RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Once again, I find myself thumbing through real estate listings in the greater Seattle area. I'm finding quite a few condos and townhomes available at very reasonable prices in SeaTac and Des Moines. Is there any particular reason I should be avoiding these places? I ask because I know that cheap housing often means crappy neighborhoods and high crime. Any opinions on the SeaTac/Des Moines area?
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Contributor
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Once again, I find myself thumbing through real estate listings in the greater Seattle area. I'm finding quite a few condos and townhomes available at very reasonable prices in SeaTac and Des Moines. Is there any particular reason I should be avoiding these places? I ask because I know that cheap housing often means crappy neighborhoods and high crime. Any opinions on the SeaTac/Des Moines area?
SeaTac gets its name because it's near SeaTac, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. If you don't mind living near a major international airport it's probably okay.
Des Moines is about 16 miles south of Seattle on I-5, so it's not a great commute, but I've never seen anything there that offends my delicate sensibilities.
YMMV, of course. ;)
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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SeaTac gets its name because it's near SeaTac, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. If you don't mind living near a major international airport it's probably okay.
Des Moines is about 16 miles south of Seattle on I-5, so it's not a great commute, but I've never seen anything there that offends my delicate sensibilities.
I just looked at a map... yeah, SeaTac is pretty much devoured by the airport. Maybe eastern SeaTac wouldn't be so bad but... thanks for the warning. As for the commute, is the I-5 one of those miserable 5 mph highways that clogs up every day at 8 in the morning and again around 5 pm? If the traffic isn't horrendous, I wouldn't mind a 16-mile commute. Hell, my commute now is 12 miles, but the Loop 202 east in Mesa is practically desolate.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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You should try to find a place to live in Seattle proper, if you can afford it (and I can certainly understand if you can't, prices are insane here).
I lived in Renton for five years and it almost drove me mad. I live in Ballard now, and I couldn't be happier.
--Erik
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Contributor
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thanks for the warning.
np
As for the commute, is the I-5 one of those miserable 5 mph highways that clogs up every day at 8 in the morning and again around 5 pm? If the traffic isn't horrendous, I wouldn't mind a 16-mile commute. Hell, my commute now is 12 miles, but the Loop 202 east in Mesa is practically desolate.
He he he... clogs up at 8. Awww... you must live in one of those cute widdel cities. ;)
Er... that is...
The Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area clogs up around 6 in the morning, then unclogs anytime between 10 and noon. Then it begins clogging up again around 3 and stays clogged until around 7.
The Seattle area is one of the worst traffic areas in the country: #2 in '99, #4 in '02, and #19 in '05. Yay, improvement!
You guys aren't improving so much as every where else is getting worse :)
You guys aren't improving so much as every where else is getting worse :)
I'm not sure if this helps because I only spent 4 months in Seattle back in 00, but I stayed with some college kids up by the university. Rent was reasonable (400/month for one bedroom of 3). Beautiful location and everything you need within walking distance. I worked at the university so it was convienent...
As ever,
ACE
The Kitsap Penninsula is an hour away from Seattle by ferry and measurably more affordable than the metro Seattle area.
Are you getting a job in Seattle or just looking to move to the Pacific Northwest?
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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The Kitsap Penninsula is an hour away from Seattle by ferry and measurably more affordable than the metro Seattle area.
Are you getting a job in Seattle or just looking to move to the Pacific Northwest?
Well, I have some friends who moved up to the Seattle area last summer and I would like to get back together with them. Obviously, before I make such a move I would need to have a job lined up first, but I don't have that yet.
Ideally, I'd like to get 1200+ sq. ft. with at least 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. I'm married with a 14-month-old daughter, so having a second bedroom is essential. We can probably survive with one bathroom, but at least having another half bath would make things much easier.
My rent cut-off is $900/mo. Unless I get an out-of-this-world high paying job, I can't really afford much more than that. I might be able to manage $1000/mo., depending on what kind of job I'm able to get up there. We're a single income household, so we're pinching pennies. On the upside, I would imagine the electric bills up there aren't nearly as bad as the ones down here. Last month, our electricity alone was $300 for a 1700 sq. ft. house.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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I suggest you get the wife to sell a kidney. At the moment, she's not contributing at all - she needs to pull her weight. And when the kid is big enough, there are always plenty of chimneys to sweep. You need to sweat the assets to get the most return from them, and enjoy a better lifestyle.
