Seattle has buses. King County, too. 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.
Some routes never touch Seattle's city limits. That's necessary for people with commutes like Issaquah to Overlake. That's what Route 269 serves, as well as touching Newport Way, Bear Creek, Pine Lake, and Sahalee.
↑ There's nothing ambiguous about a street name like Big Tree Dr NW. What's more NW than big trees? Got $845,000 for a 5 bedroom, 4 bath, 4,130 square foot house? Issaquah was a bedroom community before it grew up; so, 5 bedrooms seem appropriate. The house is almost as large as the lot, and would cover it more if it wasn't a two story. Special treat, there's a basement. Yes, the kitchen and baths are nice, but it's also good to have a place for the kids to play or the adults to hide.
↑ How many of the 5 bedrooms get the view? The house probably costs $1,495,000 because of its size, 5,038 square feet, and the rooms, 5 bedroom and 3.5 baths; but the premium comes from being designed by Lochwood-Lozier, and being perched on a hill side. Be in the mountains, or at least on their edge, and enjoy watching them go through the seasons. Inside, the house has mansion amenities, as you'd expect. Putting it all together in one package, that's the tough part. Having 0.87 acres to work with probably helped.
↑ You want a house with wall-doors, right? This 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2,923 square foot house looks designed as much for outdoors as indoors. The patio furniture is upholstered and anchored, and surrounded with patio heaters. The lot is 0.57 acres. The design is clean and modern, and more like an office building than a conventional craftsman. Of course, for some folks, such a comfort zone is just right at $1,209,000.
↑ Without the views the price comes down. How about $699,000 for a 3 bedroom, 3 bath single level house? Simple luxuries like not having to vacuum stairs are worth something. There are other luxuries like a sauna and an indoor hot tub. There's also lots of room outside because a 2,590 square foot house doesn't cover much of a 0.82 acre lot.
↑ Let's get real - affordable. Everything you use daily is probably available in this 872 square foot, 1 bedroom, 1 bath condo - unless you have a family living with you. No lawn to mow. No maintenance to worry about. Get settled for $197,500, and don't worry about a house-sized mortgage either. Like with any condo or apartment, just hope your neighbors are quiet, friendly, and neat.
· Route 269 [Metro]
· All Bus Tours coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath