Advice for a move to Seattle

[mysta2]

I will be relocating from North Dallas to Redmond in the next couple of weeks to start a new job. My wife and I own our current two car garage with attached house, and will be looking within a 45 minute commute of the Redmond Microsoft campus.

Price ceiling is probably about 400k.

I'll be moving out there immediately and living with extended family for about six months while my wife finishes the school year, she's an art teacher. So I have time to look and we will be looking to buy in the summertime, but probably not until our current house sells.

I'd love to absorb as much advice about the area I can from like minded folks like yourselves. I was out there a couple of weeks ago and seemed to gravitate toward Duvall, a 2car+ seemed achievable, and the schools were really good. We've got a 2 year old and a 4 year old.

Thanks
Kit (former and future left coaster)

 

[sublime68charger]

There's a member on here drivesitfar, lives out there I'd pm and ask for help?

He's a super nice guy and probaly willing to help you out!

Just don't tell him I said so it will go right to his head!

There's other round also I'm sure,

Drives is the only one I know who's out that way!

 

[four.cycle]

it rains here all the time, ya know.

it ain't Texas, but "Armadillo Barbecue" still does pretty good work.
http://www.armadillobbq.com/

the 520 bridge will cost you money. 405 is a daily nightmare. stay away if possible.

I'm way south of all that stuff, but we have our issues here as well. (although unfortunately nothing to compare to "Armadillo".)

 

[c39er]

If the Snoqualmie river floods Duvall is a 2-3 hour drive from Redmond! Just happened last week.... But Duvall is a nice growing little town.
$400,000 is not a lot for a house anywhere here on the eastside these days.

 

[nadogail]

Buy good rain gear, you will find out why every thing is green there.

 

[dumper]

1. Traffic is awful in and around Seattle. Its on schedule to overtake LA in the worst traffic list. 2. 400K is considered a good down payment. Sad, but true.

 

[AirJunky]

Good luck. I moved away from Redmond 10 years ago & you couldn't pay me enough to move back.

Seattle rain is NOTHING like Dallas rain.

Check out the condos at the north end of Sammamish. Waterfront, easy drive to work & close to your price range.

 

[rconnon]

I live on the east side in Kirkland, happy to help with any questions. We moved here from Vancouver, Canada about 4 years ago, relocated with MSFT so I know the relocation drill, and what comes with it.

I have a great real estate agent who helped us find our house, with my insane criteria for a garage. There are a few areas like Kenmore, Bothell, Lynnwood which might meet your budget, they are a little north but right on the Connector/shuttle route as well and within the 45min commute to main campus.

PM me and i'll send you my personal details.

Rob

 

[hoho98925]

It depends on what your looking for. Traffic is nightmare everyday. I leave earlier in the morning to miss it, but afternoons are ****. You looking for Country or City living? you can go South/East to North Bend, Fall City, Monroe, Snoqualmie, as C39er said almost anything in the Snoqualmie River valley can flood. Or you can head North, Totem Lake, Bothell, Woodinville. 45 minutes is a fairly large radius from the Redmond campus, I have built a lot of buildings there. Best of luck, and feel free to ask me any questions about the area.

 

[plow]

Sounds like you don't need anything to slow you down in that horrible traffic. Why don't you dump all your garage **** off at my place on your way through.

 

[Farrier]

Washington......the new California

 

[sublimate]

Oregon......the new California

You do know where Seattle is, don't you?


Edit: Ahhh, you fixed it...

 

[LEVE]

There's going to be no really good way to drive into Redmond during rush hour, or back out of town at the end of the work day. But, from my experience you're looking in the right area. The home prices will fall as you go further out from Redmond/Bellevue. I have family in Lake Stevens and many of those houses are in the dollare area you're looking at. However, those houses are built on small lots. When you go out further you can still buy and build.

Take your time buying, if you can, to see what areas you like, and what the commute will be like. I've always lived outside large cities and found the extra travel time was worth it. That way I lived where everyone else wanted to vacation.

 

[mysta2]

I know all about the rain. I grew up in Portland and went to college in Seattle.

I would like to live in the city, but having a good workspace is worth a country address. I really like Kirkland, but I don't think my price range is workable there.

For my current job I drive an hour and seventeen minutes every morning and every night... and that's too much.

 

[Ironhorse74]

Seattle traffic *****. Prepare for housing price shock. Seattle traffic *****. Don't worry about rain gear. Seattle traffic *****. North and east of Redmond are probably your best bet. Seattle traffic *****. Yeah it rains seven months a year, but the other five months are gorgeous. Did I mention Seattle traffic *****?