Yeah, I recommended the above options but, unfortunately, it seems to be difficult to find a good black market kidney buyer these days. Apparently there's some law that forbids the trafficking of human organs by non-medical personnel or something like that.
As for the kid, I've already got her a contract to work in one of Nike's shops in Malaysia. They should be by any day now to pick her up...
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...He he he... clogs up at 8. Awww... you must live in one of those cute widdel cities. ;) ...
Traffic? Road congestion? What is this 'traffic clog,' of which you speak? We haven't such a thing in Fairbanks, Alaska. Move here. It's so great, the state pays you to live here ($1700 tax free smackeroonies this year, for each family member!).
Oh, and, no tolls (but lots of trolls), no sales or state tax, and gas is typically cheaper here than Seattle!
There's that little temperature issue in the winter, but it builds character...er, Viking character, but it builds it, or something...
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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He he he... clogs up at 8. Awww... you must live in one of those cute widdel cities. ;)
Yes, I live in one of those "cute widdel cities." :P
I think the big difference is that Phoenix is completely planned. Look at a map of it sometime. The entire metropolitan area is a grid of major streets at 90-degree angles. Our traffic planning and municipal flow structure is unparalleled. For a city this big, I'm amazed that we manage to have relatively few traffic problems.
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...Ideally, I'd like to get 1200+ sq. ft. with at least 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. I'm married with a 14-month-old daughter, so having a second bedroom is essential. We can probably survive with one bathroom, but at least having another half bath would make things much easier...
Wait...two females in the house and you think you can get by with one little bathroom!!!??? Do you plan to shower, shave and, er, um, everything else at your office?
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Traffic? Road congestion? What is this 'traffic clog,' of which you speak? We haven't such a thing in Fairbanks, Alaska. Move here. It's so great, the state pays you to live here ($1700 tax free smackeroonies this year, for each family member!).
While it certainly sounds interesting, I couldn't live there for one simple reason: I hate snow. A lot. I know it snows in Seattle on occasion, but I'm willing to put up with that in exchange for being closer to my old friends (and hopefully a job at Paizo someday!). I moved to Arizona in an attempt to avoid anything resembling winter.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Wait...two females in the house and you think you can get by with one little bathroom!!!??? Do you plan to shower, shave and, er, um, everything else at your office?
My wife actually spends very little time in the bathroom. She doesn't own a single form of makeup (except lipstick), we don't own a hairdryer, she doesn't have to make herself up all fancy to go to work or business meetings or luncheons or anything (she's unemployed and has no driver's license), and she showers in the evenings (just like I do).
It's really quite lovely.
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Wait...two females in the house and you think you can get by with one little bathroom!!!??? Do you plan to shower, shave and, er, um, everything else at your office?My wife actually spends very little time in the bathroom. She doesn't own a single form of makeup (except lipstick), we don't own a hairdryer, she doesn't have to make herself up all fancy to go to work or business meetings or luncheons or anything (she's unemployed and has no driver's license), and she showers in the evenings (just like I do).
It's really quite lovely.
What tremendous luck you have. I saw the bathroom, one morning, long, long ago...it was...beautiful...all bright and shiny, and full of sunshine.
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While it certainly sounds interesting, I couldn't live there for one simple reason: I hate snow. A lot. I know it snows in Seattle on occasion, but I'm willing to put up with that in exchange for being closer to my old friends (and hopefully a job at Paizo someday!). I moved to Arizona in an attempt to avoid anything resembling winter.
Oh, come now. It only snows two or three times here; it's the -40 F temps that keep the snow around for eight months out of the year...
Hey! We have 23 hours 51 minutes of sunlight every Summer Solstice!
That's cool ;D
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We also have 9 minutes of sunlight every December 22nd... :-(
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Contributor
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I think the big difference is that Phoenix is completely planned.
That, and it's built in a relatively flat space unconstrained by an ocean and a lake. Honestly, whoever placed Seattle really needs his head examined. Except that he's dead and doesn't have to worry about traffic.
Lucky stiff.
(Ha ha, get it? Dead... stiff... ha ha... ha... heh... *ahem*.)
:D
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The Kitsap Penninsula is an hour away from Seattle by ferry and measurably more affordable than the metro Seattle area.
Are you getting a job in Seattle or just looking to move to the Pacific Northwest?
Well, I have some friends who moved up to the Seattle area last summer and I would like to get back together with them. Obviously, before I make such a move I would need to have a job lined up first, but I don't have that yet.
Ideally, I'd like to get 1200+ sq. ft. with at least 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. I'm married with a 14-month-old daughter, so having a second bedroom is essential. We can probably survive with one bathroom, but at least having another half bath would make things much easier.
My rent cut-off is $900/mo. Unless I get an out-of-this-world high paying job, I can't really afford much more than that. I might be able to manage $1000/mo., depending on what kind of job I'm able to get up there. We're a single income household, so we're pinching pennies. On the upside, I would imagine the electric bills up there aren't nearly as bad as the ones down here. Last month, our electricity alone was $300 for a 1700 sq. ft. house.
That's a tight budget for Seattle proper. Two bedrooms rent for about $1200 - $1400. I suggest looking in West Seattle or Ballard. They're the two up-n-coming suburbs and are about $250 less per unit. The commute isn't bad from either, about 20 mins, but when the snow hits the hills can be a nightmare.
Anyway, welcome future Seattleite! Classes in passive agressive liberalism begin in November.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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That's a tight budget for Seattle proper. Two bedrooms rent for about $1200 - $1400. I suggest looking in West Seattle or Ballard. They're the two up-n-coming suburbs and are about $250 less per unit. The commute isn't bad from either, about 20 mins, but when the snow hits the hills can be a nightmare.
I'm curious, what are your other utilities like up there on average? Do you guys have to pay for trash pickup like we do here? Do you guys have a separate can for trash and recycling like we do here (and the recycling truck comes on a different day)?
Basically, I'm hoping that rent + elec + water + garbage + internet/phone combined will not exceed $1400/mo. They do here, but only barely.
Ditto, but for me it wasn't even a year in Renton. :)
I lived in Renton for five years and it almost drove me mad. I live in Ballard now, and I couldn't be happier.
--Erik
As someone who has lived in Renton most of her life, it isn't that bad. It has cheaper rent and is in all reality a quieter cousin to urban Seattle. If you like living somewhere quiet, and don't mind a quick 20 minute trip to Seattle for city things, Renton may be a good place for you to live. I personally don't like living around a teeming hive of people, so I opt to not live in the city.
However, if you NEED to be able to visit music venues, mass amounts of restaurants and love city life, Seattle is probably your best bet. Renton and Des Moines would drive you nuts. (Especially Des Moines, which is out in the boonies.)
Basically, I'm hoping that rent + elec + water + garbage + internet/phone combined will not exceed $1400/mo. They do here, but only barely.
I don't know much about Seattle's climate, but you're probably looking at another bill: Gas. Something to keep in mind.
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Contributor
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I'm curious, what are your other utilities like up there on average? Do you guys have to pay for trash pickup like we do here? Do you guys have a separate can for trash and recycling like we do here (and the recycling truck comes on a different day)?
It depends greatly on the apartment complex you move into. Most have separate trash and recycling, but the place I lived in in Renton (yes, I'm another Renton hater) didn't have recycling. (WTF? This is Western Washington, dudes, get with the program!) Trash and recycling are usually included in rent (or at least it has been in the three places I've lived).
Basically, I'm hoping that rent + elec + water + garbage + internet/phone combined will not exceed $1400/mo. They do here, but only barely.
I think our monthly total is close to $1600/mo. I'm not entirely sure, though, since my girlfriend does the finances. ;)
As someone who has lived in Renton most of her life, it isn't that bad. It has cheaper rent and is in all reality a quieter cousin to urban Seattle. If you like living somewhere quiet, and don't mind a quick 20 minute trip to Seattle for city things, Renton may be a good place for you to live.
Renton... or Bothell, where I live. It costs about the same, is about the same distance from Seattle, but has the distinct advantage of 100% more me. ;D
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That's a tight budget for Seattle proper. Two bedrooms rent for about $1200 - $1400. I suggest looking in West Seattle or Ballard. They're the two up-n-coming suburbs and are about $250 less per unit. The commute isn't bad from either, about 20 mins, but when the snow hits the hills can be a nightmare.I'm curious, what are your other utilities like up there on average? Do you guys have to pay for trash pickup like we do here? Do you guys have a separate can for trash and recycling like we do here (and the recycling truck comes on a different day)?
Basically, I'm hoping that rent + elec + water + garbage + internet/phone combined will not exceed $1400/mo. They do here, but only barely.
For my large one bedroom on Capitol Hill (the nice part, thankyou;)), I pay $1100 rent + $100 elec + $60 water/sewer + $70 phone and internet. Garbage is comped, but about $30 a month if it's not (recycle bins are mandatory in the city). So...$1330 a month. But I have a boyfriend paying half (that's the theory at least) and no adorable baby to eat all my money.
