Seattle has buses, and they aren't limited to the city limits. 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.
You like the Eastside but need to work in Seattle? There's a bus for that. Route 255 runs from Kirkland to Downtown via Montlake. Granted, it takes something like an hour, but that's why they made podcasts and ebooks.
↑ Skip the house. It is a perfectly fine, definitely above average, well-made suburban house with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 3,175 square feet of living space. In this house, though, cars rule. The garage is 5,800 square feet, can hold 7 cars, has painted floors and a commercial grade air compressor system. This house may be on a bus route but at least one person living in it must be a car nut. Of course, maybe that's enough to drive the other person to do anything but drive a car. If the house is $849,000, how much value will be parked inside and outside?
↑ This is almost silly. Nope. It is silly. Not only is this house smaller than the previous one, the entire lot could fit inside either the house or the garage. Take your pick. Welcome to the new version of suburbia that is more like townhome living. For $549,950 you get 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths in a 2,010 square foot house that somehow fits onto a 2,660 square foot lot. That might be because the extra amenities, like the basketball court, are part of some shared space. But, if you don't have seven cars or need a near acre for a garden, maybe this pocket of a home is right for you.
↑ A house built in 1966 that's only had one owner? That's impressive. One more year there and they would've made the 50th anniversary. Imagine a 30 year mortgage paid off 20 years ago. The price has undoubtedly changed. Now, this 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 1,660 square foot house is going for $418,950. This is a time capsule, with many of the original finishes. Wait long enough and they come back in style. Wait a bit longer and the style may change again. In the meantime, welcome to the world of President Johnson.
↑ It is the little things that make the biggest differences. Yes, this 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo is going for $349,950, and with that you get a top floor unit and 1,309 square feet; but the selling point for someone may be the charging station an the electric car. It's for those days when they aren't taking the bus. This may be a unique combination of location and amenities and price, but the addition of an outlet may be harder to find.
↑ The listing doesn't say much about this 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath townhouse that's priced at $258,000. Yes, you get 1,120 square feet. They do emphasize however, that the Burke-Gilman trail is nearby. The bus takes about an hour. The bicycle takes about two. The car, well, depending on traffic will you ever get there? Of course, if you don't work downtown, that may work out fine.
· Route 255 [Metro]
· All Bus Tours coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath