The Best Seattle Neighborhoods in 2020

Ready to buy a home in 2020?How do you pick the best option from all the Seattle, Washington neighborhoods available?It’s a great year to buy a house in the Seattle area. Interest rates are good, home prices are more attractive, and mortgage loans are available. It’s just a matter of where you should buy. There’s a lot more to the Emerald City than just downtown, and being among its iconic skyline.Here’s your checklist and some of the top Seattle, Washington neighborhoods to check out in your home search.

The Must Haves In Your Next Home

The first step is to decide on your absolute must-haves.Budget is the most obvious one. There can be a lot of trade offs when choosing a home. Mostly between size, location and price. Do you have a completely blank check to write for your dream home here? Or do you already have your mortgage pre-approval letter and know where you want to be in price range to keep your down payment and monthly payments comfortable?Bedroom count is likely your next top priority. If you’re single or a young couple then a studio might work just fine. If you have kids, then you may legally need a certain amount of bedrooms. Location may still be a big deal for many Seattle, WA home buyers. Do you need to be within acertain commuting distance to clock in every day? Are you determined to be within a certain school district for your children’s education? If you are opening or bringing your own business, will one area be better for taxes and employing people than others?What about internet? Unless you truly want to be off the grid, then access to reliable high speed internet is probably a top priority. Especially if you are working from home.

Filtering Through The Nice To Haves

Once you’ve checked off all your must-haves you can start filtering your home search by all the extras you’d like, if you can get them all in the same place.This may include:● Ideal size of your new home● Additional bathrooms● Mountain, lake or city skyline views● AmenitiesYou might want to be sure you are close to a gym, healthcare facilities, coworking space or your favorite activities and sports.

Lifestyle

Life is for living. Your new home in Seattle should make life even better.Do you crave being near the nightlife? Or are you prioritizing a safe, low crime Seattle suburb for a family?Do you need reliable access to Uber? Or do you need parking spaces for your own cars? Do you need to be close to a Tesla charging station? Or maybe you need enough dock space for your boat. Do you live on food delivery services or dream of growing your own food and freshair?

Your Timeline

How soon do you need to close on your new home and move? Are you still locked into a rental lease agreement and need a few months? Do you need to be moved next month to start a new job? Are you happy waiting six months for a brand new building to be completed?Another major deciding factor is how long you will stay in this home. Most first time home buyers think this is going to be their forever home. This really complicates and frustrates the home search and buying process for them.Very few homeowners stay that long. Although these home ownership trends change over time, expect to be finding your next place in four to eight years from now.That should remove a lot of pressure. You can get in the market now, and find your ultimate dream home in a few years. Or maybe this is your chance to upgrade. Others may truly be downsizing to their last home.Give it some thought. How might this impact your budget and real needs? Will you soon be an empty nester? Are more kids on the way? Or will you need room for returning adult children or to care for aging parents who can’t navigate stairs on their own any more?

DIY or Done For You?

Some things you can’t change about a property. At least not very easily. Like the location and view or size. Most other things are relatively easy to customize and update. If you do stay long term you’ll probably give your home a makeover every five years or so.So, is a fixer up for you? Something you can keep working on over time. Or do you need a brand new construction property that has never been lived in?

Architectural Styles

Some buyers may have been dreaming of a specific style of home all their lives. For most it is just a nice to have preference. There are plenty to choose from among Seattle’s various neighborhoods and suburbs.There are shiny new condos with floor to ceiling glass. There are classic estate homes on the water. There are newer townhouses. Or maybe a rustic farmhouse is the right fit?

Seattle, Washington Neighborhoods

These are just some of the great neighborhoods to choose from.Queen Anne - a regal family neighborhood with parks, Seattle Pacific University and magnificent home designs.Capitol Hill - the hip scene with farmers markets, coffee shops, theater and street parties.Green Lake - perfect if you crave living by the lake, and enjoy cycling and running.Woodridge - buy here for forests, great schools, trails and family friendly livingFremont - craft beer, tech companies, and art.Check out more Seattle neighborhoods to choose from and what makes them unique here.

Summary

There are so many diverse communities and housing types to choose from here. Get pre-approved for your home loan now, make your short list of must-haves and find the perfect spot for you.