hoping of moving from Boston area with family (Seattle: for rent, homes)

[Cecilia M]

I see. Well, just so you know, what you are looking for is what everyone here is looking for. But if you are willing to do a fixer upper, you might be able to get into North Seattle at your price or a little higher.

If you are willing to stretch the budget a little and live nearby Lake Washington rather than Puget Sound, you will have more options for fixers in your price range, and if you do work for UW, easy commute or good transit options. Neighborhoods are Sand Point, Cedar Park, etc. I personally live in Wedgwood and I *love* it. NE Seattle is not on people's radar as much, it's not "hip," and it's not quite as expensive as the neighborhoods near Ballard where you are looking, but it's walkable and close to UW. If I could afford to buy in this neighborhood, I would do it in a heartbeat, but I can't deal with a fixer and I don't have the budget for a move-in-ready home.

Don't get too close to Lake City Way and don't believe stuff you read on the internet about how Lake City is on the upswing. They've been saying that the whole time I've lived in Seattle (over a decade). It's not scary or anything, and there are a lot of useful businesses, but not somewhere you want to live with your family.

Have you looked into Edmonds? They have a nice little downtown area and a lot of waterfront.

I'm not aware of other teaching hospitals in Seattle, but I could be missing something. UW Medicine also has the UW Medicine Neighborhood Clinics all over the place, but I am not sure they are as teaching oriented.

[Cecilia M]

Another wonderful thing about NE Seattle is we have the Burke-Gilman Trail running through it. This is a miles-long bike trail that runs through a couple neighborhoods in NW Seattle, through campus, up through NE Seattle and all the way out to Woodinville, and for much of the stretch in NE Seattle there is a nice view of the lake, and access to the lake at a few public parks along the way. If you can buy close to the trail you can have lots of fun with your family and even commute to UW by bike if you are so inclined.

[homesinseattle]

I second that, Burke Gilman trail is a real gem, you can bike all the way to Fremont in Seattle. I love the Matthews Beach area near Lake Washington, pretty good value for the dollar.

[jtilley7]

The Burke Gilman trail looks great! That's exactly something we are looking for. It seems similar to the Emerald necklace trail we have in Boston that I use to run on all the time.

[jtilley7]

My wife and I both have job offers that we will be accepting with start dates in the beginning of October. House budget will likely be 425K.

[homesinseattle]

$425k is tough, very competitive price range. Be open to something smaller, needing work, in a place like NE Seattle Olympic Hills/Lake City area, perhaps even Lake Forest Park.

[jtilley7]

That is exactly what we are looking for. Something around 1,000 Sq feet, that needs work and is in the Olympic Hills area and surrounding neighborhoods. Preferably still within the city limits.

[homesinseattle]

I've won a couple bidding wars up there recently. Just have a very good strategy, be decisive, get someone to help you who really knows what they are doing. Good luck.

[tobester]

Don't wanna be a Debbie Downer, but here's a sign of current market:

Seattle home too dangerous to enter sells for $427,000 after

[cmswazey]

Originally Posted by tobester

Don't wanna be a Debbie Downer, but here's a sign of current market:

Seattle home too dangerous to enter sells for $427,000 after

Yah, but that's on Belvidere Ave. I know someone who has a house there. She has a panoramic view with tge Space Needle, Lk Union, Mt. Rainier. Obviously they want the place for the lot only.