Wow

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck) 06/15/2018 at 17:39 • Filed to: Attempts at humor

6

36

Five Crosstreks in one photo! Dadum-tsst.

[Crickets]

Tough crowd, tough crowd.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 17:42

1

Nice Impreza dude

Chariotoflove > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 17:44

1

Pleasant Valley Sunday, Everett edition.

fintail > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 17:45

5

Welcome to WA, enjoy your Subie and million dollar cardboard house.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Chariotoflove 06/15/2018 at 17:45

1

Duvall, actually.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > fintail 06/15/2018 at 17:49

1

800-something but yeah 

Hoccy > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 17:52

0

Could also be rural Norway.

7:07 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 17:53

0

That’s an FJ Cruiser, not a Crosstrek

Chariotoflove > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 17:53

0

Whatever.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Chariotoflove 06/15/2018 at 17:57

0

No u

fintail > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 18:01

2

And in cosmopolitan Duvall, so your compressed oatmeal and plywood mansionette is only an 60 minute drive (with no traffic or weather) to employment centers.

I’ll guess 4000 sq ft on a 6000 sq ft lot

Ash78, voting early and often > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 18:08

1

There has to be a stat for the ratio of average house price to average car value somewhere. That would be interesting.

An XV in front of an $800k house just seems so out of place to me. Unless their high school son wrecked his first three cars and needs a proper punishment!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > fintail 06/15/2018 at 18:10

1

I think it’s barely 4000.

And Duvall seems a bizarre choice. Extremely expensive housing for anything new construction, they get way more snow, fairly thick traffic, and they’re the furthest point from any major Seattle or East side employer.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Ash78, voting early and often 06/15/2018 at 18:20

1

It’s just a different ballgame out here. A low 6-figure household income doesn’t go very far.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 18:34

0

But a lot of housing is going in and it is/was the last affordable area in King County. My in-laws don’t get much snow (they are ~4 miles up Cherry Valley, around 250’ elevation), but it isn’t too much higher before you encounter it. The Snoqualmie River Valley is only something like 35' in elevation above sea level at that point. Just the very start of the foothills there...

There’s a ton of development in Monroe, Sultan, Gold Bar, etc, which channels through the same sparse and congested road network in the northeast end of the metro. There are very few bridges crossing the valley and many flood regularly, which is the worst problem.

I believe that the Maple Valley-Black Diamond-Enumclaw area have it the worst for commutes within King County, followed closely by the Auburn-Kent-Federal Way region. I base proximity to jobs on Microsoft shuttles...

Which development is this, anyhow? I live just above a bunch of new homes near Woodinville-Duvall and 203. My place is only like 50’ in elevation, which is the lowest I’ve ever lived, including when I lived on Bainbridge Island.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 18:43

0

Seriously.

In my more reasonable neighborhood of $700k-ish homes there, people usually own slightly nicer cars (and a lot more of them, like every house has at least 2 cars, most have 3-4, and I have a neighbor with 6).

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 18:51

1

Combined average 0-60 in yes, eventually.

One of the few new cars I was actually scared to merge on a 70 mph freeway. Yeah I am exaggerating but it felt dangerously slow. I had a 1994 Accord in College (0-60 mph in 9.4 seconds with automatic) that felt faster. 

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 06/15/2018 at 19:19

0

Duvall *was* affordable, yes. Neighborhood right up the road I worked in 2014 had ones going for 400-500. BACK IN THE DAY...

Yes, turning Monroe (also getting fairly pricey) into a commuter town has choked 522 southbound, and inconvenienced 203, Novelty Hill, etc.

Agreed, I basically don’t understand how people tolerate this. It’s not just the time, it’s the fact you spend 90% of said time dead-stopped. I used to (And probably still will) complain about my commute, so I decided to stay close and not double it.

You know I can’t answer that, for fear of doxing and a customer potentially finding anything fintail posts.... But it may or may not be at the curve, 152nd ST, up a hill.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 19:28

2

This picture is the adult equivalent of teenagers all following the same dumb trend.

The 5th one is still lost on me. Is it supposed to be the port o’ potty? I thought that was an FJ joke. I suppose the Crosstreks are all plastic pieces of crap. The toilet probably rattles less and less odd sounding noises emanate from within.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 19:32

1

We parked in Bozeman MT today and including my outback there were 9 Subaru’s in a row probably 30 in the parking lot.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > cmill189 - sans Volvo 06/15/2018 at 19:46

1

Yes that was the joke

punkgoose17 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 20:35

1

Oh I get it. My little sister wants to get one, crappy choice if you ask me.

punkgoose17 > fintail 06/15/2018 at 20:36

0

Dang I’d live in a trailer park there or just leave that crazy shit.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 20:48

0

Relative to nearby areas, it still is. Possibly not to the level it once was, though. We were forced out here because we simply couldn’t afford the closer rings of Bellevue and Redmond...

My commute is surprisingly not that bad. Just into Redmond, which is something like 35min with traffic in the morning with fairly little sitting. It’s a bunch of crap compared to what I used to do and a total waste of my life, but when “middle class” housing in closer areas is 1M+, there’s just no way to afford it.

I actually don’t know which one that is, but I do know of some going in up there. I live right in town, so that shaves a solid 10-15min of just getting out of town off mine... Our friends in Monroe, basically Sultan, Auburn, Maple Valley, Marysville, and Lake Tapps are all jealous of how close we live, but they could never afford the luxury we have...

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 06/15/2018 at 21:10

0

Oh, just to Redmond? That’s not bad. I assumed you worked in Bellevue. I have done Duvall to Bellevue a many(ish) times around ~8am and they just felt brutal. Tolt Hill, 202, 203, Novelty, everything felt THICC, but not the good kind. Redmond would chop that almost in half...

If it makes you feel any better, no one can afford Bellevue. The new houses I work in — 3 car garage, mehhhh 5 bedrooms — you’ll be lucky to find one under 2.1MM. If it’s not near a major road, it’s over 3. And Redmond... Redmond is a great place to get zero bang for your buck ,and spend over 1 million to live in a swiftly-built townhome. Any remaining affordable ramblers are mowed down and replaced with 37 houses or 66 townhomes. Downtown Redmond is kind of odd. That town was blowing up in 2012, and I still don’t understand why, beyond foreign money.

I’ll just leave this here...

And you seriously know people who commute from Sultan/Mary/Monroe to Redmond?!? That’s terrifying. Although I guess I could handle Monroe.

fintail > punkgoose17 06/15/2018 at 21:51

0

Eventually the latter may become a trend.

fintail > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 21:55

0

For within King County anyway, yeah, that’s a bit out there. The lengths people will go to “own”.

I work in Bellevue. I know people who commute from Puyallup, and someone who used to commute from Bellingham. Some ex-coworkers commuted from Everett and Tacoma, every day.

Ash78, voting early and often > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 06/15/2018 at 22:39

0

That would make more sense to me. It’s situations where people end up being so “house poor” they can’t afford anything BUT housing. SF, San Diego, and NY are perpetually like that, but plenty of other areas are catching up fast.

(Not that the Crosstrek is a bad car, it just seemed out of place a bit.)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > fintail 06/15/2018 at 23:28

0

Different strokes. I love being a homeowner. That said, I live in Everett and my office is in Everett-ish. It also helps because, were to have to work somewhere else someday perhaps, commuting from Everett is the lesser of many evils.

fintail > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/15/2018 at 23:35

0

I suppose if one wants to customize their abode, take advantage of the interest deduction/renter penalty, and maybe roll the dice in one of the most hyped markets in the country, it’s the way to go.

I hope your office doesn’t relocate to Auburn ;)

wafflesnfalafel > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/16/2018 at 00:39

0

got some lime green metalic hybrid action goin’ on there

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Ash78, voting early and often 06/16/2018 at 18:35

1

I lived in San Diego and it wasn’t as much like that as you might think. Neither is SF. What isn’t clear to those outside CA is that these areas are pretty much exclusively people in higher-paying jobs or luckyboomers. For reasons, I won’t explain how to exploit laws there to avoid taxes, but it’s fairly easy, widespread, and perfectly legal.

It results in a barely surviving (but heavily subsidized) underclass and a very stable older/landed/middle (renter) class. Like my uncle, who has a paid-off house and hasn’t had stable employment since 2008. He just takes odd jobs occasionally, is a part-time/occasional minister at a church, and mostly operates like he’s retired, even though he’s too young to take social security. He just happened to inherit money (along with my parents and aunts/uncle) from his aunts/uncles that never had children, his parents when they died, and bought a house as soon as he could in the late 1970s. He’ll likely live marginally there in a very desirable area near downtown Los Angeles for the rest of his life...

