I did a
Mrs Stinkles picked Wallingford from a huge range of poorly understood neighborhoods based on our amazing realtors (now real friend) advice, and what she described as "cuteness" in 2003. Market tanked in 2007 or so and we had a baby - so we saw the opportunity to get in a way bigger house that we otherwise could NEVER afford, on a sleepier corner near what was then a geographic school catchment. (John Stanford) right after we moved in of course they changed it to a lottery. We were enraged. However we either lucked our or they do consider how ridiculous it would be to send people that close, to Greenlake.
Wallingford back in 2003 was a transitioning neighborhood but had perfect freeway access for my Eastside job. Greenlake was fancier. I assume still is. Wallingford used to be the sort of blue collar middle class cops and plumbers and so on. Not sure where it sits now. Somewhere between South Center and Capitol Hill. But I don't think it's really clear.
It worked out really well and we also got a line on the house opposite for our besties - and they were able to lowball panicky owners and get a house they'd never be able to otherwise afford either.
If you need a realtor - ours was a master strategist. And she's lived in Wallingford for most of her life.
We got incredibly lucky with our house. The initial plan was "Well, we can't afford anywhere other than South Seattle" so we started looking in Columbia City, Beacon Hill, etc. but houses weren't any cheaper down there. One day I was heading from our rental place in Crown Hill to the Roosevelt Whole Foods and drove by this house for sale that was in our price range in Green Lake. My initial thought was "what is wrong with it?" so I contacted our realtor friends and oh boy was it interesting.
1. It was a married couple who bought it and started renovating.
2. The wife was mentally unstable according to her attorney.
3. They had attorneys because in the middle of working on the house they decide to get divorced.
4. The day before I found the house they took it off the market.
5. Our realtors persisted and discussions began.
6. The wife was seriously crazy.
7. Did I mention she didn't believe we were a newly married couple and thought we were really real estate developers?
8. Well she did. She tracked my wife down at work and tried to convince us to pay an extra $100k for the house.
9. This woman created fake people who were also interested in the house as leverage. I think she started getting confused because one of these groups sounded a lot like us (newlyweds with one just starting a job in education).
10. She threatened to back out of the deal, build a picket fence around the house and jack the price $100k. The $100k picket fence is a running joke now with our friends.
11. Her soon to be ex-husband wasn't having any of it and just wanted to be rid of her and the house. He walked away with nothing except his freedom. We still get his mail from time to time 12 years later.
12. As part of the closing she got to live in the house until we moved in. My wife was afraid the woman was going to poop everywhere in the house.
13. She took all the nice doorknobs except two.
14. Six months later they announced the Roosevelt Light Rail station a few blocks from our house and the construction insanity began. We're still here.
We really should've been on some home buying show. Our friends who are realtors are absolutely amazing and I would recommend them to anyone.
Green Lake Elementary is an amazing school, though.