Hi Friends,

Wife applied for a job in Seattle, I think she has a good chance of getting it, and looking for more info. We currently live in the outer suburbs of Washington DC, on the VA side. We both generally like where we are located.

We have 2 girls, 9 and 4.  Wife is a lawyer, I work for a non profit. We've never lived away from the east coast (she's never lived more than 40 miles from her childhood home), and have no friends/family out West. Looking for info including:

-How long will it take to receive a CHL/CPL ? (my last renewal locally took 4 days)
-Specific areas to look at to live? How much house can we get for $350k-400k? Is a single family house in a decent neighborhood (or even upcoming neighborhood) in Seattle proper doable?
-Does the city proper have any crazy gun laws?  
-Commute options. We both work in DC, and we drive in together for work. Traffic isn't terrible most days, so it takes about 1 hr 15 mins to get to work driving. Since we're kind of far out, metro isn't option for us currently (unless we wanted to drive 30 minutes to a station, then ride Metro for 45-80 minutes) but we do have a commuter bus that's pretty decent (reliable, nice ride, convenient pickup/dropoff locations, etc). If possible, I'd like a 45 minute of less commute for the both of us (assuming we both work downtown Seattle)
-Shooting Ranges/gun games. Are there local outdoor ranges close by? What about IDPA/USPSA, anything close and how active is it?
-Schools. What are considered good school districts over there?


Any info is certainly appreciated.

Here's some partial info.

Washington is a shall issue state.  Your local LEO has 30 days to issue after application.  Some LEO's require and appointment, others do walk ins.  You'll need to check on where you wind up at.

$350-400k won't get you much in Seattle proper.  Due to the local tech boom, our real estate market is nuts.  Current median home price in Seattle is over $700k and rising.  You might find something farther out, but you'll be dealing with the commute.  We don't have a great mass transit system like many east coast cities have.  Buses cover most of the area, but depending on where you wind up it may take a couple of transfers.  There is light rail that covers a portion of the region and commuter rail that covers a portion as well.  Transit is very downtown Seattle oriented, so if you're looking at commuting somewhere else, it can be challenging.  There's a reason I drive 1 hour into work each day and 1.5-2 hours home.  Traffic can really suck.

Washington is a preemption state concerning gun laws  Which means only the state can enact them.  Seattle keeps trying to do an end-run and generally gets slapped down in court.  SBR's, suppressors, and AOW are legal.  SBS's and full auto are not.  All private transfers/sales in WA have to go through a FFL with some very limited exceptions.

There are ranges scattered throughout the area.  Some are better than others.  Some are membership only ranges.  Too many possible combinations to list them all.  I don't do IDPA/USPSA so I can't answer that portion of your question.

Schools are mixed, even in the same school district.  Avoid Seattle Public Schools.  You'll probably want more feedback here from somebody with school aged kids.

I don't know if you can get any house in Seattle proper for $350-400k, and certainly not in a neighborhood where I would want to raise kids. Maybe a condo somewhere.

Realistically, you are probably looking somewhere in the suburbs - Renton, Kent, Maple Valley, Everett, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Monroe, etc. And even then in that price range it will be a pretty basic house. Get ready for a slog of a commute, too. The region does have bus service on the I-5 corridor and limited commuter train service, so depending on where you live and work and what your schedule is that may be an option.

My nephew and his fiance just bought a starter house in Renton for $435,000 asking price was $403,000. They both work in downtown Seattle the commute averages about 55 min. each way.

Seattle itself is fun to visit but a shit place to raise a family. You really want the Eastside. Bellevue, Issaquah or Lake Washington School District. Unless you hate your kids, avoid Seattle public schools. Underfunded shitholes.

Renton schools are OK.

$400k is not enough. $600k maybe. Just look at say Caldwell Banker Bain or John L. Scott or Windermere real estate websites and spend some time pricing houses. You might consider up in Bothell or out on the Sammamish plateau.

Young guy at work just bought a house in Seattle 1800sq ft, not downtown or anything, still need to drive to places for groceries and such, paid $700,000 asking was $620,000, nice bidding war.  The house had some updates in the in the early 2000's.

If you both work down town the light rail and heavy rail can get you there pretty easy and hassle free, driving into Seattle everyday would suck.

So basically it's just like D.C., just a different coast....

Traffic wise I guess so, but you won't be living in a swamp.

If you like craft beer, hiking or camping the PNW is hard to beat.

You will not find a house in Seattle proper for under $500k that isn't a 1,000 square foot tear down.

That's why I work in Tacoma and live where I do.  A place like mine in Seattle would easily be 5x.

55mins on  a good day. If you are going to commute that long look at taking the Ferry everyday from Kitsap county. Descent homes in your price range of 400K with a acre or 2. I live 18 miles from Seattle Via the crow flies to Poulsbo!

all of the single family homes in my AO are being bought, torn down, subdivided. the houses/condos that replace them are in the 1.2-2.0 million range

good luck

Where exactly is the job, it makes a huge difference for commuting.  Downtown?  U-District?  etc.

I like the format of www.johnlscott.com for real estate searches.  If the job is in an area served by light rail consider living along that line.  If not, check for the major bus routes.  If neither of those, really think about the trade-off between commute time vs. housing cost.