Major Life Change

[Harritwo]

Well the Admiral and I have finally taken a huge step towards our retirement. I resigned my position with a major company here in Jacksonville, FL and accepted a position which is a promotion and a raise in Seattle Washington. Keep in mind that I have never been out of the South in my life to live let alone ever been on the west coast. Once we made the decision, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place quick.

For a country boy going to the city, this will be a major change in life to me. If anyone here is in the Seattle area, can you provide any insight as to housing that is within driving distance of the Ewing Street area of Seattle? We would like a 4 bed, 2 bath on at least a 1/2 acre of land. We know absolutely nothing of the neighborhoods but are looking in the 200-250k price range and prefer the outskirts type living.

Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated.

George

 

[mla2ofus]

Re: Major Life Change

Plenty of people and you're gonna learn a new definition of rain. I worked there for 18 mos before retirement.
Mike

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Major Life Change

My uncle has a couple homes in the north end of Seattle. They are slightly over 2,000 sq ft and they are mid $400K. Would love to see what you can get for $200K.

You haven't spoken to a realtor yet?

A friend of mine will be selling her house once she retires next year and moves to CA. Her house is 2,200 sq ft and will likely be going for $525K or so. She is east of there closer to Issaquah. Not much yard though. She is pretty much done with the rain.

To get to the outskirts is going to be a huge commute.

 

[1stgenbird]

Re: Major Life Change

Good luck in your life's next step.

I would get in touch with a Realtor in that area, provide your home criteria, and ask for listings to be sent to you. For a preliminary step, check out Find Real Estate, Homes for Sale, Apartments & Houses for Rent - realtor.com? and begin your search by zip code.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Major Life Change

That's quite a jump in climate and in distance. I think that the entire US is a buyer's market right now. I would look into renting first to get acclimated to the traffic and neighborhoods. It's tough to make a life changing decision from that distance.

Good luck

 

[hungupthespikes]

Re: Major Life Change

Spent the 3rd week in January in Seattle years ago checking out a new machine for the plant. Impressive city for sure. Had snow one day and guys riding Harleys the next. Real estate seems more like south Florida than north Florida.
Would you consider renting downtown for the first year and enjoy the coffee shops and city life, as you look for a house?
Listen to the traffic reports on the local radio stations. Lots of people have to take a ferry to work, and they have a ton of them.
Congrads on the new job. Sounds like a great adventure to a really good city.

huts

 

[blackhawk180]

Re: Major Life Change

Prepare yourself for some housing sticker shock and commute traffic hell. A realtor is a great place to start.
The city itself is beautiful (when the clouds let you actually see it). I left the area THE DAY I retired and moved to Eastern Washington. About the only reason I go back now is for the boat show.

 

[bajaunderground]

Re: Major Life Change

I am originally from Tacoma (Seattle's little brother :joyous, Beautiful area, lot's of culture and things to do! Seattle's very pricey real estate wise. They weren't hit as hard as the rest of the country in the real estate bubble.

Traffic is a huge concern in the area; however, there are a lot of smaller towns/cities in the immediate area (still pricey though?).

Upon a quick search on Realtor.com I found 31 properties within 5 miles of Seattle on 1/2 acre ($324K-$10,000,000) Gonna be tough to find 1/2 acre lot that's convenient to Seattle area in the price range you've posted!

Good Luck with your next chapter...You'll love Seattle, but get ready for a culture shock!! 180˚ different than Jacksonville!

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Major Life Change

I had an office in Seattle, when I was printing magazines, and the traffic is a nightmare, the city is a nice one, but lots of people there, you will find the 250K range is not going to buy what you want, you will have to up your price point considerably to get what you are looking for, prices in western Washington are pretty high and they didn't depress like the rest of the country. Good luck on your move.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Major Life Change

My uncle sold the house that my grandmother owned and that my dad grew up in 2 years ago. It's 1073 sq feet and it sold for $270K. The lot size is 8,000 sq feet. Its a little north of Greenlake. Built in 1916.

Zillow says it's $370K now.

 

[angus63]

Re: Major Life Change

Going online and checking MLS listings in zip codes you may wish to reside would give you an appreciation of the market there. You can filter your search by house size, property size, and cost to show you what is available with your constraints. Congrats and Good Luck!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Major Life Change

good luck on your new adventures, however for $250k you may be able to buy a house boat. Seattle Houseboats

actual real estate will be quite a bit more.

you will miss the Florida sunshine, however Mt Rainier is spectacular.

 

[Bullrider]

Re: Major Life Change

I have lived here for 52 years. It rains I know. That means everything is Greener and electric power is .84 per kilowatt, not bad.
The housing is a buyers market right now but that is going away FAST! Boeing has over 100 BILLION in sales and this is putting our economy on steroids. Thousands of Boeing employees are reaching their contracted max pay which is a $1,600 a month raise, THEY ALL ARE NOW BUYING HOUSES. More people are being hired here and looking for houses.
If you want to live in the outer regions you could spend a little more $ for a commute and save hundreds of thousands in real-estate.

The Seattle area is right in the center of everything fun. 2 hours East you have amazing desert, 2 hours North you have the worlds best skiing/snowboarding 2 hours West you have incredible rainforests. The mountains are breathtaking! The San Juan Islands are Heaven! The Pacific Coast has a lot to do.There is an amazing number of lakes. Boating places are vast, rivers, bays, and lakes. It will take you decades to discover Washington's wonders.
Welcome to my home.
Cheers!
Hope you like coffee stands on every street corner, some are bikini baristas.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Major Life Change

Congrats on your move, you've chosen a pretty good place to make a new home!!
We are on the border with Washington state and obviously close neighbours to Seattle and its a nice city and a pretty good economy...but like some of the guys have posted you should get ready for some sticker shock and probable compromise in finding cheap housing.
That said, its still a lot cheaper than Vancouver...LOL (av. price is well over 500k...probably closer to 750k now...yikes)
The weather will take some getting used to but there is a very good reason it costs more to live there than Florida....you'll need to discover those reasons, then the move will make more sense.
BP

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Major Life Change

......some are bikini baristas......

Having relocated to SW Washington, from the land of Venice Beach, etc, 25 years ago, it has been my experience that Northwesters barely know what a bikini is. And often the few who do, you wished they didn't!

 

[bajaunderground]

Re: Major Life Change

Having relocated to SW Washington, from the land of Venice Beach, etc, 25 years ago, it has been my experience that Northwesters barely know what a bikini is. And often the few who do, you wished they didn't!

Girls in Washington don't tan...they rust!

 

[oldandintheway]

Re: Major Life Change

Forget about driving to work in Seattle, take the bus.
The buses travel in a special lane at 50 mph, and pass all the cars that are going 5 mph.

Don't buy a house until you have lived there for at least 6 months.

Puget Sound is a very different animal - not for the faint of heart.
Bye the way you will have to put up with fans of Seattle "water-chickens".

 

[oldandintheway]

Re: Major Life Change

King County Metro Transit

RMLS.com™ Regional Multiple Listing Service - Home

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Major Life Change

Bye the way you will have to put up with fans of Seattle "water-chickens".

You mean those guys that made the Denver Mules look so bad?

:lol:

 

[Bullrider]

Re: Major Life Change

Having relocated to SW Washington, from the land of Venice Beach, etc, 25 years ago, it has been my experience that Northwesters barely know what a bikini is. And often the few who do, you wished they didn't!

if you peek at my profile picture you will see me on my bike with Washington baristas