I am looking at purchasing this townhome.
Granted I am purchasing a home, it meets most all of my criteria for one:
It is in a relatively walkable area, 7 min walk to light rail, lots of food options nearby, and the U District is a decent part of town.
It is quite affordable for the neighborhoods I look at (U District, Greenlake, Roosevelt, Cap Hill).
It has a gas stove, deep bathtub, and is in decent condition. Double pane windows, and nothing looked especially poorly maintained in person when I toured.
It has an attached garage, it sorta has a second bedroom (possibly enough of one I could rent it to an unpartnered friend).
It doesn't look bad, and is more spacious in person than it looks.
The main downsides I see for it specifically are:
It is right next the interstate/the overpass homeless camp.
It's not styled in a way I love - I really like industrial styling (exposed concrete/brick/ducting/plumbing, metal, etc).
It's a bit small for inviting a bunch of friends over.
General downsides are:
I'm not sure I want to commit to Seattle for the 7 years I'm supposed to if I'm buying a house. I'm a very libertarian person and Washington does not seem to be trending in my direction (although honestly I think the only two states I'd like politically are New Hampshire and Nevada, soooo).
Part of me says I should travel more before buying a house (so far I've lived in Portland, Seattle, and Boulder, and spent a decent bit of time in Fayetteville AR and Austin TX).
Maybe I should try a couple months in Reno, or a couple months in Albuquerque?
What counts as "Importing" under HB 1240, Page 8, line 35?
I really like being able to purchase firearms, and Washington does not like me doing so :(
General notes:
I will reimburse any bet you make, up to Ṁ25!
If you provide a comment that I appreciate, I'll pay you a minimum of Ṁ100
If you convince me one way or another regarding HB 1240, Page 8, line 35, I'll both be incredibly grateful and manalink you whatever you reasonably want.
Feel free to ask any questions you'd like in the comment section! I'll answer them so long as they aren't too personal to have attached to my name, online, forever.
Resolution Notes:
I'll resolve this N/A if I do not purchase the house, or if unforeseen circumstances come up that make this market hazardous to my personal life.
I'll resolve this Yes if I am happy I bought the house.
I'll resolve this No if I am unhappy I bought the house.
1,000People are also trading
Does the townhome really not have HOA fees?
Generally I have noticed in the area I live that construction just after WW2 is rock solid. The house I owned was 195X and no issues with it. (There might also be survivorship bias involved)
Newer construction is more likely to be suspicious, and newer housing is all very ugly: the goal is to maximize sqft at the expense of quality and aesthetics. Town houses are soulless but in a relatively benign way, compared to McMansions.
On balance I am slightly leaning NO from my perspective.
I'm not sure what the confusion is surrounding imports. Per the section you linked, if the item entered Washington from outside Washington that's an import, except for the case where you personally bring the item outside of, then back into, the state.
Could you elaborate on what specifically you'd like cleared up?
Here’s some commentary about Seattle from vgr who just moved back after moving many places
https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2023/06/14/hello-again-seattle/
Personally I can say I felt at home in Seattle in a way I haven’t in other places, they are actively working on transit, job market is good it’s a growing city and growing population should raise prices etc. I think it’s an up and coming city and will also interestingly gain from global warming.
If you like nature or outdoor sports it’s a really good city. There’s a lot of things to love it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve been and feels peaceful in a way that is hard to describe.
I have the impression that you are generally a very competent person and so I think that if you've made this market about this house in particular, then it's probably a very good house and the best option for you if you decide to stay in seattle.
Granting that, I'm betting yes because I think you'll be happy you stayed in seattle in seven years. You've expressed mixed feelings about the other states you might like to live in, and having traveled to Seattle I found it to be a better city than the vast majority of other cities I've been to.
Also, a deep bathtub is a major perk.
@Joshua I'm leaning toward this house since it fits my budget comfortably, and I somewhat feel extorted by Washington to buy a house prior to traveling outside of it (if I don't, I'm not sure I can come back). I also know I need to leave the state for a month or three in the near-mid future due to a family member getting diagnosed as terminal. Nevertheless though - you are right that I wouldn't make this market if I wasn't already sorta sure I'd like it, and I've been in Seattle 4 years now so I'm reasonably confident I like it here.
Some others I am comparing against are:
https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/66-Bell-St-98121/unit-4/home/57573
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5716-Roosevelt-Way-NE-B-Seattle-WA-98105/2081407968_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/124-Bellevue-Ave-E-UNIT-406-Seattle-WA-98102/72494502_zpid/
Totally agreed on the deep bath - why are they not standard??