stop and go traffic.

Keep in mind that one huge difference is that due to geography, routes around Seattle had to be less direct to the downtown core, so this slows down things drastically. If you look at a map, the highways all form rough rectangles which leads to a lot of going out of your way on commutes.

While in Atlanta two major highways intersect right near downtown, and there are ancillary highways that form a rough ring through the suburbs that connects it all together.

Atlanta's overall pattern is better, although it could be argued that an inner ring of highways should be created. But Seattle actual design and implementation of the freeways themselves is actually better.

[Cds2437]

I lived in Atlanta for 2 years and had that dreadful commute from Gwinnett county for 6 months and couldn't stand it. As far as living in Seattle, it's great. The weather is much more perfect than Atlanta's ridiculous horrible humidity. I've lived here almost 4 years, and I like it much, much better.

I would caution you about buying a house anywhere but in Seattle. In Atlanta people commute and it's a way of life. Around here, a big house in the suburbs isn't going to be much fun, even if your kids are little, and you're likely to get some funny looks from people if you say that's where you live. There are great schools around here, and if you're looking to spend that kind of money, you'd be much, much happier in Roosevelt or north Ballard, Capitol Hill is very nice, but very expensive. BUT before you buy a house you really need to rent here first. Consider renting in one of the better Seattle neighborhoods. I think you won't regret this decision.

People here are also less friendly, so expect that. Also, you should preload on Vitamin D before you get here. If you're from the South, you're going to need it.