Torn between two cities... Redmond or Bellevue (Seattle, Sammamish: cul-de-sac, lease)

[ElektroDragon]

I'm hoping to get an apartment around there after leaving the east coast, and THEN applying to Microsoft (to improve my chances). You guys are lucky to have these paid for agents and such, I'll have to do it all myself. Yeah, $1500 is nothing for Bellevue. We're looking at apartments with $1800+ rental.

[flyingmachine84]

hi guys..
thanks for the replies.
and yes, i definitely like to live among singles rather than families with kids
and night life is not such an important caveat... bu ti would definitely love to be near to happening places....and so i guess that gives u a better idea abt my situation

[jenlion]

And get used to these cracks about how you must have it made, money-wise, working at MS.

That is seriously pissing me off. Yes, we choose to live here for the benefits of the area. We chose Redmond partly because we ARE that family with small kids. If I was single, I'd probably be in Bellevue, closer to 90 to get to Seattle or the mountains. Part of the choice to come here is acknowledging the very high cost of living. Microsoft has some nice benefits, but that does NOT MAKE EVERY NEW HIRE A MILLIONAIRE. I don't mind the cost-of-living sacrifice -- we went to mt st helens, had a great drive and a walk on a wonderful day last saturday, can't do THAT in texas -- but I DO mind the snide cracks about how we must have so much money. That's just **$#@* rude. And untrue!

We've been here since end of Jan and it's been nice so far. Rainy morning today but the sun just came out, like it does eventually most days. I see a lot of young people around, and there's lots to do here, especially if you like the outdoors! You've been appropriately warned on the 520 commute -- I find that it doesn't seem to be the quantity of drivers that are the problem, but rather that 85% of the people here can't drive worth a crap, it's mind-boggling -- find a place close to your office that's nice, and plan to hop over the lake on the weekend. Good luck!

[Chenebe]

Jenlion - hear, hear! It's so strange how MS conjours up visions of wealth, privilage, and luxury. Most of us are ordinary folk who are lucky enough to earn a good enough living (ie. not on the breadline), BUT we also have mortgages/rent to pay, groceries to buy, families to feed, and make choices on where to place our discretionary dollar (which doesn't seem quite so much once everything else is accounted for) ...

[seattlenextyear]

My husband worked for MS and all he got was a lousy t-shirt.

No really, I want to throw the thing away.

[toughguy]

There was a time when working for MS meant you probably had lucrative stock options. Those days are long past.

[Meerteekah]

Yep, seems like the lucrative stock options are over at Google now.

Hubby may soon give a yes to a MS offer. The way I figure it, even with the sign-on bonus, even with a slight raise, we'd be losing money due to the higher cost of living there (even the rents for some crappy looking places look really high), and the loss we may have to take to sell our place down here.But he'd be working in a new division and he is excited about the idea of working in a more challenging place and in a place with more opportunity to learn and expand skills. Ah, well.

I'm very concerned about all the "mold "complaints I'm hearing at reviews of apartments/rental sites, not to mention just bad reviews of a lot of the rental sites.

I've never rented a house before, but I'm looking at that in Redmond/Bellevue as well. Pricier, fewer amenities, but maybe less noise and, if the homeowners were careful, less mold and better air circulation (with more windows and more sunlight) than in a smaller apartment.

If anyone has great recommendations for places to rent in MS-nearby areas, chime in, would ya?

Mirtika

[blackh2o]

[quote=flyingmachine84;3488492]Hi Everybody,
I'm currently moving to the seattle area as i got a offer from MS. ( Sounds cliche in this forum i guess ). Now as the title suggests, i'm in a big dilemma as to where to live. I have read all the threads in this forum about this issue and it made me even more confused regarding what to chose. Hence i'm posting this thread to get answer to my specific situation. So here it goes.

Hey Flyingmachine - where did you end up living? I'm in the same situation just 2.5 years later and I'm a bit older. 28. Got a job downtown Bellevue. The hoity-toity high rises aren't very appealing to me and my pup-ster. But I also don't want to be completely isolated either. I have been looking at a place on Mercer Island and another in South Bellevue; close to Mercer Slough Park and I-90. The place on Mercer Island seems really nice since I'll be paying the same rent in Bellevue and I thought it might be nice to be between Seattle and Bellevue? Thoughts?

[Freeflow]

Hi- I am moving to the Eastside from North Vancouver BC, home to great hiking and trail running in my backyard. Where would be the ideal neighborhood with trailheads down the street for trail running, walking distance to shop/restaurants and walking distance for middle/high schools. I know I want it all but hey. I am having a hard time giving up what I have here in BC, but time to move on any get back to my country. I don't want to be in Issaquah or Sammamish, I am thinking of either Bellevue or Redmond. Wondering about Mercer Slough trails, Bridle Trails, Kelsey Creek trails, Tamoshanter, (don't know of running trails (not pavement) in Redmond. I would appreciate thoughts?

[Hemlock140]

It's normally best to start a new thread, rather revive one that's 3 years old.

Look at Redmond Ridge. Walk or run to the Redmond Watershed Preserve
from your home, also a shopping center with groceries and restaurants right near the trailhead.

Watershed Preserve - City of Redmond