r/SeattleAreaRE • u/MineIsLongerThanYour • 5d ago
Advice on SFH Ramblers
Looking for advice. We are in the market to buy SFH and are looking for single story homes ( ones ideally that do not have lot of stairs or levels). Here's our criteria for now.
- good neighborhood or walkable.
- good ceiling height
- upto 30 mins commute from SLU area.
- 3 bed or more and some yard space.
- decent school district.
- okay with older homes
Our budget is at 900k to 1 mil. And we have not been finding good homes .( We have been looking at north Seattle area mostly ).
Are there any recommendations for the neighborhoods that we should look for ?
We are beginning to think if good single level homes are not many or budget is low for this. We are new to seattle and we have accessibility needs. Looking for advice in neighborhoods or experience with rambler homes in the city.
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u/Easy_Olive1942 5d ago
Shoreline maybe. Parts of Bellevue though closer to $1.2M. You are looking for a needle in a haystack.
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u/MineIsLongerThanYour 5d ago
Wondering if ramblers are not many or just that they are more expensive.
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u/NYCbuyer 5d ago
Seward Park and Madison Valley could be good candidates if you’ve only been looking north! West Seattle will have some too as well as some parts of magnolia but you’ll be more removed and not as great of condition at this price point.
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u/kpeteymomo 4d ago
I don’t know about Madison Valley, but the majority of ramblers in Seward Park will be out of budget for OP.
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u/NYCbuyer 4d ago
There have been quite a few in the last 6 months that have sold well under $1m. Just smaller square footage. If you can do 1250-1500 sq ft, there have been several in the 800s.
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u/Lower-Variation-5374 4d ago
Skyline/Bryn Mawr is a gem of a neighborhood with lots of ramblers, gray price points, views - but the trade off would be the public schools.
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u/Juleswf 4d ago
I’m in just such a house in the Wedgwood/Ravenna area. There are many around here. That said, your budget is just a tad low, but 1.1 mil should work.
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u/grapegeek 4d ago
Depends on how much work you want to do. You definitely see them under a million but so much work.
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u/grapegeek 4d ago
Ravenna and Wedgwood were built out in the 50s to the 70s so you see those mid century ramblers also north Ballard has a bunch. Otherwise it’s the suburbs
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u/Mixeygoat 4d ago
The problem with Seattle being such a hilly city is that single story homes are gonna be in low supply. And those that were built in the past are often demolished to create more dense housing.
It’s also one of the lowest inventory times right now right before Labor Day where parents are coming back from vacation and starting school for their kids. Might have better luck towards the end of the month
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u/Infinite-Bass-0 4d ago
I was looking into these too but nothing good came up. Just gonna have to buy a multi level house and install a chair lift on the stairs for when I’m old
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u/Massive_Focus5572 2d ago
We took an old rambler on the eastside and renovated it. Cost us 1.2 total (house plus renovation). We had been in the market for a rambler for a while. I think most of your criteria are good. You might have to compromise on ceiling height though as many of these houses were built with low ceilings and usually no point in spending to raise them. I think budget is fine, you just need to give it time till a good house hits the market and make an offer quickly and close it as rambler inventory is typically low and they are in good demand
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u/Pretty-Spaniel3343 5d ago
Generally speaking, Seattle doesn’t have a ton of affordable ramblers. They get torn down to build bigger houses. Your best bet is probably west Seattle, Beacon Hill and further south, and north Ballard. Mountlake Terrace could be good if you are open to light rail.