Moving in Seattle
March 1, 2016 3:40 PM   Subscribe

I am moving in June. I work in downtown Seattle and don't have a car. Where should I move and how do I prepare for a drastic increase in rent? See MANY details inside.

The lease is coming up on my incredibly fun and cheap loft in Seattle's SODO neighborhood. I share 2 rooms with my partner, plus 4 other roommates. We pay $975/mo. We would stay here but after the lease is up in June the landlords are renovating and using the loft space for a marijuana business.

I earn about $2400/mo after taxes and my partner earns a similar amount. We don't have a vehicle or children. She works south of West Seattle, almost in Burien, and I work downtown.

I am incredibly nervous about the move. I've been in this space for 2 years and found it through a friend who was moving out, so I didn't really experience the full terror of finding housing in Seattle's rental economy in 2014. I've heard it has only gotten worse. Neither of us can change job locations at the moment.

I need suggestions about how to go about finding a good space and how to plan for dramatically increasing the amount of our budget we spend on rent. We would prefer a tiny house but an apartment would also work.

I recognize how amazing our current situation is and acknowledge that we are very lucky to have good incomes and job security and NO DEBT. However I am filled with incredible anxiety about the housing search and my ability to budget for much higher rent. My partner is equally nervous and so far we have been avoiding making any plans beyond checking out different neighborhoods a couple times a month and entertaining the idea of living there. We've agreed that shotting for a place that costs 30% of our combined income, which for now we'll call $1500 before bills and internet.

Ideas we have had so far: Greenwood, Burien/White Center, West Seattle/Delridge, Georgetown, Hillman City, Rainer Valley.

Main requirements are: Ability to commute by public transit in a reasonable amount of time (30-45mins). Space for two humans and a beautiful cat, possibility of 2nd animal in the future. Long term lease, 1-2 years or more. Trees and bushes in the neighborhood, which are depressingly absent in SODO.

Optional extra credit, may be good for future Askme:

I have a criminal history (Gross Misdemeanor DUI) that I am concerned will effect rental applications. I don't have any debt but I have a bad credit rating from unpaid car tickets that went to collections (This has been taken care of but still effects my credit score.) I don't want these issues (she is aware of them BTW) to effect my partner and my ability to find good housing. How can my bad debt and criminal history effect rental applications? How can I best reduce possibility of this getting in the way of a good place?

Thanks in advance.
posted by kittensofthenight to Work & Money (13 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: You'll be fine. White Center, Burien, or Delridge sound like your best bets. I'll bet you can find something down there without a massive rent increase. They all have bus lines going in the directions of your respective commutes, but you'll want to make sure your new place is very close to one of the commuter bus lines (if you're not careful, you'll end up with a 20 minute walk to the right bus stop).

If you do Georgetown / Hillman City / Rainier Valley, your partner's commute will be worse---crossing the Duwamish waterway at rush hour is a bad experience, although your partner sounds like she would be doing a reverse commute.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 4:15 PM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]


We are a car-free couple with two cats, and Greenwood is the bomb, albeit a slightly more expensive bomb than some of the other areas you list. If you can find something close to Greenwood and 85th, you've got a ton of bus options.

We're paying closer to $2000 for a 2br, but you may be able to find something in your price if you pound the pavement. One tip since we were apartment hunting not that long ago: be prepared to put down cash on the spot if you like an apartment. They go very quickly, even a couple of hours later.
posted by jess at 4:24 PM on March 1, 2016


Best answer: All roads lead to Rome, and nearly all buses lead there too. If you want to go to downtown, you have many bus options.

Greenwood is going to get expensive in the places it hasn't already, but anything between Greenwood Ave and 15th Ave/Holman Rd may still be affordable, and you've got buses like the D Rapidride, the 28, and the 5 (and 5X) serving that region. I've got a number of friends around 8th Ave or Greenwood in the 85th - 100th streets and they have a commute that you describe. You could also look around Northgate; the Northgate TC will send a hundred* buses an hour, mostly to downtown.

If you go for West Seattle and points south, you should be aware of this months' coming changes to the C Rapidride. Currently it converts into the D in downtown, but it's going to stop doing that and start going to SLU.

Bus'll run you $99/month for a pass, but you're possibly paying that now.

*probably not actually 100
posted by Sunburnt at 4:25 PM on March 1, 2016


Best answer: I would suggest one of the West Seattle-or-adjacent neighborhoods you mentioned. That will make your partner's commute (which is the harder one to accommodate) easier - for your commute, just make sure you're near one of the bus lines that goes right downtown. I'd suggest White Center, for proximity to Target/QFC/restaurants/etc. You should be able to find a 1BR in one of those areas for under $1500 (I just finished a Seattle housing search).

My secret ninja trick for finding a good place in this crazy-competitive market: look at hotpads.com and zillow every day. Look at craigslist too, but I talked to several property managers and landlords who prefer to list on these lower-traffic sites first because craigslist is a hassle for everyone. I found my lovely Columbia City 1BR on zillow the day it was listed, was the only person who applied, and it was never even listed on craigslist!

Also, if you have friends who already live in the neighborhoods you're targeting, ask them if they know of anything. Or if they can post for you on the neighborhood Facebook group. A friend did that for me in her neighborhood and a ton of people responded (as it happened, I had already found my current place).

I wouldn't worry too much about your record. Most LLs and management companies are looking for big problems like felonies and bankruptcies. If you have enough income to cover your rent, a few late bills won't hurt you, and I don't think a misdemeanor will either.
posted by lunasol at 4:26 PM on March 1, 2016 [3 favorites]


Burien is Awesome and there are many brand new living options in downtown Burien very close to the brand new bus depot. Plus, we can have a meetup!
posted by bq at 4:27 PM on March 1, 2016


Usually landlords will request a credit check and a background check, so your history will turn up there, if at all. I've never rented in Seattle (though I am considering relocating for work), but the important thing when apartment hunting is to have a check and any required documentation in hand so if you like the place you can apply right away. Also make sure you have enough cash for a security deposit or move-in fee.
posted by deathpanels at 5:31 PM on March 1, 2016


Best answer: White Center is actually cooler than you may think. Top Hat is another nearby neighborhood worth looking into.
posted by matildaben at 9:28 PM on March 1, 2016


Echoing jess and sunburnt. And hey, can we have a greenwood mini mefi meet up? I love meet ups but traversing across the city is tough.
posted by k8t at 10:13 PM on March 1, 2016 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: I think we will focus on Greenwood and Burien/White Center. I have been to White Center a lot and really like the neighborhood (Full Tilt!).

Thanks for the advice. I have never heard of Top Hat, going to look into it now.
posted by kittensofthenight at 9:41 AM on March 2, 2016


Just a suggestion -- you may want to think about bike commuting. I bike in and back regularly from Shoreline, and it is very do-able. There's plenty of secure downtown Seattle bike parking, too, and more coming.

If you head north, e.g. to Greenwood, let me also tell you there is a lot of fun stuff around, including the Fremont, Ballard, Phinney Ridge, Greenlake and Greenwood neighborhoods and parks.
posted by bearwife at 9:49 AM on March 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Greenwood (or anything north of the ship canal) will be an awful commute for your partner. I live close to the West Seattle / Burien border, and it takes me 30-45 minutes by bus just to get to the first stop downtown.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 2:36 PM on March 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: That's a good point. I am more flexible in that I could potentially transfer to a few different around town but my partner's work is going to pay for her BS and only have the one location.

The lack of a stressful commute is a huge factor for us, allowing us to work the 50ish hours a week we work and still fulfill various social/creative activities.
posted by kittensofthenight at 3:03 PM on March 2, 2016


Start your evening out with Proletariat Pizza - save Full Tilt for dessert.
posted by bq at 6:41 PM on March 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


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