Tess in the Burbs Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Dh had his whirlwind trip to Seattle area last week for a job interview. It went well. :hurray: They spoke yesterday, and will call again on Wednesday with the full offer and details like benefits and moving money. Unless they change the salary discussed on site last week dh is going to accept this job. Which means I have a lot to do! The job is in Bellevue and I am open to living anywhere on the eastside but prefer to be close to a YMCA or pool since both kids want to swim next year. Ideally we want to be within walking distance of a bus stop since we plan on selling a car before moving. Do you belong to a homeschool group on the eastside? Link please? Do you have a homeschool sports league? Do you belong to a great co-op...link please? Any homeschool resources will be appreciated! I am finding many things online that require Facebook to see and I am not on that. So hoping the locals have some links to webpages I can glean info and get connected. It's very possible we will need to sign up for things before arriving to get in for fall. And find a place to live without being able to spend time in the area first. We lived in Redmond over 10 years ago. So I have an idea of the area...I know it's changed, but overall I get the idea of what each area is like. Do you know of any rentals in your neighborhood? or someone with a room to rent since dh will most likely go out there before us? I would love any resources you are willing to share!!! I know a cross country drive is part of this deal, but I am in serious denial today :huh: Thanks for any help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kidlets4me Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 We're moving to Issaquah this weekend so I've been doing the same research lately. Here's what I've found so far. http://hsasupport.org http://eastsidehomeschoolptsa.org The Eastside PTSA has a co-op that looks promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 When we get out there, would love to meet up since My Ds will be 13 this year, and Dd will be 11 next month. :001_smile: thanks for the links Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Congratulations! Both for the job and getting to move to Seattle. We've lived a lot of places, but I'd probably say Seattle was my favorite overall. Good luck with the move! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Legacy and Heritage are the big homeschool groups on the Eastside. I've never done either but if I were, I'd do Heritage. It's a smaller co-op but IME more welcoming. The only reason I haven't done it is Wed's don't work for our schedule. legacyhs.org Heritagehs.org I would highly suggest waiting to sell a car until you know where you will be living. The Eastside isn't the most bus friendly area and if you trying to get around the Eastside (vs Seattle) it can be cumbersome. For example, I live in Sammamish but the bus only runs from 6-9 am and 3:30-7:30 pm and not at all on the weekends. If he is working for Microsoft, they have busses that he could take to/from work but he would still need to get to a Microsoft Pickup location. For us it's about 3 miles away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Newcastle has a great Y! Downtown Bellevue has a Y too but the building is old and crowded despite a remodel. I've heard that the Issaquah Y is great but I've never actually been there. We have bus service but it really depends on where you want the bus to go. If you want a bus to go into downtown Bellevue for the mall, then it goes every 20 minutes from here. Otherwise, it's a lot of transfers and can take a very long time. I've never done a homeschool coop. I did a park group a number of years ago but since I didn't have a car and the parks were never on a bus route, I had to have someone pick us up each time and that didn't work out long term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 We were planning on selling the car simply b/c he won't have time to drive it out there. We could use the money from the sale to move. If we sell the car we know we would get close to a bus route. If he has his car he would make me live so far out in the country....seriously, I want to be close to everything!!!! last time we moved out there he had no car for 2 months in winter and survived. So summer would be fine for him. Looks like our landlord will not cut the lease short. So now I can't start heading that way until Sept. Kinda bummed. We just can't do two households for several months. So much to figure out. My first goal is to find him a small place near a bus route. He wants a new car anyway, so it doesn't make sense to pay to ship it out there when he could do the bus. And I can't imagine him driving cross country in his car. So for now, selling the car is the plan thanks for the co-op links. They look great!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I know all companies are different. I just wanted to let you know some things that were included in our relocation from NoVA to Tampa when my DH started working for a new company two years ago: -temporary housing at an extended stay hotel for DH while in Tampa before we could sell our house (I think it was capped at 3 months) -standard mileage cost to drive his car to new location (they would have paid to ship it instead but he needed it with him), plus expenses incurred on his trip -two trips per month home for up to 3 months -2 round trip airline tickets for each member of immediate family for house hunting trips -all sellers closing costs of selling our home in VA, plus all buyers closing costs on new home -packing, moving, and unpacking in new location Basically, they didn't want it to cost anything to have to accept the job. And my husband's headhunter gave him great advice. If a company is willing to move you cross country, they really REALLY want you. You will never have as much negotiating power for moving costs, salary, etc. as you do before you accept the job. For example, since you don't have a house to sell, they may be willing to pay your remaining lease so you can all go out together. If it is reasonable, it doesn't hurt to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 The job is in Bellevue and I am open to living anywhere on the eastside but prefer to be close to a YMCA or pool Ideally we want to be within walking distance of a bus stop since we plan on selling a car before moving. Do you belong to a homeschool group on the eastside? It's very possible we will need to sign up for things before arriving to get in for fall. And find a place to live without being able to spend time in the area first. We lived in Redmond over 10 years ago. So I have an idea of the area...I know it's changed, but overall I get the idea of what each area is like. Do you know of any rentals in your neighborhood? or someone with a room to rent since dh will most likely go out there before us? POOLS - there are at least four within bellevue itself that offer year round swim lessons. I prefer samena over the others. it has great options for swim team and pre-team. you don't have to be a member for some things - but if doing swim team, eventually you would need to join. (the bellevue 'y' has a horrible swim lesson schedule and it has never worked for me.) there is also bellevue parks and recreation with a pool adjacent to odle middle school on NE 8th. (that's the only other public pool around here I use.) there's a sports club up by microsoft that is supposed to be good - but the location doens't work for me so I've never even checked it out. there are also three neighborhood pools that are open/swim team in the summer. two are on woodridge, just off 405 south of downton bellevue. (houses are starting around $600+ on specifically that hill, for move-in ready. some have gorgeous views. and there are metro routes on the hill.) one pool is south end of phantom lake. (no public lake access.) good neighborhood. I'm not currently in a co-op - but I was with teaching parent association (TPA), which was a yahoo group. fairly good sized. homeschool potpourri in totem lake. great bookstore. you will be shocked at the growth in downtown bellevue. about five years ago, my dd had been gone for a year and a half, and the summer she was gone - there were 13 (yes, thirteen) cranes in the downtown core. she couldn't even recognize it when she came back. it's exploded. and more since then off course, but not that many at once. the market here is hot - and well priced homes go fast. multiple bids are common. I have a great real-estate agent my dd used, and won her multiple bid house. let me know if you are interested. I don't know where you were in redmond - but bellevue is much more bus accessible than some parts of redmond. it also depends where you want to go. if you are near, or can easily reach, a transit center, you have more bus options. is he going to be working downtown bellevue, or one of the other employment centers in bellevue? (e.g. along 90? there is a large transit point near there.) eta: the neighborhood around samena is well priced. older neighborhood, bigger lots, it is turning as people come in and do expansion/major-remodels, etc. it is one of the more affordable areas north of 90. decent bus access. there's also a newer neighborhood library down the street. some of the areas immediately south of 90 are still good buys. the downside is there are only four surface streets you can use to go north/south of 90 to get where you are going. the on-ramp from westbound 90 - northbound 405 is frequently very backed up. (I live in a spot I never have to get in it, but I can see it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthwestMom Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 PM'd you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stages Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I agree with the previous poster about benefits- wait and see what all they will offer before you get yourself too worked up. We started with Amazon this past winter, and they made everything incredibly easy for us. Amazon provided us with a relocation consultant who quickly became my favorite person in the world. Real estate moves very fast here, but she was able to find us 30 or so options in our desired area and price range. She arranged all the appointments with landlords, and we signed a lease less than 12 hours after their flight landed. Since I sent my husband and oldest daughter out for the house-finding trip while I kept my pregnant butt on the couch with the toddler, having her do all the research and give it to me was invaluable. As far as homeschooling resources, I second the suggestion of the Eastside PTSA. I went to an event they held a few weeks ago, and it had a surprisingly big turnout. Another group we've been involved with is the HEARTS homeschool group: http://www.meetup.com/HEARTS-Homeschool-Group/. They have stuff going on almost every day of the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 thank you for all the links....bookmarking them now. The job is off 90. I have plotted a few bus routes from rentals online to see what would be best. Originally we were told no relocation for this job. But now they are talking a lump sum toward our costs. We have done previous cross country moves that covered everything but this time is not going to be that way and we know it. He does