Ash78, voting early and often > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2018 at 18:53

1

Thanks for the detail, I love hearing color around people’s stories. I have a coworker in SD who works remotely (like me, in Birmingham) and I was quietly appalled when I heard he and his wife found a 3BR place for under $1.3 million.

Yes, I get the weather thing... but it only goes so far. I live in a metro of 1.3 million where I can live in a “small town” suburb on a small mountaintop and get a 2,500sf house for $250k (resale) or $350k (new construction), the former coming with some real land — 1/2 acre or so.

This is not to brag, just to sing the praises of secondary markets that get too often overlooked as good destination. I have plenty of restaurants (it’s very much a foodie town), tons of outdooor stuff, and so much within a few hours’ drive to make up for any shortcomings. If you have a particular subculture you like, you can find it. The wife and I are heading downtown to drink and play video games at a niche hipster bar. Kids are with the grandparents :D

Here’s a live shot of half of my backyard. For me it’s pretty idyllic. Property Taxes? $1,700/yr.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/16/2018 at 19:04

1

Yeah, luckily it’s just Bellevue. I miss living in Bellevue near the Redmond line, but that area is so expensive and there are serious drawbacks to it that in some ways we avoid in exchange for a brutally longer commute.

But yeah, every route from here to Bellevue sucks in the morning. Novelty is crap, crossing further south leaves you in Sammamish hell (I know because the dog’s vet has a location out there), and the only marginally reasonable route as long as your dropping into Redmond is over W-D and down Mink (mostly avoiding Avondale).

I’m not sure what’s up with downtown Redmond, either. It’s sort of hell for reasons, but it’s also not the worst place to commute to from most of the east side. I don’t entirely know why so much is being built there, either, aside from it possibly being the last relatively inexpensive area that has good access to 520 (which is important as there are no freeways anywhere further out). If you work on the east side, living around downtown Redmond would be a relatively affordable option compared to Bellevue.

I definitely know that development... If you would have said “near Judd Park”, I would have been like, “ahh, I know that one”. It wasn’t in our price range, but we looked at houses further up the road and I said “no” because they were simply too far from the highway (which meant an even longer commute as you had to get out of the little back roads just to start making your way to work). I was very strongly opposed to Duvall, but my choices weren’t exactly great. I could be spending what I am now on a house payment on rent 5-10 miles closer...

I work with someone that commutes from around Lake Tapps to Redmond daily and another that commutes from Marysville. I know others that commute from Marysville. People with simply normal professional jobs can’t afford much closer unless they bought decades ago or live with parents. One couple I know that live in Monroe work in Snohomish and Issaquah. Surprisingly, although Issaquah is a longer drive, there’s little to no stopping on the way. If they were going to where most jobs are, I couldn’t fathom how brutal it would be. The road system out there just wasn’t built for it to be a commuter bedroom community.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > punkgoose17 06/16/2018 at 19:12

0

Most trailer parks have been zoned out. People have been living in illegally-parked RVs for a number of years now. It’s one step above true homelessness for the people displaced by the high prices.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Ash78, voting early and often 06/16/2018 at 19:47

0

If some of my family lived there, I’d seriously consider it, but my family is in SoCal, my in-laws are here, and my parents live in a place I’d never live in again due to the local culture (it is also getting unconscionably expensive).

All corners of my family moved to Los Angeles over 100 years ago. An odd coincidence - my grandparents fell in love with an area ~20 miles from where I live now (which I also consider better, but it’s more expensive and a worse commute) and it was the only place outside SoCal that they ever considered settling down after WWII.

For me, it’s about having work opportunities. I like working in secondary or tertiary regions of larger markets that give me better commutes but the option of jumping ship if I must. My field simply has effectively no demand outside of major metro areas unless you’re able to work fully remotely. If I could reliably find fully remote work, I’d be fine with where I live now for good, although I’d likely move somewhere less expensive that is nicer like you have.

punkgoose17 > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2018 at 22:21

1

That is cruel. I support the people living illegally parked, but that has got to be awful without plumbing hookups, and they probably cannot afford to move away from what jobs they do have.