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Seattleites, your help is needed!
Pythos
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
There is a possibility of a transfer coming up for work and the relocation would be from Houston, Tx to Seattle, Wa. I could really use some help / advice on places to live to the Seattle area. Work would be downtown and avoiding a commute would ideal. I've paid a few visits to the area but haven't ever been looking for housing while I was there, once was for work and twice for PAX.
Basically looking for a 2 bedroom apartment with parking available in the complex in the downtown/capitol hill area, or anywhere that is a short cab ride into town. I can browse rent.com all day and look for places, but I would like y'alls input on places to look at, places to avoid, streets to avoid, stuff like that. I was going to try to keep it below $1600 a month, but if that isn't possibly let me know.
So come one and all with your opinions, suggestions, and thoughts. Thanks everyone.
Post Script: So this is going to sound stereotypical of a Texan, but coming with me will be a few firearms and I was wondering if there was any special registration for firearms in Washington state. Thanks again.
Basically looking for a 2 bedroom apartment with parking available in the complex in the downtown/capitol hill area, or anywhere that is a short cab ride into town. I can browse rent.com all day and look for places, but I would like y'alls input on places to look at, places to avoid, streets to avoid, stuff like that. I was going to try to keep it below $1600 a month, but if that isn't possibly let me know.
So come one and all with your opinions, suggestions, and thoughts. Thanks everyone.
Post Script: So this is going to sound stereotypical of a Texan, but coming with me will be a few firearms and I was wondering if there was any special registration for firearms in Washington state. Thanks again.
Pythos on
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1600 for a 2 bedroom should be pretty doable, it is a renters market here at the moment. Be warned that if you live in Capitol hill, you are going to be inundated with hipsters. You may also want to check out Queen Anne, as it is pretty close to downtown. I live on lower Queen Anne and I walk to work downtown most days. Even Ballard or Freemont should have pretty good bus access, and there will be way more parking available in those areas.
Avoid Magnolia as it is expensive and it's island nature leads to huge traffic jams. I would also avoid the central district due to a higher crime rate.
If your office doesn't give you parking, I would recommend on planning to take the bus into work; downtown parking, even with a monthly permit, can run upwards of $300/month (that is, in fact, exactly what the people who park in my building pay).
Washington has pretty liberal gun laws; unless you've got something fairly out-there, it's doubtful you will have any problems with your guns. Just make sure you're transporting them legally in-state. Getting a concealed carry permit would mean you wouldn't have to worry about that, and they're very easy to get, here (it's, like, $60 and a 20-minute application process).
I, personally, like North Seattle, as it allows me to bus into Downtown or Cap Hill when I want to, but not have to live there when I don't want to.
I mention cabs mostly for after hours activities, not for commuting to work. The commute for work would definitely be either bus or walking depending on where I actually end up.
How is North Seattle? Is there much night life in the area? I ask because in Houston I'm in the "suburbs" and it's about $50 bucks to taxi at home at night if I go "in town" for the night and I really want to avoid that this time round.
Yeah, I looked into the Concealed Carry License and it seems like it's even easier than Texas. There isn't a class or any qualification test other than the background checks. I assume if I have mine in Texas I should pass in Washington State.
Anyway, looking forward to getting up there. Hopefully this transfer goes through and all this research isn't for naught.
XBLA: Pythos07
North Seattle isn't like the suburbs in Texas; I've cabbed it home a couple of times, and it's usually $15 plus tip late at night. I've actually walked to my place from Cap Hill, though it is a schlep (about five miles). It's also only about a 10-15 minute drive to downtown from most North Seattle locations.
As an FYI, busing to work is fine, the Metro Express will get you from Wallingford to Downtown Seattle in 20 minutes or less and costs less than $100 a month for an unlimited use pass.
Right now apartments in Seattle are a renter-friendly market, plenty of new complexes have been going up and they are NOT being filled. When I first moved to Seattle it was hard to find any place available, let alone any place good. Now landlords will basically beg you to sign a lease. What this should mean to you: Don't be afraid to walk away from a mediocre deal, don't be afraid to ask for lower rent or a free rental bonus, and don't be afraid to shop around.
I'm a fan of Capitol Hill (its where I live), but it is a "trendy" neighborhood. You pay more to live in a neighborhood with lots of great restaurants and bars, if you want a big apartment for cheap you should look elsewhere.
As for your price range, $1600 should net you a pretty solid 2 bedroom if you shop around a bit. $1600 will be a nice 2 bedroom on the Hill or a pretty spectacular apartment in North Seattle.
I'd shy away from One Thousand on Eighth Avenue apartments. I went and got a really bad sketchy vibe from the place, and I've heard some real horror stories from people who lived there. They tend to advertise some really great (looking) deals, so if you do take a look at it, buyer-beware.
The core (commerical) Capitol Hill area is more-or-less outlined by Bellevue Ave/I-5 along the west, Roy St along the north, 15th Ave on the east, and Union St along the south. Find those streets on a map, and realize you'll pay more to live in that box. West of it is downtown, north is my personal choice (quieter, *maybe* cheaper but still close), east is also a bit more residential but also further from downtown, and south is more...hmmm I guess the PC term these days is "diverse". If you're not scared by that, it's an option if you want to make your money to go a long way. I'm a fan of the neighborhood as well, which is why I live there.
Also, the new(ish) light link rail runs from downtown Seattle all the way to Seatac, and is a pretty handy commute option. The neighborhoods the rail goes through fall under the "diverse" comment above.
I think Capitol Hill is great for everyone except families with kids because theres just not a ton of them there. Like someone said, it's a lot of hipsters and gays, and yuppies (which I guess I would classify myself as) but above all else it's really white. Seattle is one hell of a white place with pockets of varying ethnicity outside of the city proper for the most part. If you're not used to it, like I wasn't when I moved up here from the Bay Area, it can be weird and disconcerting.
I don't know if Capitol Hill is for everyone because some people hate apartment living and like driving cars, but it's one of the tradeoffs I've come to love with working downtown. If you're into snowboarding or skiing, during the season there are busses and shuttles that run up to the mountains for a small charge. The only thing that I've really missed about not having a car is that my wedding logistics planning has been ridiculous without one.
Oh, and that made me think of one thing: parking on cap hill sucks if the complex doesn't have parking.
Transfer still hasn't been approved by bigwigs yet, but hopefully soon. I am slightly anxious about the move. I was talking to my boss yesterday discussing it and they aren't going to cover a earlier flight out so I can pick a place. Once the transfer goes through I'll still have ~60 days before I have to be in Seattle, so I can call a few places and put things on reserve, but I am not looking forward to staying in a hotel for 2 or 3 days while I am finding the right place. Bah, stressful. Oh well.
I was talking to a few people about the move and someone mentioned the "Seattle Freeze". What the hell are they talking about?
XBLA: Pythos07
Read and learn. Some people think it's true, some don't. Like most things, it's somewhere in between.
It's not that people aren't superficially friendly, it's just that real connections don't happen often. I wouldn't worry too much though, there are plenty of non seattleites if you can't charm the natives