Brad

 

[James-W]

I was stationed at Fort Lewis back in the early 70's and the wife and I loved it out there. We have often talked about going out there to live, but since the two daughters are here and the grandkids are here, I doubt it will ever happen.

 

[Toolfool]

We live on Whidbey Island, a little further north and a short ferry ride. I have several friends here, and a next door neighbor (5 acres away) who moved here to get more house, land, and better lifestyle for their families. They all say the extra commute is worth it and head to work toward the end of rush and come home later.

 

[ags18]

Picture attached speaks for itself. Seattle and Eastside real estate is out of control. Even if I was making 100k+ I would still live North, South or Far East of it all.

 

[Pluribus]

I spend quite a bit of time in that area, and it seems the traffic is getting exponentially worse lately. Road improvements are about 15 years behind, and there are too many people for the capacity of the roads. It's not just the highways; a lot of the surface streets there feel like creeping parking lots at rush hour. Not much in or around Redmond anywhere near $400k any more. Not sure what your priorities are in what kind of a house/property/location are, but that price range means compromises...period. I've seen 1/4 acre properties with a decent, small house in Bellevue bought for $500k and torn down to build a McMansion on the lot within the last few years.

Heading toward Duvall will be on some back roads, but there are a lot of other people doing it. As of now, it's still not horrible going SE on Rte. 202 toward Fall City and Snoqualmie, but I can see it starting to back up a bit during rush hour. I really like that area, but it's getting crazy expensive.

Resist the temptation to head south toward Renton, as getting through or around Bellevue will make you either homicidal or suicidal. I-405 is at the point where it can be bad at any hour during the weekdays, and even weekends can be dicey sometimes, especially the I-405/I-90 interchange area. Trying to avoid I-405 by using streets like 148th Ave NE can be even worse. The random times where it's smooth sailing definitely aren't the norm.

Now that I've dispensed that cheery info, feel free to ask if you have any questions, or PM if that works better.

 

[mysta2]

It will certainly be a search, but a lot of the leads we've found do look promising. For the 6 months that I will be living with my relatives I'll alternating between Fife and Ridgedale, so it sounds like I might be starting off with a worst case scenario.

I tend to prefer my schedule shifted to the early side. I'd much rather work 7 till 4 than 9 till 6. But I'll have to figure out how the schedule needs to work with the new position. I basically work from 7 till 5 now and only see my kids around two hours a day... that *****!

I was really hoping for a 30 minute or less commute, but if I can jump on one of the Connector shuttles that might make a big difference.

 

[Slednut]

My daughter lives in Maple Valley and is a High School art teacher. When your wife starts looking for a job, if you want PM me and I can see if my daughter can give her some advise.

 

[mysta2]

My daughter lives in Maple Valley and is a High School art teacher. When your wife starts looking for a job, if you want PM me and I can see if my daughter can give her some advise.

Awesome! Is that at a public school? I know she was worried that the WA schools didn't have art programs (maybe that we just the elementary)

She has 11 years experience working and her masters in art education and special needs. She'll have to get re certified for WA. I will definitely be reaching out to you when the time comes.

Thanks
Kit

 

[WAPat]

I would also look at Snohomish, there are a lot of options outside of town in this area, my commute to Redmond runs about an hour most days. Connector is an option and they have WiFi so you can work on the bus, it doesn't work for me right now but I used it a lot in the past. Feel free to pm me, I'll buy you a beer when you get your here.

 

[aka Larry]

You'll need a permanent rain coat for sure. Probably need to be a artificial lamp to help with depression because you miss the big yellow ball in the sky that you were used to seeing in TX. I was offered a job in WA state once and I told our CEO there wasn't enough money in the US Mint to get me to move there.

Good luck!

 

[rattle_snake]

Don't think I could work for MS given the location. Soon as I turned 18 I got the hell out of WA. Traffic and weather ***** to the point that they outweigh the many positive aspects of the place. I visit once a year to see my family. Sadly not a good place if you like motorcycles or have a high HP street machine. Wet pavement, low speed limits and tons of cops. Best of luck to you.

Edit: My brother's father in law sold his boat/moorage to a guy that went to work for MS, he didn't want to buy a house or deal with long commute, so he lived on the boat moored in west Seattle....

 

[mysta2]

Don't think I could work for MS given the location. Soon as I turned 18 I got the hell out of WA. Traffic and weather ***** to the point that they outweigh the many positive aspects of the place. I visit once a year to see my family. Sadly not a good place if you like motorcycles or have a high HP street machine. Wet pavement, low speed limits and tons of cops. Best of luck to you.

There's truth in what you say for sure, but I find all places have their drawbacks. I like the weather in Texas, but the roads are trashed and boring. Texas definitely provides more quantity of riding days, the PNW provides more quality riding on the days that are good.