expect to ask for more, but we knew going in that the budget didn't cover it so anything will be awesome. He needs to leave where he is....even at our cost. but yes, once I have the final $$ for us to move it will help me make some decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 As to why we are selling a lot of things before moving is we know our place out there will be smaller than we have here. We have kayaks but with the colder water we would want to get different kayaks there. And if we have to do the apartment route to get a place quickly, we don't need the workout stuff(treadmill, weight bench, etc). My living room stuff is old and not comfy....it would be a great chance to just start new with a few pieces I want. I'm willing to have less to get something new! LOL Anyway, the other thing we have found in this job hunt is companies are not moving people like they used to. He turned down one offer b/c they wouldn't negotiate anything. And no moving. He has had many interviews and all said no relocation. So knowing we are getting something from this company is good. Since originally they weren't but now they are...means they want him :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I agree with GardenMom5 above on so many things. Samena is a great pool, club, swim team, tennis club and summer camp venue. The Bellevue Y was completely ridiculous in its scheduling and (years ago) when we looked at it, it felt...grimy. I'm not homeschooling anymore, and have not been long enough that I am really out of date. So I will leave advice to others. The one thing I will say is that the Running Start Program with Bellevue (Community) College seems to be very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I hear you on selling stuff and starting over. I know exactly what I would keep/sell if we were ever to move out of state! Unfortunately (or fortunately) as time goes on Dh keeps making me buy new stuff so I love more and more of my furniture and am less willing to part with it. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel-in-CA Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 When we moved we found about 1/2 our stuff didn't fit our new place at all. I think we kept a couple of dressers and the couch and dining room table & chairs but had to get all new for the kids' rooms....well, new to us on craigslist. We also got several of those folding 6' plastic tables...they are still in use 4 years later as computer desks and kitchen work table. The one thing I did get new (and pricey!) was a tempurpedic mattress...I LOVE it!! We should have sold off or donated more stuff before we moved. I say, go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share Posted July 2, 2014 Lol we had those work tables long ago and used them for years!! We have several ikea desks now and I'd get rid of the couch before our desks and bookcases!! Dd's dresser will be gone. DS already put his bed frame in the garage...he prefers the mattress on the floor. So yes, I can sell a lot and no one minds. Today at 4 we find out the details! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicAnn Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Check Meetup.com. There a dozens of groups based on the eastside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I agree with GardenMom5 above on so many things. Samena is a great pool, club, swim team, tennis club and summer camp venue. The Bellevue Y was completely ridiculous in its scheduling and (years ago) when we looked at it, it felt...grimy. I'm not homeschooling anymore, and have not been long enough that I am really out of date. So I will leave advice to others. The one thing I will say is that the Running Start Program with Bellevue (Community) College seems to be very good. The Running Start Program with Bellevue College is excellent. Two of my friend's kids have gone there (The oldest went to Renton Technical. The youngest is still there) They bus up from Renton. University of Washington also has an Early Entrance Program that my husband and one of my bridesmaids went to. Kids enter when they would otherwise be going to 7th or 8th grade and take one year together acclimating to a college campus, then finish up on campus. They get their HS and college diplomas at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 The one thing I will say is that the Running Start Program with Bellevue (Community) College seems to be very good. Bellevue College (they have officially dropped the community) has evolved to be a four year school. they still offer many transfer- AA, but are now offering some 4-yr degrees as well as some through eastern washington university. they are the third largest school in the state - only behind UW and WS for enrollement. they have plans to do a satillite in the issaquah highlands on land they currently own, much as UW has satillites in tacoma and bothell. I recently read an article in a local bellevue paper about the state buying up land in an adjacent neighborhood that the campus sorta-kinda wraps around. supposedly they plan on building dorms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Lol we had those work tables long ago and used them for years!! We have several ikea desks now and I'd get rid of the couch before our desks and bookcases!! Dd's dresser will be gone. DS already put his bed frame in the garage...he prefers the mattress on the floor. So yes, I can sell a lot and no one minds. Today at 4 we find out the details! since we have an ikea here, there is tons of ikea stuff on craigslist - especially the more popular lines. (e.g. malm, billy) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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