Seattle has buses. 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.
Issaquah has grown! Particularly, with houses that were built in the last few years. Enough folks live there and work in Bellevue and the U District that Metro runs route 271. Hop on and beat the traffic.
↑ Brand new and well-equipped. Move into a new house and be glad for appliances that work, insulation that is up to date, and a sense of style that fits today's lifestyle. This 2,954 square foot, 4 bedroom, 3.25 bath new construction is priced at $834,900. It also sits at the border of developed and undeveloped land. The backyard abuts Cougar Mountain Park, so you get the comforts of suburban living and access to nature. You might want to keep the pets indoor at night. Outside, the house looks like a lodge. Inside, the kitchen has a six burner stove and double ovens. Hike after work, then cook up an enormous feast.
↑ Get yourself a view of the mountains, and live close to them, too. A 2005, 2,710 square foot, 3 bedroom and 4 bath house is for sale at $639,950. It is one thing to live near nature, but another to find a place that lets you see the edge of where growth must end. Look out the windows from this two story and you can see if there's snow on the mountains. Vaulted ceilings, wide staircases, spacious bathrooms, and an open kitchen mean having room indoors too.
↑ Go tall and skinny. A 3 story townhouse with 3 bedrooms and 3 baths in the $300,000s; particularly, $360,000. Pity it doesn't have a 3 car garage and 3 ovens. To fit 2 cars into the garage they made it extra long. The kitchen doesn't have 3 ovens, but it does have a deck for grilling. Be careful out there, the forest is so close the trees will smell the smoke. A nice thing about the trees is that you don't have to tend them. They're part of the greenbelt. No effort required, except to clean up what gets blown your way.
↑ Got a big family? Then 5 bedrooms and 4 baths make sense. Having 4,130 square feet means people can be spread out. The rooms in this $845,000 house can be big. Even the basement is over 1,000 square feet. If you have that many kids, Issaquah's schools may be why you're interested in the area. The high-end appliances may be appreciated, but having enough room for everyone may be the greatest luxury.
↑ For Issaquah, a house built in 1979 is old. Back then houses came with land; in this case of this $575,000 house, over 10,000 square feet of yard. That's enough for more than just a few shrubs. That's enough for landscaping and gardening. The house has 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths in 2,270 square feet - all under a roof that is being redone. Age has its issues, and maintenance must be done; which is eventually true for every house. Move into a house that's a few decades old, and move into a neighborhood that has developed a character and probably a community. There's no way to price that.
· Route 271 [Metro]
· Cougar Mountain Park [KCPR]
· All Bus Tours coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath