Game Of Homes: Leaving Seattle For The Cheaper Suburbs

This week, we have been airing Game of Homes, a series about finding affordable housing in Seattle. For one family, finding a place to live within their means meant leaving the city altogether.

Andrea VanHorn and her fiancé fled to North Bend, a small town 35 miles east of Seattle. “Wow, there’s a lot of pine trees out here,” VanHorn said when the idea was first suggested.

Along with the trees came the benefit of front lawns and quiet streets, two-car garages and even a horse-shoe pit. The difference in price was significant. VanHorn said that her house, at just under 1,600 square feet, would have cost two to three times for something similar in Seattle. She paid about $250,00 for it in North Bend.

VanHorn, a self-described city girl, said she was hesitant to move away, but that three months after coming to North Bend she was hooked.

“We love to travel, we love eating out, we love doing things together. We could have afforded a house in Seattle, but did we want to give up our lifestyle?” she said.