Is that ballpark for the other Seattleites here?
(yes, I'm another Renton hater)
You lived in Fairwood. Doesn't count as Renton proper. It's like...Renton's abused stepchild. The Highlands are where the living is good! It can't compete with the 100% more Mike McArtor content though.
For my large one bedroom on Capitol Hill (the nice part, thankyou;))...
Say, I used to live on Capitol Hill when I was going to college. I had a studio apartment upstairs from a game store and across the street from a used book store. Plus all my friends were hot drama and dance students from Cornish.
Man do I miss those days...
Anyhoo, Fate, I'm afraid my pitch for the Kitsap Penninsula can't meet your budget. I'm paying ~$1300 for a three bedroom/two bath in Silverdale PLUS utilities. If my apartment complex is typical (and I haven't done any research to prove that it isn't) they're letting two bedrooms for $1025 (although it may be worth upgrading to the two bedroom/two bath for $1075...it's more expensive, but it's the better value).
I'm also completely out of the loop on where you'd find a job, too. Being happily employed by the Department of Defense has kept me off the 'Help Wanted' ads for years.
EDIT: Okay, I had to look it up. I'm finding ads in the paper for 2 bedroom apartments in Bremerton running around the $800 range. If you're not adverse to living across the Sound from Seattle, you should check out the classified section at Kitsapsun.com
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Say, I used to live on Capitol Hill when I was going to college. I had a studio apartment upstairs from a game store and across the street from a used book store. Plus all my friends were hot drama and dance students from Cornish.
Drama majors must be hot. It's mandatory. No one would put up with them otherwise.
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Wayfinder, PaizoCon Founder
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Well, I have some friends who moved up to the Seattle area last summer and I would like to get back together with them. Obviously, before I make such a move I would need to have a job lined up first, but I don't have that yet.
We lived in Seattle back in 1996-2000, and moved to Philly. After 3.5 years there, we missed Seattle and moved back. For us, "Seattle-area" was a broad term, and we ended up moving to Puyallup for awhile before I got a job in Redmond. That was a HELL commute on 50 miles of the area's worst highways: I-405 and Hwy 167. Because of that commute, we moved to within a mile of my office. I walk to work now.
Ideally, I'd like to get 1200+ sq. ft. with at least 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. My rent cut-off is $900/mo. On the upside, I would imagine the electric bills up there aren't nearly as bad as the ones down here. Last month, our electricity alone was $300 for a 1700 sq. ft. house.
Generally, the farther you live from Seattle, the cheaper the rent. Moving up North towards Everett or down South toward Tacoma is usually how the population runs from Seattle. Going East is more pricey (Eastside=Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland), but going WAY East is a bit cheaper (North Bend, Carnation, Woodinville, Monroe, Mill Creek).
Renton is OK (I agree that the Highlands is probably the better locale). Des Moines...the closer to Pacific Hwy S you live, the worse off (drug dealers, naughty ladies of the night, etc.).Monthly electric is usually $60-80 summer, $160-200 winter. Power outages are all the rage up here!!
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Wayfinder, PaizoCon Founder
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Basically, I'm hoping that rent + elec + water + garbage + internet/phone combined will not exceed $1400/mo. They do here, but only barely.
Electricity = $60-80 summer, $160-200 winter.
Water/sewer = $40-60 (unless your apt community incorporates watering the grass and the pool water costs into your bill)Garbage = should be included in rent
Internet = $40-50 broadband
Phone = $25-35
One other thing you need to consider, due to your daughter: school districts. AVOID Seattle. Their school district has been having lots of problems, and students are scoring badly in the WASL tests. Aim for living in suburb communities, for your daughter's education.
Just as another data point, the apartment I'm currently living in (in Bellevue) is 2 bedroom 2 bath 1000 sq feet. The rent is about 1100 a month, and the total with everything (including cable) is about $1300 in the summer and $1500 in the winter, give or take $100.
Good Lord! How many of us are there up here?
Sounds like it's time for Paizo-Night at Gameworks.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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One other thing you need to consider, due to your daughter: school districts. AVOID Seattle. Their school district has been having lots of problems, and students are scoring badly in the WASL tests. Aim for living in suburb communities, for your daughter's education.
Actually, I've already started an education fund for her (and continue to maintain it to this day) that is designed to pay for her education at a Waldorff Academy (and college... someday). I know there are several in the Seattle area, but I'm not concerned with the quality of the public schools because my daughter won't be attending them. :)
Still, thanks for the insight.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Just as another data point, the apartment I'm currently living in (in Bellevue) is 2 bedroom 2 bath 1000 sq feet. The rent is about 1100 a month, and the total with everything (including cable) is about $1300 in the summer and $1500 in the winter, give or take $100.
That sounds pretty manageable, actually. 1000 sq. ft. is a little cramped for 3 people, but I'm sure we could work it out. Did you get an incredible deal on that place or should I be able to find something comparable?
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Contributor
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That sounds pretty manageable, actually. 1000 sq. ft. is a little cramped for 3 people, but I'm sure we could work it out. Did you get an incredible deal on that place or should I be able to find something comparable?
That sounds about normal for Bellevue. The 2Br/1Ba I rent in Bothell is $800/month. I think the 2Br/2Ba goes for $850-ish.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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That sounds pretty manageable, actually. 1000 sq. ft. is a little cramped for 3 people, but I'm sure we could work it out. Did you get an incredible deal on that place or should I be able to find something comparable?That sounds about normal for Bellevue. The 2Br/1Ba I rent in Bothell is $800/month. I think the 2Br/2Ba goes for $850-ish.
Wow, yeah, that's not half bad! Again, I'd be losing a sizeable chunk of floor space in the exchange, but I can live with that. Does your apartment/condo complex have a website I can check out, Mike? Maybe I can get some more detailed info there.
wow....1600 dollars would pay for a huge house here in albuqueruqe. my house payment is 900, and i have 2000 sqft: 3 br, 1.75 bath, big kitchen, huge dinning room, living room, home theater room. and way too much yard. and its not nearly as hot here as it is in vegas, phonix, or baghdad.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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2 bedroom, 2 bath in Ballard is $1250 and rising. Ballard is growing exponentially, with more and more new condos and more and more reasons to want to live here in terms of restaurants, shops, and bars, every single month.
At this rate I fully expect to be priced out of Ballard within a year or so (unless people start buying more GameMastery stuff, that is!).
--Erik
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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wow....1600 dollars would pay for a huge house here in albuqueruqe. my house payment is 900, and i have 2000 sqft: 3 br, 1.75 bath, big kitchen, huge dinning room, living room, home theater room. and way too much yard. and its not nearly as hot here as it is in vegas, phonix, or baghdad.
Yeah, my rent in Mesa is $950/mo. for a 3 bed, 2.5 bath 2-story house with 1780 sq. ft. It's really not a bad deal, but it's also not really where I want to live.
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Actually, I've already started an education fund for her (and continue to maintain it to this day) that is designed to pay for her education at a Waldorff Academy (and college... someday). I know there are several in the Seattle area, but I'm not concerned with the quality of the public schools because my daughter won't be attending them. :)
I have friends whose kids go to Three Cedars, would recommend it when you're looking for a school.
Pete
Does your apartment/condo complex have a website I can check out, Mike? Maybe I can get some more detailed info there.I think so. Drop me an email (mike.mcartor@paizo.com) and I'll let you know. :)
*doesn't want to say where he lives on the Internets*
~innocent look~ You don't trust me Mike? I am so proud of you! ~grins~
At this rate I fully expect to be priced out of Ballard within a year or so (unless people start buying more GameMastery stuff, that is!).--Erik
I am helping out to the best of my ability, Erik.
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wow....1600 dollars would pay for a huge house here in albuqueruqe. my house payment is 900, and i have 2000 sqft: 3 br, 1.75 bath, big kitchen, huge dinning room, living room, home theater room. and way too much yard. and its not nearly as hot here as it is in vegas, phonix, or baghdad.Yeah, my rent in Mesa is $950/mo. for a 3 bed, 2.5 bath 2-story house with 1780 sq. ft. It's really not a bad deal, but it's also not really where I want to live.
???
You crazy! He crazy! That so crazy!
But seriously, sometimes I forget how expensive Seattle is. On my salary I could support a Mormon family in the Southeast. Nevermind the gay thing...I'm sure my lovely beard and I could raise 10 kids on a dirt farm for $900 a month.
This is my inappropriate way of expressing jealousy.
Court Fool and F. Wesley Schneiderbleidersteinerman, represent!
BTW, the lateness of this post should indicate that, maybe, I've had a few. Drinks, that is. Not toffee. Or giblets and pickled cherries - or whatever you people eat in Paizolund. Weirdos.