Sooner to be a Mariner (Seattle, Bellevue: real estate, rentals, condo)

[DrinkGreen]

Hello,

I am a born and raised Oklahoman, who is tired of the scenery and low IT opportunities. I have always wanted to move, but my wife is a Native American and is VERY anchored. We have made several vacation trips to Seattle, and she has finally said we can move if its Seattle that we're moving to. Finally!

My question is, what can I expect in pay scale and homes I can afford. By the time I move, I'll have 8-10 years of experience as a .NET Software Developer, but I'll also have a Business Degree in Accounting and/or Finance.

We are pretty picky on our choice of homes. We are not looking to rent or live in a condo, but we don't want an older home either. We would like something new or newer. We stayed in Bellevue before, and loved it, but that seems very expensive even for the cost of living difference. I've researched a few towns and Bothell seems to be my #1 choice as it has affordable homes and access to both Seattle and Redmond areas via highways. I'm open to any other suggestions.

Lastly, what should I expect from the community of Seattle itself? In Oklahoma, people don't just walk up and start talking, but it is a very friendly area. Neighbors talk, not too busy to help or offer directions. I just don't know what to expect if we move and my wife needs help finding her way around town. We have a daughter and plans for another child so something family friendly would be nice as well.

Thanks for any help!

[sejinro]

For pay, check payscale.com

I might be moving to Seattle as well from Los Angeles due to an offer from Boeing in IT. I would say, as a result, there are a good number of opportunities in IT (Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, Expedia, T-Mobile, etc).

[allforcats]

JOBS
The fastest resource is called NWSource, a combined Classifieds from the two leading newspapers in Seattle and a wide radius all around Seattle:
Seattle area jobs, employment advice and information | NWjobs

HOUSING
It's often a great idea to rent for 6 months in a new location until you learn what you really want. For rentals:
http://rentals.nwsource.com/rentals/

You might also want to research on Craigslist for rentals.

For-sale info seems to be almost completely covered in this area by MLSonline -- the link is:
Seattle Real Estate, Top Seattle Real Estate Search, TheMLSonline.com

There are also: realtor.com, condocompare.com, and homes.com (for King County which includes Seattle), and in a small way Craigslist. But none of those provides complete listings, which MLSonline seems to do.

Those resources should give you a start! Have fun researching! :-)

[toughguy]

I would imagine the social climate here is a lot different compared to Oklahoma.

[larrykcragun]

You just can't go wrong here, especially being a .NET guy. I would suggest you also look at Issaquah and Sammamish Plateau. We moved from Bellevue a few years ago, still do a lot of business there but find the community terrific and values holding.

[seahawksweetie]

just wanted to say hi to a fellow Okie (and Sooner)

I had been living in CA for a few years and we have now moved to Seattle. We couldn't be happier. It is gorgeous here!

If you have any questions, send me msg and I'll see if i can't help you out from an Okie point of view

Best advice I have so far is a GPS in your car is your friend until you learn the freeways