I got the hell out of the PNW as well, and have been away for around eleven years. I wasn't seeking out an opportunity to go back, Microsoft found me and made me an offer that I can't pass up on. I'm looking forward to being close to my family again, and the opportunities for growth that a company like Microsoft can offer me.

The weather in WA can be kind of a drag after a while, but the weather here in Texas legitimately threatens to kill us at least a couple of times a year. Not to mention the thousands of dollars in hail damage our cars have sustained in the time we've been here. You take the good with the bad.

 

[McLean]

I dont have much to add as I usually try to stay away from the 405 corridor. However, I do have some friends in Bothell and seems like a great area and likely up-and-coming. I doubt anything decent can be had for 400k there though.

 

[drivesitfar]

AZ: i have lived in Washington in the South Seattle area almost all of my 60 years now and about 10 years ago i retired from selling Real Estate the prior almost 30 years so i know a little about the area. we're trying to move to our retirement home and still haven't really picked an area, but one of the criteria is having a Trader Joe's store within 30 minutes or less of us because they have most of the things we eat.

hard to say where you could move and not have traffic issues, but leaving Fife for Redmond isn't in the top 10 or 100 places i'd like to drive to work from. you might be closer driving from Cle Elum on I-90 which is what some do that is about 90 minute drive. i'm guessing it will take all of 90 minutes from Fife unless you can leave prior to 5am.

after selling over 1,000 homes i'd say neighbors are first priority, schools, stores, medical and hopefully you'll find something within 45 minutes of work. if i were you i'd rent in a few of the areas first just to test out the commute because the market is maybe at its peak. i don't have a crystal ball on what pricing will be if you wait, but even if it's more in a couple years and you do find a great place to live it will be worth it. we moved in my home almost 30 years ago thinking we'd fix it up and flip it and then had a little girl and then twins so we're still here. we opted to put our money into the kid's schooling so sent them to Seattle Christian instead of moving which worked out.

feel free to either post questions here that we all can see and i'll help if i can or PM me if you need a little advice.

also BTW we had drought conditions this last year and 3 months more 90 degree days than below 70. for the members that said we are the new California are not too far off because it's getting warmer and dryer every year.

good luck and happy to have another GJ member in my area.

 

[mysta2]

I know that it might make sense to rent for a while, but I must admit that I do bristle against that a little, just because the thought of throwing $1,500 out the window each month *****. We will have housing for a couple of months once the rest of my family moves out. So that will be our ideal window for closing on a property, and at that point I will have been living in the area for 6 months. So I'm hoping we will have a fairly solid understanding of our needs.

I appreciate all of the input from you guys. I'm looking forward to the move and it sounds like I've got a couple of people to look up when I get there.

Kit

 

[jfish]

The descriptions of PNW life are kinda funny. Everything pertinent has been touched already. The rain here, however is not the stereotype murdering downpour for 9 months. It is however, a long, grey, depressing drizzle. That I wouldn't trade for anywhere else in the world to raise my kids.

You will find your needle in this hay stack. 60> min commute at 400k> isn't exactly possible but you'll find a balance. I spent the last 10 years commuting from fife to Bellevue, and there just isn't any good way around it, but after the first year or two, I really settled into it. 60 min no matter what, I always just worked around that.

All the best with your move and welcome back to the NW, get an REI membership and get out and see how beautiful this place is!

 

[yucholian]

We moved From Seattle to PA/IN 6 years ago, moving back to Seattle now.
I got a job with a company in Redmond (not MS), started the job, but the family is waiting until the house sells. We lived in Mill Creek/Bothell area for from 2000 to 2010. We are looking at Snohomish, Woodinville, etc area too. PM me if you want to compare notes.

 

[bdk1976]

The weather is easy enough to deal with (sounds like you already know what you're getting into anyway) - especially if you have a shop to escape to during the grey season.

Do not discount the commute advice given in this thread - keep in mind that there is a huge difference between a 45 minute drive where you are going 60mph in clear traffic for 45 miles and creeping in stop and go traffice on 405 for 45 minutes (which won't get you far). DrivesItFar makes a good point about commuting from Cle Elum. It's a thought I've had before, and I'd pick that route before commuting from Fife to Redmond 10 times out of 10 (even in winter!).

 

[drivesitfar]

Kit: i know on the surface throwing away $1500 per month sounds like a bad idea, but move into a bad neighborhood and throwing $400,000 at an investment that might only give you back $350,000 on a quick sale isn't a great savings either.

