hoping of moving from Boston area with family (Seattle, Tacoma: rentals, mortgage)

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

Donkey. Gold Bar is a great place for a ski cabin but man it's out there.

What 4-wheel drive is for. The property ticks every other of their boxes. Not sure there is much, if anything, closer that does.

[perigee]

Are you set on Seattle, there are hospitals on the east side, with hospitals shifts usually a little different then Microsoft you might be able to avoid a crazy commute while enjoying more house and property. If a little country living might be something you are looking for check out Carnation or Duvall, just be aware there can be flooding issues, so make sure any place is out of the flood zone. As for schools, just did a quick google search and they seem to be well regarded.

I went to school in Boston and lived right off Dot Ave and loved it! Great Irish pubs and an easy walk to the Red Line. Though having the ocean on the wrong side always messed with my sense of direction.


Some listings:

26527 NE Stephens Rd, Duvall, WA 98019 | MLS #891971 | Zillow

26621 NE Ring St, Duvall, WA 98019 | MLS #892963 | Zillow

5615 298th Avenue Ne, Carnation, WA 98014 | MLS #887978 | Zillow

The last one looks like a manufactured home, something to keep in mind, but the first one has a nice walkability factor.

[jtilley7]

Jamaica Plain is very trendy now, I use to go there fairly often.

I have done some looking into Shoreline which seems a bit more budget friendly. Ideally we would like to stay in the city even if its on the edges of the city but if we can't find anything that works for us then we would branch out. We don't need a large yard our current lot is 5,300 sq ft which is roughly 1/8th an acres and it works well for us. The large trees don't bother us as long as we can fit in a a 20x20 ft pen with shed for the goats and a 10x10ft pen for the chickens.

Ya traveling with the animals is not going to be fun. I am not sure if we are going to put them on a plane or rent a cargo van/RV.

[jtilley7]

Thanks for the suggestions outside of Seattle.

Those houses in Duvall are a lot more than we are getting out here for the money so it may be a good option if we cant be in the city.

I grew up on Savin Hill ave one block in from Dot ave. Dorchester has changed a lot recently as have many other parts of the city (south boston and Jamica plain). Its gotten ridiculously expensive in downtown Boston and spread pretty far into the suburbs.

[homesinseattle]

Yes, Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, Lake Forest Park all fit the profile of larger lots but still fairly easy access to all that is great culturally about Seattle.

[CrazyDonkey]

I'd say ditch Seattle - at your budget and other requirements, any commute to Seattle or Bellevue will be horrendous.

There are multiple hospitals and lots of clinics in Tacoma and Everett, with properties matching your requirements within doable commuting distances. Look at:

Tacoma: Tacoma's Northend (Downtown, Theater District, Stadium, Proctor, Old Town, Ruston Way), University Place, and Puyallup.

Here's a fixer-upper close to Lake Stevens, not far from Everett:

2314 120th Ave NE, Lake Stevens, WA 98258 | MLS #883905 | Zillow

$260,000 list, 4bd/2ba, 2,171sf, 9,583sf lot, assigned ES/MS/HS all ranked at "8" at GreatSchools.

[homesinseattle]

It is true Crazy, you do get more for your money in Snohmish County. The town of Snohomish is changing and has well regarded schools as well. Providence Hospital in Everett is a vibrant 2 hospital community that is quite respected. I have a number of clients who work there. There are expanding to fill increased need and hiring in many departments.

[jtilley7]

Getting that much house for the money is appealing but we want something with less then 1,500 sq ft. Any more than that is just a waste of space for us and it will just end up as storage for stuff we never use. We are use to living in small spaces, when we lived in the city we had a 400 sq ft apartment which was plenty of space for the two of us and two large dogs at the time. Our current house is a 1,000 sq ft cape, we don't use 3/7 rooms or the majority of the basement. I know that will change when we have kids but for us location is far more important than size of the house.

[homesinseattle]

I understand, Tilley. Seattle is a pretty neat place. It's nice to be within striking distance. I have noticed over the years, sometimes my clients have moved 30-40 out, they say they will visit downtown often. The reality is, people tend to do things close to their homes, that's just how life is. I backpacked solo in Ethiopia last year for a month, often saw 20 people living in one room. 900 SF is palatial, depends on perspective.

[perigee]

As a buyer your Venn diagram is going to be very hard to find. There are lot of people looking to move to Seattle, small living is very much the trend, as is having a lot big enough for goats and chickens, add to all of that, by Seattle's standards, a very modest budget means that the very low inventory of houses that would suit your needs will more then likely have a crush of buyers. That's the reason we're suggesting homes a little further out.

Maybe letting us know why you want to stay within Seattle, do you picture yourself going to Pike's Place weekly, do you want to be close to the ocean, is the arts important? Do you want one or two cars, are you fine with a bus commute or paying for parking at your workplace and more then likely whenever you want to go do something? Unless anyone wants to share their super secret free parking in downtown?? All my spots have been discovered by the city years ago.

For better or worse I feel like the whole region is becoming similar. Almost Live was our SNL skewering Ballard drivers and Redmond tech folks, but today I just don't see much of a difference. Even former rural blue collar areas are being filled by white collar families who are being pushed out of the cities. Other then escaping the winters back east and good schools, what are you looking for in your immediate surroundings?