What about Carnation? (Seattle, Bellevue, Kent: renting, amusement park, high crime)

[jenarey]

My husband just got a job at Microsoft and we are trying to find a community to call home. We realize how unique the housing situation is in western Washington and that we will have to be flexible with our requirements.

We have 6 children between us, all under the age of 13 so we feel we need at least 2700 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2 bath and I would love a bit of a yard! We can spend around 500,000. I've noticed there isn't much inventory to choose from that would be under a 45 min commute.

I've been to Seattle numerous times and feel I know my way around pretty good, so we would like to buy right off if possible--less transition for everyone to start in the school they will be going to right away. I've noticed that on this thread nobody talks much about Kent/Renton area much as a desirable place to live.

--Is the lower housing costs in Kent/Renton because it really is more unsafe and the schools aren't as good or is it more of a perception?

--I have found a few houses that look like they will meet our needs in Carnation. It seems like Carnation doesn't get talked about in the forum as well--why is that? It seems like it has a cute downtown and is fairly close to Redmond. My husband's commute would be around 30 minutes, I believe. Why does Duvall get all the press?

--We have also seen some houses in Mill Creek area that meet our needs--any thoughts on that area?

Thanks so much for your help.

[flyingsaucermom]

Funny enough I was out there earlier for the first time and came home just awhile ago to look at home prices. I was impressed by the "affordability" as compared to most of the homes in my area. What I saw were two different worlds coexisting in one local. We went to the boss's boss's house (Microsoft "top brass" kind of people) and they had an extraordinary plot of land that rivals national park attractions... their house was an immaculate PNW style meets rural cabin, which was across the street from....a deteriorating double wide trailer. There were actually plenty of examples of this along the route to their house and my guess is that the ratings for Carnation schools reflect the demographics. I haven't looked it up but I put my money down that it's the schools that's keeping Carnation off the radar... that and honestly, the downtown is really small. As far as I could tell they had one local coffee shop and one very small Starbucks (some people count grocery stores, others gas stations... I count the coffee shops). Otherwise I can see why you'd be interested... seems very close to Redmond... very rural feeling and quiet. Check the schools though.

[Inkpoe]

Riverview SD isn't that bad actually. Better than average.

Carnation lowlands do get floodings in the winter, so obviously look to the highlands.

My husband's bestie grew up in the Lake Joy area and to hear him talk about his childhood makes Carnation sound like Mayberry. Duvall gets all the "press" simply because of the boom-- lots of new houses got built. Carnation is much slower growth.



Kent/Renton has some "rough" areas. The schools aren't as highly rated. Plus Renton is covered by 5 school districts or so-- definitely would require more diligence. The Eastern portions are the better part of both areas.

[poopskooper]

I agree that the Riverview SD is good and serves both Duvall and Carnation. I still have a difficult time calling it Riverview as most of us knew it as the Lower Snoqualmie Valley SD.

I know several who even though living on higher ground, get inconvenienced when the river floods and roads are closed so that is definitely something to keep in mind.

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by Inkpoe

Riverview SD isn't that bad actually. Better than average.

Carnation lowlands do get floodings in the winter, so obviously look to the highlands.

My husband's bestie grew up in the Lake Joy area and to hear him talk about his childhood makes Carnation sound like Mayberry. Duvall gets all the "press" simply because of the boom-- lots of new houses got built. Carnation is much slower growth.

Kent/Renton has some "rough" areas. The schools aren't as highly rated. Plus Renton is covered by 5 school districts or so-- definitely would require more diligence. The Eastern portions are the better part of both areas.

Floodings are what I associate with Carnation too. There were a few years where it seemed like it was always Carnation. You should just make sure you know the history on the house you're looking at. At the same time, Remlinger Farms is in Carnation and it doesn't get more kid-friendly than that. Remlinger Farm and Family Fun Park, birthday parties, train rides and amusement park, Carnation, Washington

Duvall just has a lot of new housing in that price range and its proximity to Microsoft has caused a lot of growth. There are 4/2 houses in Redmond in that price range but they go pretty quickly, same with Woodinville. You can create searches on redfin.com and they will send you listings as they come up for all those areas. It will also show you the rhythm of which areas sell for how much and how fast. $500K is not huge for this area but you can definitely get what you are looking for for that much in the country areas within a 45 minute commute.

[Ira500]

About Renton and Kent, and whether it's high crime and bad schools, or whether it's a perception? Both Kent and Renton have some rough areas, and some pretty bad schools. So they both get painted with a broad brush and dismissed, even though both cities also have some very nice areas and good schools. Like Inkpoe said, you can have a Renton address and be in the Renton school district, the Issaquah school district, the Tahoma( Maple Valley) district, and the Kent district. The Issaquah and Tahoma districts are the best amongst those, but those parts of Renton in the Kent school district have very good schools, and the parts of Renton in the Renton district closest to Bellevue and Newcastle have good schools. The commute from Kent to Microsoft would be bordering on horrible. I-5 and 167 are a mess going north in the morning, and then 405 north from Renton can be awful as well( there are surface street alternatives .
I'll second what Seacove said about Reminger Farms in Carnation. Way fun for kids. They have u pick berries, and a miniature steam train, among other things. The downtown part of Carnation is tiny, Duvall's is bigger and more charming.
Some Microsofties also live in Fall City.

[shaylahc]

My husband works at Microsoft and we live in Woodinville. We are currently renting, and I would suggest to anyone that you do that first until you get to know the area. When we are ready to buy our budget will be similar to yours. You can definitely find what you want in the Bothell/Woodinville area. It might be an older "fixer upper", but there are generous lot sizes to be had here, and the schools are excellent.

We drove out to Carnation for the fireworks on the 4th of July, and no way would my DH want to make that commute to work. I would aim to live closer to work.

[Hemlock140]

I actually lived in Carnation in a house backing up to the Remlinger property and at that time commuted to Bellevue. There was no easy way to do it. I would take Tolt Hill to 202 and then catch 520 in Redmond, but it's a slow trip with heavy commute traffic. Carnation itself is a quaint little town but it lacks the large, new developments that Duvall has. The newer homes are generally custom, and there are many older ones on acreage and mobiles. It's still an active farming area. Beautiful too, we had a beaver pond in the back, saw bats flying around at night, and deer were all over the place. At the time we decided to buy in Sammamish because after going to School Board meetings and visiting schools we decided that Riverview was not even close to Lake Washington.

[Densi52]

So much depends on what you like to do in your spare time and if you want easy access to shopping and entertainment, which would be important to me. if Mill Creek fits your budget, that would be my first choice, followed up by Redmond and Woodinville.