Seattle has buses. (Really, they're throughout King County, and reach into the neighboring counties, 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.
Route 131 manages to visit two parks on its way to downtown from Burien: Highland Park and South Park, but most folks probably use it for getting to work. (There are still parks in Highland Park and South Park. Right?)
↑ It was a business. That's why there's so much pavement. Having 7 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and 3,140 square feet is just a bit bigger than usual, but one reason they're asking $750,000 is because the house is equipped with ramps, handholds, and the various enhancements that make it easier for folks to get around. Accidents and age happen, so it is really surprising that most houses don't have more of these features. Granted, this house has many more, but that's going to work for someone. If nothing else, with that much pavement someone might want to set up a basketball court, park lots of recreational vehicles, or create massive sidewalk art.
↑ Ah, that brand new house smell. At least there shouldn't be any musty old odors to deal with. They just finished this 5 bedroom, 2.75 bath, 1,928 square foot two story and are asking $449,975 for it. There are lots of decorative touches like wrought iron in the staircase railing, wainscoting, and tile accents. New means modern, at least for the appliances; so you don't have to guess about warranties. If something breaks, there's a good chance it can be fixed. New also describes the landscaping. The grass is in; but the rest is mostly a blank, green and brown canvas that's ready for the results of your trip to the garden center.
↑ From the inside, this 4 bedroom, 2 bath house looks new; because they just updated most of it. From the outside, its heritage as a 1952 corner rambler is more apparent. Combined, the house is smaller than most (1,365 square feet) and the lot is larger than many new properties (7,840 square feet; so, a small house on a big lot. They're asking $414,950 for them. It also looks like there's a significant shop or garage, done in fashionable OSB; and a gated entry, done in fashionable chain link. What's your fashion?
↑ Sometimes a house is more about being a home for the toys than the people. This house devotes 1,600 square feet to the space for humans and their 3 bedrooms and 1 bath. The 8,775 square foot lot, however, possibly devotes more space to enough room to park the RV (with pump-out built-in), boat, and a large ATV. From the front it looks like a nice quiet, 1943 simple Craftsman. Out back it has sheds and ramps to accommodate the vehicles. What good are toys if you can't take them out to play? With a price of $350,000, make sure you have enough left over for gas and supplies.
↑ The indoor tour won't take long in this 3 bedroom, 2 bath one story from 1948; but maybe that's what you're looking for - a 1,290 square foot house on a 6,210 square foot lot for $299,950. A house for under $300K (barely) that has remodeled kitchen and baths, and all the basic amenities. The chain link fence that divides the front yard into flat, green lawn and flat, grey driveway may not make the cover of an architecture magazine; but that isn't part of most people's needs. No drama, no worries?
· Route 131 [Metro]
· All Bus Tours coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath