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 and learn in the University District, then graduate and find your job downtown? Metro's Route 70 will take you there, the commute that is; the career move is up to you.
↑ A house with classic bones, because it's been around that long. For $599,990 you can get a 1,510 square foot home that was built in 1908. The city wasn't very large back then. Cars were a new concept. Indoor plumbing had been around for a while, and 1.75 baths would've seemed a luxury for a 5 bedroom house. Maybe that's part of the new remodeling. How, though, has no one gotten around to finishing the basement in over 100 years? By the way, electricity was also a new idea back then. Check the wiring. You may have a history lesson inside the walls.
↑ And now for the other end of the time scale, built green and brand new: 3 stories, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,611 square feet for $599,950. Modern appliances, systems, insulation, and wiring. It even comes with a warranty. If it was any newer and high-tech it would come with a remote and probably be called an iHouse. Simple things matter, too. Three stories means height, and height means light and views - and lots of steps, but they'll just the built-in exercise system.
↑ If more height means better views, then 22 stories up is a good place from which to watch the world go by. Pay the price of $350,000 and get a 1,120 square foot condo with 2 bedrooms and 1.75 baths and unobstructed views. If those views aren't good enough, go to the roof and see more than you can from your balcony. Big buildings also have large populations which make it easier to have impressive shared services like pools and exercise rooms. Of course, simply taking the stairs will be a workout worth talking about.
↑ Why buy more than you need? For singles and small households, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, and 470 square feet are more than enough. The other bonus is you don't pay for floor space you won't use, which is one way to get the price down to $275,000. The price may be lower, and the floor space is smaller, but the appliances and the individual rooms are regular size. Use the extra money to stock the pantry and decorate the place.
↑ Evidently, there's not much to say about this 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath condo (at least according to the listing); but, it certainly looks like there should be. A fairly new condo built in 2008, with 1,272 square feet for $449,850 is nicely situated close to town, close to the university, which also means it is close to Lake Union, bicycle trails, and Northlake Tavern. Inside, there are enough hardwood floors for a good dance party, and an open kitchen arranged for entertaining. Scroll through the photos though and wonder about the desk in the empty room. Was someone told to sit in the corner and thought it meant forever?
See anything you like?
· Route 70 [Metro]
· Northlake Tavern [NT]
· All Bus Tours coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath