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.
From south of Federal Way to downtown Seattle in less than an hour? Sure, Metro Route 177 can do that, according to the schedule. It even stops in Sodo.
↑ You know by now the grass is greener, right? This 3 bedroom, 2 bath house for $190,000 has 1,270 square feet of living space. Not an easy thing to find for under $200,000. There may be a few changes to make. Maybe you'll rather park your car rather than a baby swing in the garage. Maybe instead of a lawn you'll want a garden. The back yard is certainly big enough. Remodeling is easy when you haven't spent everything on the down payment.
↑ Own a quarter of an acre. Don't even cover it with much of a house. It's only 1,340 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath. Got $171,000? You can do this, and still get to downtown Seattle in less than an hour. It's a practical home. The pantry looks like it was made for big box bargain buys. Is that a freezer in the dining room? (And a dog photo-bombing the picture?) Live frugal. Buy in bulk. Only buy as much house as you need, and have lots of land for projects and play.
↑ Get a condo with common spaces and you spend less while getting more, without having to be the one to clean the hot tub. Some houses aren't as big as this 3 bedroom, 1.75 bath, 1,214 square foot house, and they certainly cost more than $138,800. With a view of the lake you'll be buying the potential for stress relief. Lower cost of living, lower stresses, nice view, this could all be a good thing.
↑ Clean, empty, and waiting for someone to move in. That's this 1,088 square foot condo that has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. At $110,000 it is barely in the six digits. With a palette like this, what could you do? Show some style. If you're buying a house for the first time, don't think of it as a starter as much as a trainer. It is good to practice before committing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Besides, you might find that you like the simple life.
↑ You must be this old, 55, to get in. Senior discounts are significant. A 3 bedroom and 2 bath house with 1,260 square feet for less than one thousand years of your age sounds like the start of a deal. Good cars go for more than the $54,900 asking price. It is a mobile, er, manufactured home (aren't all homes manufactured?) but it was built in 2007, which makes it newer than many homes and newer that its owner, too. A pool, hot tub, sauna, and an exercise room are enough to keep you busy without creating more work. Saving money and time? True signa of wisdom.
· Route 177 [Metro]
· All Bus Tours coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath