Moving to Seattle/starting my life after college/help me not freak out
July 8, 2013 12:34 PM Subscribe
I'm moving to Seattle August 1st to start working at Microsoft out of college. I'm looking for apartments on craigslist now, and flying up to hunt around a bit this Wednesday-Saturday. Starting to freak out a bit.
I interned at Microsoft twice, so I'm somewhat familiar with the area. The first summer, I lived in Bellevue and didn't like it very much. I wanted to live somewhere a bit less suburban, and downtown Bellevue felt too artificial for my tastes. The second summer, I lived in Belltown, and I didn't really like how it seemed that the restaurants either closed at 6 pm downtown, or were very upscale/preppy in Belltown. I've spent the last four years in a college town, and love the casual feel of many of the restaurants here.
Capitol Hill seemed a bit too loud. I really liked the feel of Ballard/Fremont/Wallingford. Ballard's a bit too far from Redmond, and Wallingford I think will make for the best commute, so I'd like to find somewhere in Wallingford. Microsoft has a shuttle that stops in Wallingford at 45th/Stone and 45th/Bagley. So, ideally, I'd like a $900-$1400 1 bedroom apartment or duplex in Wallingford that's a short walk from one of these intersections.
I've been looking on Craigslist and Padmapper for a few days, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of apartments listed in this immediate area. I've read advice in questions/posts similar to this one to walk around the neighborhood you want to live in and just look for "For Rent" signs. Does this work?
I'm flying up Wednesday the 10th, and will have all day Thursday and Friday to look around. Will this be enough time to find something?
Should I look somewhere else? Is there something else I should be doing?
I've always had to deal with the "college town" renting cycle before of locking up my housing for August through July as early as May, and I'm really nervous about the fact that I have no idea where I'll be living in a few days over three weeks from now.
I interned at Microsoft twice, so I'm somewhat familiar with the area. The first summer, I lived in Bellevue and didn't like it very much. I wanted to live somewhere a bit less suburban, and downtown Bellevue felt too artificial for my tastes. The second summer, I lived in Belltown, and I didn't really like how it seemed that the restaurants either closed at 6 pm downtown, or were very upscale/preppy in Belltown. I've spent the last four years in a college town, and love the casual feel of many of the restaurants here.
Capitol Hill seemed a bit too loud. I really liked the feel of Ballard/Fremont/Wallingford. Ballard's a bit too far from Redmond, and Wallingford I think will make for the best commute, so I'd like to find somewhere in Wallingford. Microsoft has a shuttle that stops in Wallingford at 45th/Stone and 45th/Bagley. So, ideally, I'd like a $900-$1400 1 bedroom apartment or duplex in Wallingford that's a short walk from one of these intersections.
I've been looking on Craigslist and Padmapper for a few days, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of apartments listed in this immediate area. I've read advice in questions/posts similar to this one to walk around the neighborhood you want to live in and just look for "For Rent" signs. Does this work?
I'm flying up Wednesday the 10th, and will have all day Thursday and Friday to look around. Will this be enough time to find something?
Should I look somewhere else? Is there something else I should be doing?
I've always had to deal with the "college town" renting cycle before of locking up my housing for August through July as early as May, and I'm really nervous about the fact that I have no idea where I'll be living in a few days over three weeks from now.
I've read advice in questions/posts similar to this one to walk around the neighborhood you want to live in and just look for "For Rent" signs. Does this work?
Yep - for some reason, a decent number of Seattle apartment owners don't use Craigslist/Padmapper. I have no idea why this is. That said, I have always found my housing on Craigslist.
I'm flying up Wednesday the 10th, and will have all day Thursday and Friday to look around. Will this be enough time to find something?
I would plan on an alternative. Right now, the rental market is strongly in favor of landlords, and vacancies mid-month are relatively rare. You will have better luck trying to move at the beginning of August/end of July time frame. That said, I found my first apartment in the U District mid-June.
Should I look somewhere else? Is there something else I should be doing?
Don't worry about finding your perfect neighborhood on the first go-around. I have never met anyone in Seattle that settled in their desired neighborhood the first time they moved to Seattle. I don't think the summers you've stayed here before are a good reference point due to the short length of time you've had. Find somewhere to live here for six months and spend those six months figuring out exactly where you want to live and for finding a place on a longer time frame than three days. You can easily get desirable or affordable apartments in Seattle, but finding both is rare and requires significant effort.
Also, consider living in Redmond or Kirkland if you can tolerate non-urban living. The commute to Microsoft is much more appealing and the rental market isn't nearly as landlord-dominated as Seattle. I share your disdain of downtown Bellevue, but find that Redmond and Kirkland are significantly different from downtown Bellevue.
posted by saeculorum at 1:13 PM on July 8, 2013 [2 favorites]
Yep - for some reason, a decent number of Seattle apartment owners don't use Craigslist/Padmapper. I have no idea why this is. That said, I have always found my housing on Craigslist.
I'm flying up Wednesday the 10th, and will have all day Thursday and Friday to look around. Will this be enough time to find something?
I would plan on an alternative. Right now, the rental market is strongly in favor of landlords, and vacancies mid-month are relatively rare. You will have better luck trying to move at the beginning of August/end of July time frame. That said, I found my first apartment in the U District mid-June.
Should I look somewhere else? Is there something else I should be doing?
Don't worry about finding your perfect neighborhood on the first go-around. I have never met anyone in Seattle that settled in their desired neighborhood the first time they moved to Seattle. I don't think the summers you've stayed here before are a good reference point due to the short length of time you've had. Find somewhere to live here for six months and spend those six months figuring out exactly where you want to live and for finding a place on a longer time frame than three days. You can easily get desirable or affordable apartments in Seattle, but finding both is rare and requires significant effort.
Also, consider living in Redmond or Kirkland if you can tolerate non-urban living. The commute to Microsoft is much more appealing and the rental market isn't nearly as landlord-dominated as Seattle. I share your disdain of downtown Bellevue, but find that Redmond and Kirkland are significantly different from downtown Bellevue.
posted by saeculorum at 1:13 PM on July 8, 2013 [2 favorites]
For what it's worth, $1400 should get you just about any one bedroom in that area. I used to rent a three bedroom around there for that much just a few months ago.
Depending on exactly what corner of Wallingford you're looking at, it won't have filled up with college kids. A surprising number of UW kids live off campus in crappy u district places and just don't move in the summer. And yea, on top of that as said above the college town thing just doesn't really happen here.
Looking around on foot can be productive. There's many buildings that just don't bother to advertise beyond that because they get enough word of mouth to friends of tennants or calls from their signs. The market here is getting tight enough that kind of thing works...
Ill second not dismissing Capitol Hill too. Basically as soon as you get a couple blocks away from broadway it's a totally different animal, and the area is almost entirely apartment buildings and duplexes/triplexes/etc. and once again, $1400 would go a long way. There's plenty of nice one bedrooms for less than that. Mine is large, nice, quiet most of the time and only $950.
Just keep looking constantly. It's gotten pretty "crunch time" almost every time I've been looking for a new place, and its never until its close to the move date that I find anything. And be prepared to find a place at the beginning of August and rent a hotel room or airbnb or something. I've definitely crashed at a friends for a bit during this process before.
posted by emptythought at 1:15 PM on July 8, 2013
Depending on exactly what corner of Wallingford you're looking at, it won't have filled up with college kids. A surprising number of UW kids live off campus in crappy u district places and just don't move in the summer. And yea, on top of that as said above the college town thing just doesn't really happen here.
Looking around on foot can be productive. There's many buildings that just don't bother to advertise beyond that because they get enough word of mouth to friends of tennants or calls from their signs. The market here is getting tight enough that kind of thing works...
Ill second not dismissing Capitol Hill too. Basically as soon as you get a couple blocks away from broadway it's a totally different animal, and the area is almost entirely apartment buildings and duplexes/triplexes/etc. and once again, $1400 would go a long way. There's plenty of nice one bedrooms for less than that. Mine is large, nice, quiet most of the time and only $950.
Just keep looking constantly. It's gotten pretty "crunch time" almost every time I've been looking for a new place, and its never until its close to the move date that I find anything. And be prepared to find a place at the beginning of August and rent a hotel room or airbnb or something. I've definitely crashed at a friends for a bit during this process before.
posted by emptythought at 1:15 PM on July 8, 2013
I don't know about Seattle specifically, but down here in Portland where the rental market sucks sucks sucks, Craigslist can be a goddamned motherfucking nightmare. Since you're not looking at bottom-of-the-barrel type rentals, I would actually recommend you check out the websites of actual property management companies in Seattle. Often there will be listings on there that they don't put on Craigslist and you'll avoid some of the rat race.
When you're visiting, take down the names of property companies on buildings in areas you like and go to their websites, or look for vacancy signs a la the old fashioned way (yes, this does actually work).
posted by Lutoslawski at 1:29 PM on July 8, 2013
When you're visiting, take down the names of property companies on buildings in areas you like and go to their websites, or look for vacancy signs a la the old fashioned way (yes, this does actually work).
posted by Lutoslawski at 1:29 PM on July 8, 2013
Mid-month can be rough. When my husband and I moved, we called property management/apartment complexes and asked if they had apartments opening up. They will know when someone is planning to move out, or if an apartment will be vacant. This is because renters have to give notice. They don't always advertise directly what rooms are open, such as in apartment complexes.
Then while you are visiting, there can be a chance that you view an apartment that will be vacant soon, or a similar apartment. Then you will have an idea of what will be available when you plan on moving. You could potentially also get your applications and deposit in for a rental that will be opening up, but may not be advertised yet.
posted by Crystalinne at 1:39 PM on July 8, 2013
Then while you are visiting, there can be a chance that you view an apartment that will be vacant soon, or a similar apartment. Then you will have an idea of what will be available when you plan on moving. You could potentially also get your applications and deposit in for a rental that will be opening up, but may not be advertised yet.
posted by Crystalinne at 1:39 PM on July 8, 2013
I don't know much about Seattle, but one way to take the stress off would be to book a few weeks or a month at one of those short-term corporate apartments which every city has.
It might cost more than a normal month's rent, but it's preferable to rushing into a lease on someplace you hate, or stressing out over having to find an apartment in two days.
posted by drjimmy11 at 1:43 PM on July 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
It might cost more than a normal month's rent, but it's preferable to rushing into a lease on someplace you hate, or stressing out over having to find an apartment in two days.
posted by drjimmy11 at 1:43 PM on July 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
Does MSFT HR have a housing resource department ?
I worked for a much smaller tech company and we had two condos that kept getting leased to whomever the newest factory guy assigned to Seattle was. The original owner of the condo had left the company years ago but just kept subletting it to Company newbies because he was confident of getting paid.
Since you're a MeFite, you're probably a Redditor too. Ask neighborhood redditors on /r/Seattle to look at their apartment building bulletin boards for you.
posted by Kakkerlak at 1:44 PM on July 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
I worked for a much smaller tech company and we had two condos that kept getting leased to whomever the newest factory guy assigned to Seattle was. The original owner of the condo had left the company years ago but just kept subletting it to Company newbies because he was confident of getting paid.
Since you're a MeFite, you're probably a Redditor too. Ask neighborhood redditors on /r/Seattle to look at their apartment building bulletin boards for you.
posted by Kakkerlak at 1:44 PM on July 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
Can Microsoft put you up somewhere for a month while you find a place? Amazon has corporate housing, for example, where employees are placed while they relocate.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:48 PM on July 8, 2013
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:48 PM on July 8, 2013
Response by poster: The way Microsoft relocation works is they either take care of everything, including booking flights, shipping cars, and listing old houses for sale, or they take care of nothing and give you a check to cover relocation. Because I'm single and without a lot of possessions to move, I took the money because it seemed like a waste when the "full-service" option is clearly a better deal for families, people who own houses, etc.
I am actually planning on *moving* August 1st, I'm just hoping to *find* the place this week. I can't tell if some of you are saying that moving mid-month is hard, or that finding a place mid-month is hard, or both. I was thinking that mid-month was when places would start posting for the next month, but I guess maybe I didn't do enough homework.
posted by Precision at 2:01 PM on July 8, 2013
I am actually planning on *moving* August 1st, I'm just hoping to *find* the place this week. I can't tell if some of you are saying that moving mid-month is hard, or that finding a place mid-month is hard, or both. I was thinking that mid-month was when places would start posting for the next month, but I guess maybe I didn't do enough homework.
posted by Precision at 2:01 PM on July 8, 2013
I think the idea of finding short-term housing for a month or two is a good one, as is looking more closely at capitol hill, we lived off 17th Ave and it was much quieter than the area around Broadway while still offering lots of amenities within walking distance and now there are even more.
I haven't been a renter in years, but I think most people are on 6-12 month leases, so I am not sure why mid-month would be a bad time to look. The apartment won't be available until the first of the month, but tenants are going to have given notice and managers are going to start looking for tenants as soon as possible. It has been a while, but when we found our first capitol hill apartment, it was still occupied when we first saw it, and after we signed the lease, we had a week or two before we took posession.
posted by Good Brain at 2:02 PM on July 8, 2013
I haven't been a renter in years, but I think most people are on 6-12 month leases, so I am not sure why mid-month would be a bad time to look. The apartment won't be available until the first of the month, but tenants are going to have given notice and managers are going to start looking for tenants as soon as possible. It has been a while, but when we found our first capitol hill apartment, it was still occupied when we first saw it, and after we signed the lease, we had a week or two before we took posession.
posted by Good Brain at 2:02 PM on July 8, 2013
Your timing is actually great -- Seattle tenants have to give 20 days notice, so the 10th or 11th of the month is exactly when places start being advertised. (Looking for a place during the first week of the previous month is tough, as people haven't necessarily give their notice.)
I'd also recommend looking for a sublet while you're here -- if you accidentally end up in a subpar situation, it's only for a month or two rather than a whole year. Plus it gives you breathing room to find a place you love.
posted by adiabat at 2:15 PM on July 8, 2013
I'd also recommend looking for a sublet while you're here -- if you accidentally end up in a subpar situation, it's only for a month or two rather than a whole year. Plus it gives you breathing room to find a place you love.
posted by adiabat at 2:15 PM on July 8, 2013
Wallingford is a great choice.
Maybe try the classified ads in The Stranger and Seattle Weekly? I haven't lived there for a while but IIRC they had a bunch of ads for rentals.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:29 PM on July 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
Maybe try the classified ads in The Stranger and Seattle Weekly? I haven't lived there for a while but IIRC they had a bunch of ads for rentals.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:29 PM on July 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
Check out West Seattle as well. Lots of nice neighborhoods, some very nice, some borderline ghetto, but a good chunk of solidly middle class residential neighborhoods, all a ten minute drive from downtown.
(west seattle resident chiming in)
posted by stenseng at 2:32 PM on July 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
(west seattle resident chiming in)
posted by stenseng at 2:32 PM on July 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
I have a Microsoftie friend who used to lived in West Seattle and it made for a pretty atrocious commute. She only lasted a few months.
Personally, I would want to live in one of the quieter parts of Capitol Hill if I worked at Microsoft, but I live near Stone Way in Frewallingmont and I think it's a great area. There are a couple of brand-new apartment buildings on Stone that have vacancies (Prescott, Wally) but they are charging prices that are super-expensive for the area. That is why they have vacancies.
posted by grouse at 3:49 PM on July 8, 2013
Personally, I would want to live in one of the quieter parts of Capitol Hill if I worked at Microsoft, but I live near Stone Way in Frewallingmont and I think it's a great area. There are a couple of brand-new apartment buildings on Stone that have vacancies (Prescott, Wally) but they are charging prices that are super-expensive for the area. That is why they have vacancies.
posted by grouse at 3:49 PM on July 8, 2013
Response by poster: @grouse: Yeah, I saw those buildings, and I saw the prices they were charging. Pretty steep! If you know of any places nearby with vacancies in my price range, let me know!
Definitely not going to be able to do West Seattle.
posted by Precision at 3:53 PM on July 8, 2013
Definitely not going to be able to do West Seattle.
posted by Precision at 3:53 PM on July 8, 2013
I would also consider looking in the Ravenna/Roosevelt area, which is north enough from the UW to be free of any frat row nonsense, very walkable and transit friendly.
Are you considering house shares? You'll sacrifice total privacy, but you might gain in more space overall and yard.
posted by brookeb at 4:16 PM on July 8, 2013
Are you considering house shares? You'll sacrifice total privacy, but you might gain in more space overall and yard.
posted by brookeb at 4:16 PM on July 8, 2013
Unless Metro has finally put in the commutapults, West Seattle is not a ten-minute commute from downtown, but more like a 30- to 40-minute bus ride from California Ave. I would not recommend living there if you need to commute much further than downtown. Getting across the bridge is a nightmare and will only worsen as the tunnel construction progresses.
I live in Interbay now. I used to live in Capitol Hill. The nice thing about Capitol Hill is that it is very pleasant once you get about three blocks east and further of Broadway, and it is not too expensive for renters (buying is another story). For $1400 you could get a nice, quiet, spacious place. And I think there is a Microsoft Connector van that leaves from or behind the Group Health hospital at 15th and John, so your commute could be as pleasant as your surroundings.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:09 PM on July 8, 2013 [3 favorites]
I live in Interbay now. I used to live in Capitol Hill. The nice thing about Capitol Hill is that it is very pleasant once you get about three blocks east and further of Broadway, and it is not too expensive for renters (buying is another story). For $1400 you could get a nice, quiet, spacious place. And I think there is a Microsoft Connector van that leaves from or behind the Group Health hospital at 15th and John, so your commute could be as pleasant as your surroundings.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:09 PM on July 8, 2013 [3 favorites]
The Wedgwood area (little north of the UW, east of Ravenna/Roosevelt) is chock-full of apartments/rental houses in your price range along the 35th Ave corridor, and also has a Connector route running directly through it as well as some good bus lines. Definitely more residential than Ballard/Fremont/Wallingford, but possibly something to look into as an interim (and there are restaurants and such around, just not at near the density of those other neighborhoods).
Having rented in the area many many years as a student / recent graduate before I bought my house, I had great luck finding rental *houses* on Craigslist in this neighborhood, and terrible luck finding rental *apartments*--much better luck with those by just walking around and looking for signage.
posted by laeren at 11:01 PM on July 8, 2013
Having rented in the area many many years as a student / recent graduate before I bought my house, I had great luck finding rental *houses* on Craigslist in this neighborhood, and terrible luck finding rental *apartments*--much better luck with those by just walking around and looking for signage.
posted by laeren at 11:01 PM on July 8, 2013
Man if you're gonna work on the eastside then just live there. Rent will vmbe so much cheaper. Downtown Kirkland actually seems pretty nice, and you've got the lake.
posted by Joe Chip at 12:24 AM on July 9, 2013
posted by Joe Chip at 12:24 AM on July 9, 2013
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Also, I wouldn't completely dismiss Capitol Hill. It's a big, diverse neighborhood and while parts of it (Pike/Pine corridor) are loud, the areas a little further north and east are not. Take a look around 15th ave east from Harrison St and north upwards of Volunteer Park. FYI, there is a MSFT shuttle stop right around there too and I imagine it will be somewhat quicker than coming from Wallingford since you'll just be heading straight for 520.
posted by joan_holloway at 1:07 PM on July 8, 2013 [2 favorites]