Another one makes the move...

[squatch]

...to Seattle. My girlfriend is starting law school in the summer at Seattle University and I've been debating a move to Seattle for a long time, but never had a compelling reason to leave Denver until now.

So apparently they're hard up for tax nerds in Seattle, because the job search went pretty quickly. So now I have to figure out a place to move to. The mountain question has been debated ad naseum (and yes, this JONG searched), but I'll probably pick up a pass to alpental, mostly because I'll be in the city and I dislike driving.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to my move. And on the off chance -- anyone know of a place near SU and downtown that's affordable but also has room for a gear hoarder. Balancing her desire to be close to school and wanting a nicely furnished, newish apartment in a good neighborhood with my desire to have enough room for my ridiculous crap, all while on a budget, has been somewhat challenging. I'm spoiled in Denver, as you can get a large, new apartment, downtown, for not much.

[belgian]

You're not gonna get anything big cheap and new up on the hill, or really anywhere too close to SU. Try the Fremont/Ballard areas maybe? West Seattle and Alki might be worth a look as well.

[squatch]

Yeah...we're coming to that realization. I don't have a commute to work currently (7 blocks) and I love it so much. Neither of us want to ditch our cars, though -- her car was just paid off and I can't fit in her car so I'll need my truck for skiing/biking/etc. We're looking at about $2000 max, all-in, for a 2 bedroom or a 1 bdr + den. She had some issues living in bad area in denver...it was just a block or so (she was next to a halfway house with drug dealers loitering) but her roommate got hassled one night and had to call the cops and she's been a little freaked out since. So...compromise looming. We each have lots of stuff. I should get rid of some but I'm a bit of a hoarder and there's no low-hanging fruit to sell, donate, or toss.

[regct]

My wallet got schooled trying to live downtown. Belltown = expensive + ghetto. Don't let the lavish facade of nearby apartment complexes fool you.

Edmonds is a hidden gem. Stay away from Lynnwood though. Queen Anne is a nice area, parts of it anyway. Magnesum? In the U District has some nice neighborhoods.

Stevens is my weekly playground.


....FKNA I forgot to mention parking. If you end up downtown, plan on another $150-$200/month per vehicle.

[bptempleton]

We're looking at about $2000 max, all-in, for a 2 bedroom or a 1 bdr + den

You should be able to swing this just fine on Capitol Hill, which is where SU is located. I haven't looked at housing for awhile there, but I know a few people that rent 2 bedrooms that are roomy, if not luxurious, for ~$1400 a month in cool areas of the hill. The biggest problem would be trying to swing 2 cars there, that would probably be a huge pain in the ass. If you can figure that out, there's great night life, you can walk to anything, and it's just generally tits.

If you're willing to commute a bit, you could live wayy cheaper in Edmonds or Lake Forest Park or something but commuting fucking blows in Seattle, as I'm sure you've seen/heard. West Seattle is awesome, but ditto on the commute.

Consider Steven's Pass. Alpental is fun but Steven's is funner.

[abraham]

parents may have space opening up in our place in montlake, just down the hill from SU. Ill send you a PM when I talk to them if you are interested.

[Sirshredalot]

As a fellow tax nerd thinking about making the move out to the PNW in a year or two, I have to ask: what flavor of tax nerd are you?

[counterfeitfake]

Look at Beacon Hill. It's a easy bike ride away from the school, and I think rent would be cheaper- you might be able to get a house with a driveway even. It would be a quieter neighborhood.

Capitol Hill/First Hill are much more "happening" neighborhoods, whether or not that appeals to you I don't know. You certainly CAN live there with a car and not pay for parking, if you don't mind hunting for street parking. There are lots of areas where parking is restricted to 2 hours, but I think residents can get a permit that gets around this. It would be especially easy if one or both of you are willing and able to park your car for days at a time.

Fremont/Ballard have lots of good points, but getting from either of those to SU takes a surprisingly long time.

Edmonds is a WHOLE different thing, might appeal to some, but I think I would loathe driving from home in Edmonds to work/school in Seattle and back. Taking the bus might be reasonable.

[fixiewrek]

There are places around SU in Capitol Hill and the Central District. Parking will be a pain the closer you are to SU, but there are a lot of newer apts. that are being built or were recently built in that area and a lot of turnover in the blocks to the east of SU. Capitol Hill around 15th sounds like it would suit your needs and its a pretty cool area. There are a lot of apts, directly east of SU between 17th and 20th which seem pretty nice. As you head east from there, it becomes more single family houses.

For $2K you should be able to get something pretty sweet.

Fremont/Ballard would suck if you had to commute to SU each day and Edmonds is way out there.

[squatch]

As a fellow tax nerd thinking about making the move out to the PNW in a year or two, I have to ask: what flavor of tax nerd are you?

International. Now is a good time because business has picked up enough (at least at the big 4) that they're willing and able to hire, and they've spent the last couple years not hiring anyone.

[squatch]

I think we'll just have to wait and see...we'll be moving out in June and nothing decent is available now for June. Appreciate the suggestions, unfortunately she is a bit picky on some stuff and I'm not sure I could sell her on beacon hill. There's a couple nice buildings in SLU that might work (large 1 bd + den) which would be awesome from a neighborhood/location standpoint. It seems like an up and coming neighborhood.

Out of curiousity, what does Seattle's real estate market look like? If I had to guess, I'd say another year of flat to falling prices.

[Zesty Not Spicy]

That's pretty accurate. Here's a couple recent articles from the Seattle Times on the subject.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...eprices30.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...rtments29.html

I lived in SLU my last year at UW and the first couple after college. My brother ended up buying the place and now rents it for $1,745 - 1,200SF 2 BR plus one garage parking spot and a storage room. Depending on where you're at there might not be a ton of stuff within walking distance but lots of bus routes, etc. Our boy P Allen is spending a ton redeveloping the area.