Hi Michael,
I am originally from Wisconsin and am still familiar with the marketplace there with family and friends still living throughout the state. I have lived in Seattle for the past 20 years and can say that yes it is true that the housing prices would be so different. If you find a home near or around Redmond for $600K you would be doing very well. It is a great time to buy in the Seattle area as prices have come down a bit and buyer's actually can take time to house hunt and not have to be crazy about sbumitting an offer overnight. However, properties that are priced well still sell in less than 30 days, especially around the Microsoft/Google areas. Hopefully your salary would see an increase as we have remained strong as a tech sector in the marketplace, and with Google, Amazon and others making their headquarters here, it opens a great path for additional career opportunities.

Mon Jun 2 2008, 14:47

Hello Michael

Sounds like the first thing to help make your decision is selling your current home. When you know how much capital you will have to work with, a more distinct path may take shape for you.

Best of luck!

Mon May 26 2008, 10:23

One thing to keep in mind when you are considering your home price comparison between Milwaukee and the Puget Sound area is what is are you paying in taxes on a home in Milwaukee? One thing that I think is so commonly overlooked is the fact that King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties all have extremely low taxes compared to those on a national level. A good average tax rate to use whn looking at homes here is 1.25% (give or take depending on local city or county taxes that may vary that rate a slight bit. So be sure to look at your final monthly payment with taxes calculated in....you might be surprised.

Best of luck!

Mon May 26 2008, 09:59

Michael
Have you considered a townhome? If you are trying to enter the real estate market on the Eastside with less then 450K budget, you might opt out for a condo or a townhome. There are plenty newer and older units available for a great price. If you would like to stay with a single family home, you best option would be to purchase north (Everett, Lake Stevens) or south (Kent,etc). It all depends on your family, work and financial situation.
Good luck and let me know if I can be of any help.
Vera Brodsky
Remax Eastside
Bellevue WA
206 412 7792

Thu May 22 2008, 21:32

Michael,
That is a hard question to answer without knowing what type of home you are looking for and in what neighborhood. Prices vary greatly depending on what you are looking for. Once you narow that down, most agents have mortgage calculators that do a decent job of giving you a ball park estimate of what your montly will be. Give me a call if you need help.

Wed Apr 30 2008, 11:09

Without knowing the Milwaukee market, I will guess that the Seattle market is going to be a higher price to you...but this is for good reason. You have lived here, you know how incredible the Puget Sound is and with one of the stronger economies in the nation, we should see our housing market continue to stay strong when comparing to many other markets across the nation.

The key though is where you want to live in Seattle...$600k can really buy you a very nice house in many of the outside communities...including Lynnwood and Bothell. However, generally the close you get to the center the higher price you are looking at.

Depending on your tastes and needs, a home under $600,000 should not be too difficult to find. Good luck!

Mon Apr 28 2008, 15:06

Michael

The key to your question is the comparison of Milwaukee to Seattle. There just isn't any. That's why home prices in Seattle have held up while most of the nations real estate is suffering. Get that resume up on Monster.com and start making plans to get back to the wonderful NW. You can work in Seattle and live in Kent, Federal Way, or Maple Valley with a commute of less than 45 min and home prices $100,000 less.

Mon Apr 28 2008, 11:45

Michael,

If you are wanting to move into a neighborhood within Seattle proper, your prices are very approximately correct. The answers to Bryan's questions below would be helpful to be a little more accurate.

If you are likely to be moving out of Seattle again within two years, and if you are making a down payment of less than 20%, I would probably advise you rent until you are sure you will be staying in Seattle for at least 3 years. You may not gain enough equity to recoup the closing costs, taxes, and the additional costs of selling the home.

Mon Apr 28 2008, 08:54

Michael,

Giving a simple answer for this one is not as easy as it may seem. The difficulty in answering the question is all I have to go off of is two prices. The value of your home there vs. the value of a home somewhere in the Seattle area. Certainly there are many homes in Seattle that cost over 600K, and many of them. However, here are some answers I would need before being able to better give you an accurate answer:

1 - Where will work be?
2 - How far would you be willing to commute?
3 - What kind of home are you looking for? (Square footage, bedrooms, lot size, age of home, etc.)

Having answers to these questions will give us a better perspective of exactly what you are wanting and needing to know.

I hope this helps. I would love to answer your questions much more accurately and look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Mon Apr 28 2008, 08:10