I won't try to teach you what i know from 30 years as a full time Realtor in the area and another 20+ years of just buying and selling, but think of this. if you look at how much principal you are paying out of that $1500 payment on a mortgage it might only be $1000-2000 the first year on a 30 year mortgage (just guessing). of course there is a write off and the benefits of owning. if the interest rates and easier qualifying methods stay similar prices will probably keep raising so figuring that in is something to think about.

of course i retired in 2007 because my multy millionaires with double digit millions of cash in the bank couldn't get land development or construction loans. just saying if you take your time and make sure you have a solid job situation and a good place for the family you will be happier and be able to ride out any blips in the economy.

BTW if you are able to do as Fish has been doing driving stop and go for an hour you are a very patient man because i'd shoot myself or one of the idiots slamming on their brakes in front of me if i had to drive that every day each way. (i thought it would be more like 90 minutes since i live by Seatac airport and it's an hour for me to drive to or back from Kirkland during traffic and there's always traffic on 405 southbound). Carpool lanes might help if you can find Fish or another friend to drive to work with you.

good luck and weigh all your options before jumping in because i bet the banks won't do "short sales" any more after that last mortgage fiasco.

cheers and have a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you find a good spot.

 

[four.cycle]

"...a huge difference between a 45 minute drive where you are going 60mph in clear traffic for 45 miles and creeping in stop and go traffice on 405 for 45 minutes..."

^ Redmond to I-5 south via 405: 90 minutes a couple months ago. mid-week, mid-day, sunny/clear, no accidents.

^ Auburn to Tacoma via 18/I-5: 90 minutes (same conditions as above.)

traffic here is ugly everywhere between Tumwater and Lynnwood - no avoiding it.

 

[TS6235]

Traffic is terrible well past Marysville going North. I commute to Seattle M-F, leave at 5:30am to Seattle, typically 75 minutes no accidents or rain, leave to Marysville at 4pm, typically 1.5 hours no rain or accidents. I carpool too.

 

[skkeeter]

I would highly recommend a mailing list called Seattle Metalheads which can be found on Yahoo Groups. Great bunch of guys. Focused obviously on metal but lots of interesting topics. I make the assumption that interest here is potentially an interest in shops, tools, welding, machining etc.

What you are looking for with 400k to spend will be difficult. The MS Connector bus is a good alternative if you end up far away from Redmond.

We moved from Snoqualmie to Keller, TX last year. I did not work for MS but had an office in Redmond. You may want to look in Snoqualmie, North Bend, Issaquah, Preston, Fall City and even up on the Sammamish Plateau.

The I-90 commute is often better than anything on 405. I used to come in on I-90 and sneak through Bellevue to Redmond.

Brian


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[zable9]

Well I have ~5 years with msft and lived ~17 years in Bellevue and the greater Seattle metro area since 1970, so here are my thoughts:

Traffic everywhere is bad and getting worse...becoming nontrivial
The cost of housing is really bad and getting worse...becoming nontrivial
Check out where MS connector runs/services, that could offer you commute options
I would recommend renting someplace close to campus or with connector runs to get a lay of the land. If you buy, really read the ccr/paperwork/rules, etc very carefully...
The area itself is pretty nice with good services but the cost of living can be ....painful.....
Take things one step at a time and look before you leap. Good luck.

David

P.s. You can PM me for more info...

 

[jabberwoki]

Turn back.

 

[T-Dozzer]

I live in North Bend and commute into Seattle. Takes me about 30 minutes in good traffic. 400k Goes further here.
The real estate prices are much different than North Dallas, but there are still good deals out there.

 

[metalmagpie]

I've lived in and around Seattle all my life except for a short stint in Silicon Valley and another in Portland, OR.

I live in Kirkland and am damn glad I'm retired and will have my mortgage paid off in a few months. Real estate prices around here are crazy. Not like Silicon Valley crazy, but still insane. A POS tiny 2-bedroom house about equivalent to a double-wide on a small lot on a busy street with speedbumps recently sold for almost $700k. A family with six kids got super lucky a few years ago and scored a house in my neighborhood for about $250k. They recently sold it for well over $700k, moved to Wisconsin where they bought a house outright and where it's a much better place to raise kids.

As bad as housing is, I'd still try to buy a house in Redmond, Bellevue or Kirkland. The commutes to Redmond are horrific. Beyond that I'd look in Woodinville or in central Seattle. If you decide to live in the city of Seattle buy south so your commute can be across I-90 rather than the 520 bridge.

Traffic on Seattle's east side just got a huge amount worse when they took a lane away from I-405 and now they make you pay to drive in it. Now 405 traffic is grindingly horrible all the time with brief lightening between 2 and 4AM.

metalmagpie