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 downtown Renton to downtown Seattle, is that your commute? Route 101 does it, too, and stops in Tukwila and SoDo because not everything happens downtown.
↑ Ah, such a fine facade, stacked stones. Wasn't that the inspiration for that invention called bricks? This 2007 three story has views of Lake Washington and the city lights, and probably views of the air traffic out of Renton Field. You could watch unpainted narrow body jets every day. They're asking $599,777 for the 4 bedroom, 4 bath, 2,978 square foot house that is relatively new, 2007. The higher you go, the more you see. Check the price, though. It's been up and up, and just stepped back down (according to Zillow.)
↑ If a house has a tandem garage it must have room for tandem bicycles; but is there such a thing as a tandem car? Regardless, here's a 2,160 square foot 3 story with 4 bedrooms and 4 baths (sounds familiar) with an asking price of $450,000. For that you get views across Renton, and better traffic information than you can get on the radio because it looks like I-405 is in the foreground. Very handy for a commuter, or a reminder of why you're taking the bus. The inside counts, and you might appreciate the new-ish 2004 sense of style.
↑ Renton has been around long enough to have some original Craftsman homes, like this 3 bedroom, 2 bath one for $375,000 that was built in 1920. Some of the elements remain, like the arched doorways. A few things have been added to keep it new and improved to some extent. A solarium was added out back. The spiral staircase probably wasn't original. When was it that green carpets were stylish? Is that coming back? There's a slight mystery in one room that seems to have doubled wall heaters. It is a house with history and story, that will fit someone who isn't expected conventional housing.
↑ The smaller the house, the lower the maintenance, generally. So, a 1,290 square foot rambler with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths might just ease your workload. It was built in 1995, so it isn't brand new, but maybe the kinks are worked out by now. To most folks, it looks as new as most homes, except for the ultra-moderns, of course. The listing price is $318,950, which includes the 4,837 square foot lot that also has a labor saving device. Much of the backyard is paved. That's handy for projects, and makes it easier to track the slugs if you decide to have a container garden instead.
↑ Tiny homes and manufactured homes have some things in common, so maybe the stigma some people have about what they perceive as old-style mobile homes will fade. Here's an opportunity to make your own call. A manufactured is up for sale at $225,000. That gets you 3 bedrooms and 2 baths in 960 square feet on a 4,268 square foot lot. A bit of comparison shopping may prove that there's money to save. This is another one to track the price on, though. It was up, then down, then up, and back down again. If you're the seller, up is good. If you're the buyer, down is good. Of course, whichever way it sells is probably better than sitting unsold.
· Route 101 [Metro]
· All Bus Tours coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath