Seattle has buses (and trains). 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 257 runs from Kingsgate, just north of Kirkland, to downtown Seattle with a quick stop on Yarrow Point. Yet another hour's commute that lets you live where you want to live and work where you need to work.
↑ Nice round numbers, $600,000, unbesmirched with 999s or pesky suggestions than an extra dollar will make a difference. A brand new house in that almost sold earlier in the spring for a higher price, is probably also unbesmirched with dust. No history in the 5 bedrooms or the 3 baths. There's 2,710 square feet of high-end house bordering a old stream. You get to make the first stories on this blank canvas of empty rooms.
↑ See what $1,000 less gets you. For $599,000 here's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, on one story and 2,220 square feet. Does that mean that somewhere out there is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, with 490 square feet for a grand? Regardless of the price, the kitchen looks good. You've got to take their video tour to see more. A unique feature needs a four-legged viewpoint to review; there's doggy door access to a dog run that runs through the garage. Let your pet run free - within the fenced yard.
↑ A two story condo built for two, at least. For less than half the other two ($275,000) you still get 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and less than half the square footage at 1,027. Hers and his master closets and an emphasis on cabinets and drawers suggest storage is solved. At only half the size and without a yard there's a lot less time required to clean and maintain and more time to enjoy and entertain.
↑ And, what is to be bid for this 1,183 square foot that finds room for three bedrooms and 2.5 baths? It's going up for auction and the opening bid is $165,000. What's inside? When in doubt, go back to your stereotyped image of a 1988 condo and then keep in mind that it is selling As-Is. Risk and reward play out as ever.
↑ The 257 makes a quick stop on its way downtown. It visits Yarrow Point, a town of about 1,000 people that has that rare combination of highway access and natural beauty. Add the previous four houses together and they still cost less than this 7,080 square foot, 4 bedroom, 4 bath, 1 movie theater house. It last sold in 2011 for less than half its current asking price of $3,488,000, but then, it wasn't finished until 2012. Math is wonderful. Despite its cost, it has so much square footage that it is the lowest price per square foot of this list - except for the auction. It's a bargain! Bonus, the bus ride to downtown is only about 20 minutes. It would take longer to park. Such a deal.
See anything you like?
· Route 257 [Metro]
· All Bus Tours coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath