Seattle: where to rent? City vs. Burbs? (Renton, Mercer Island: apartment, big house)

[drums600]

My wife and I are moving to Seattle in December and we are looking for a place to rent. We have no family or friends in the city. I have been to the area but only for a weekend trip, so it is safe to say I am not very familiar with the various sections. And we will most likely have to find a place over the internet without the ability to see it in person first.

I will most likely be working downtown but my wife works from home. Two or more bedrooms, clean, parking, etc… We are looking to spend between $900 and $1,100 a month in rent.

We would prefer peace and quite over convenience (A big house in the country over some trendy apartment). We both have vehicles and I expect a long commute.

Once we move to Seattle we can get familiar and find a better place in the future, but for now we just have to do internet research ourselves.

Anyone got some advice?

[AzDreamer]

If you are working downtown and prefer peace and quiet then Mercer Island might work. It's only 10 minutes from downtown, so the time and money you save in your commute could go toward a higher monthly rent.

[greasergrrl]

Good luck finding something in that range on Mercer Island. I'd suggest looking in Craig's List, maybe in Greenwood, Northgate, West Seattle or Renton to judge what the prices are.

Good luck and welcome!

[chris]

We would prefer peace and quite over convenience (A big house in the country over some trendy apartment). We both have vehicles and I expect a long commute.

Ballard, Magnolia, both very quiet. You should be able to find something for $1000-1200, although I don't know where in Seattle you'd find a quiet *and* safe house for that price.