Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.
So, would most of you agree that I should not avoid a neighborhood or town just because they don't have air conditioning? The issue for me is that there are appealing areas that either have no apartments with a/c or have a few new apartments with a/c and tons of amenities that I won't use but drive up the price by a lot. Amenities such as clubhouses, pools, big gyms, business centers, etc. (Some of these areas are so expensive that I might as well consider the Bay Area.) I care much more about whether there are good walking trails very close by.
I suppose I could just choose a neighborhood I like and then spend the money I save on rent to pay for an air conditioned hotel when it gets hot.
For the Portland/Vancouver area, yes essential. A portable/window A/C unit would be fine if permitted and safe (not ground level).
Is there a reason why it would not be safe at ground level? Are you talking about what the a/c unit itself would do or are you talking about the risk of break-ins?
I would prefer to be on a lower floor. That's partly because it would be cooler, but it's also partly because a lot of apartment complexes use carpet on all but the first floor and I would prefer to minimize carpeting due to my allergies.
My son attends UW. He found that lots of "newer" townhomes have minisplits installed. He didn't find a single apt that had AC. Townhomes cost a little more but typically comes with more space.
What is a mini-split? One of the things that make it difficult to look for an apartment is that some of the places that claim to have central a/c and don't have a/c in all the rooms. I see people complaining that they moved into an apartment because of the a/c and then it didn't work.
Seattle has an excellent light rail system and if you're 65 or over it's just a dollar a trip. Light rail will take you to the airport, downtown, UW, and other places. The system is in process of slowly being expanded. I would try to make an effort to find something that's walkable to one of the stations. 'walkable' means different thing to different people. To me it means about 1/2 mile max.
Since I won't be commuting, it isn't my priority. Am I right to assume that light rail will drive up rental rates in parts of Redmond once it goes in there? Which neighborhoods?
I would give Olympia a good look. It is a nice city, not so much traffic but plenty of city amenities IMO.
Thanks. How does the weather in Olympia compare to Portland and Seattle? Would air conditioning be as much of an issue in Olympia? And what are the "city amenities?"
Are there particular parts of Olympia that people would recommend? My primary concern about Olympia is whether there is good medical care. One of the reasons that I want to move is that I currently don't have access to good doctors and medical specialists. I've had neighbors move because of that, too. My other concern is that I'm not sure that my friends and family would be as willing to visit me in Olympia because it is not as accessible.
I would be curious to know what type of crime? I suspect it is theft/property related since the area is more affluent?
Since downtown Redmond is being redeveloped, most of the buildings are newer, which might be why you’re seeing air conditioned apartments. Air conditioning is new to the PNW and usually you only need it for a week or two (or three).
I looked at the crimegrade.org website that someone recommended in this thread. I'd love insight from some of you about which neighborhoods with apartments have reputations for being safer.
Oregon landlords can raise rent by a certain percentage + inflation rate; like 9.9% right now.
That might not be much from a landord's perspective, but it is can be huge from a tenant's perspective. More than the rate of inflation. It's worse in other places, though. I knew a retired woman who had to move after her rent was raised 20% after years of other large increases. (My rent increase was more than 20% last year.) These kinds of increases are hard to predict, which makes my planning difficult.
