Seattle has buses (and trains). Use them! In which case you might as well find a place to live along a line. One line at a time. Here's the next one, selected at random for the fun of it.
Live in Roxhill but work downtown? It's only a half hour ride on route 21. Live where you can get a house with history for the price of a small in-town condo.
↑ The last time this house sold Ronald Reagan was President, the house was only 11 years old, and it sold for $81,900. That's all it took for 3 bedrooms, 2.25 baths, and 1,670 square feet. Now, they're asking $410,000. Evidently, they liked the place well enough to live there for 29 years. That's proof of something. The fruit trees are in and established. The fence is up, the large back deck is covered, and the lot is flat enough for the kids and the dog to play. What else do you need?
↑ So, back in Calvin Coolidge's day this house was brand new, and doesn't seem to have been expanded much. There are 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, because in 1925, 1 bathroom was enough; and 1,390 square feet. That's what you get for $365,000. At a guess, the 1 car garage is newer, but maybe it's been there the whole time too. The windows, kitchen, and bath are more current; and either the stager is doing an excellent job, or the owners found just the right trendy furniture for the place. Whether they found it in the last decade or just kept it since the 70's is hard to tell.
↑ Hey, a 1950 Harry S. Truman house. If this one was a bit smaller it would qualify as a tiny house. At only 710 square feet it still manages to contain 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, and still ask for $339,999. Add an extra $1 and make the check easier to write out. There isn't much of a real estate description, but it looks like a lot of work's been done. The paint job is tidy. The one bathroom remodel is far nicer than the average suburban shower. The other bathroom looks fine, but wait, isn't there only one bathroom? A tour or a recount may be in order.
↑ Another Truman era house. It is a little bit bigger, and it holds a bit more. This one has 3 bedrooms and 1 bath, in 1,080 square feet for $265,900. That third bedroom claims many titles: bedroom, or workout room, or media room, and evidently, laundry room. Versatility is a good thing. The lot is 4,930 square feet, so there should only be as much yard work as you want. Then after your indoor and outdoor workouts, use the outdoor gazebo with hot tub.
↑ Alas, this is a Calvin Coolidge house that reminds us of what came after him; The Great Depression. This house is in foreclosure now. Did it go through foreclosure then, too? The auction is on the 24th and the listing shows $250,000. Regardless, the 1,270 square foot, 3 bedroom, 1 bath house will probably survive this period in its history. Hard times happen and somehow we get through. In the meantime, this house claims to have a mountain view. That's worth a bit extra, right there. Now, where is that mountain?
See anything you like?
· Route 21 [Metro]
· Emerald Downs [ED]
· All Bus Tours coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath