September 2, 2026 · Eastside

A lot of people who reach out to me are relocating from out of state, usually for a job at Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta, or one of the smaller companies in that orbit. They've done research online, they have a rough sense of prices, and they usually have about a week to see the area before they have to decide. Most of them underestimate how much the Eastside varies from one city to the next, and that gap in understanding leads to decisions they sometimes wish they'd made differently.

So here's what I'd tell you if we were sitting down over coffee before you started your search.

The Eastside is not one place

When people say "the Eastside," they mean everything east of Lake Washington: Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah, Woodinville, Bothell, and a handful of smaller areas in between. These places look adjacent on a map but feel meaningfully different to live in. Prices vary. Commute times vary. The age of the housing stock varies. What you give up and what you get changes quite a bit depending on which one you land in.

Microsoft's main campus is in Redmond. Amazon has been expanding in Bellevue aggressively. Google and Meta are in Kirkland. If you know your campus, start your search anchored to it, because traffic on the Eastside can be genuinely bad during peak hours, and the difference between a 10, minute drive and a 40, minute drive matters more than it sounds when you're doing it twice a day.

What the commute actually looks like

The road situation on the Eastside runs on SR-520, I-90, I-405, and the surface streets that feed them. During rush hour, I-405 between Bellevue and Kirkland or Bellevue and Renton can be slow enough that people who move here specifically to avoid Seattle traffic are surprised. It's not Seattle, level, but it's not rural either.

Redmond is the easiest campus to reach from most of the northern Eastside. Kirkland, Redmond, and parts of Bellevue all put you within a reasonable drive of the Microsoft campus, and the East Link light rail extension now connects Redmond Technology Station through Bellevue to Mercer Island and Seattle, which genuinely changes the math for some people who prefer not to drive.

Sammamish and Issaquah are further out and almost entirely car dependent. The tradeoff is more house for your money, newer construction, and quieter streets. If you have a campus in Redmond or Bellevue and you're okay with 25 to 40 minutes in a car each way, they're worth considering. If your job requires being on site daily and you hate driving, probably not.

How the neighborhoods actually differ

Bellevue

Bellevue has changed a lot in the last decade. Downtown Bellevue now has real density: high, rises, restaurants, a growing walkable core around Bellevue Square and the surrounding blocks. If you're coming from a city and want something that feels more urban than suburb, central Bellevue or areas like West Bellevue near Clyde Hill give you that in ways the rest of the Eastside mostly doesn't. Prices reflect it. Single family homes in Bellevue proper are among the most expensive on the Eastside.

Kirkland

Kirkland has a downtown right on Lake Washington that feels genuinely walkable, with restaurants and coffee shops along the waterfront. The neighborhoods behind downtown get hilly fast, which affects everything from lot size to how much sun you get. It's a popular landing spot for people at Google and Meta given the office locations there. Housing ranges from older ramblers to newer construction, and pricing sits below Bellevue but not by a huge margin in the desirable parts.

Redmond

Redmond is quieter than Bellevue and Kirkland. Redmond Town Center gives it a retail and restaurant core, and the Sammamish River Trail runs through the area, which matters a lot to cyclists and runners. If you're at Microsoft, living in Redmond means you might actually be able to bike to campus. Housing stock is a mix of older neighborhoods close to campus and newer developments further east near the Novelty Hill area. That newer eastern part is farther from everything else but has newer homes.

Sammamish and Issaquah

These two are the most suburban of the group, in the way that word usually means: larger lots, newer homes, good schools, less walkability, and more driving for everything. Sammamish in particular has grown extremely fast and the infrastructure hasn't always kept pace, so traffic on Sahalee Way or at the 228th interchange can be genuinely frustrating. Issaquah has more of a defined old town core and sits against the Cougar Mountain and Tiger Mountain open space, which is a real draw if you hike or mountain bike. Prices in both cities are lower than Bellevue, which is why families with school, age kids often end up there.

Woodinville and Bothell

These sit in the northern part of the Eastside. Woodinville is known for its wine scene along the Woodinville Wine Country area, which is a fun thing to have near you. Both cities offer more house per dollar than the south and central Eastside. The tradeoff is that if your job is in Bellevue or Redmond, you're adding commute time, and if your job is in Seattle, you're adding more. Bothell straddles the King and Snohomish county line and has a growing downtown that's worth paying attention to.

Renting first is worth thinking about seriously

If you're moving here without having spent real time in each area, renting for 6 to 12 months before buying is a reasonable choice and one I tell people honestly even though it means they're not buying anything from me right away. The Eastside is expensive enough that a mismatch between where you land and where you actually want to be costs real money to fix. Renting gives you time to figure out which commute you can tolerate, which neighborhoods feel right on a Tuesday night and not just during a Sunday open house, and what your social life actually looks like here.

That said, the rental market on the Eastside is also tight and not cheap, so renting isn't painless either.

What prices look like and what that means for your search

Single family homes in Bellevue and Kirkland regularly sell in the $1.5 million to $2.5 million range and above in desirable pockets. Redmond is somewhat lower. Sammamish and Issaquah often have more entry points in the $1 million to $1.5 million range for a house with a real yard. Condos in Bellevue's downtown core start lower but can still run well over $700,000 for something reasonably sized.

Tech compensation packages often look very strong on paper, but a lot of that compensation is in equity that vests over time rather than cash in hand today. Lenders care about your base salary and documented income, so if your total comp includes a large RSU component, have that conversation with a mortgage lender before you set your budget rather than after you've fallen in love with something.

One more thing worth knowing: Washington has no state income tax, which is a real difference if you're coming from California, New York, or other high, tax states. It affects how your compensation actually lands in your pocket, which is relevant when you're running numbers on what you can afford.

Schools, if that applies to you

The Eastside has strong public schools broadly, but there are differences. Bellevue School District and Lake Washington School District (which covers Kirkland and Redmond) both have strong reputations. Issaquah School District is well regarded and draws families specifically for that reason. If schools are a factor in your decision, go beyond the general reputation and look at the specific school boundary for the house you're considering, because boundaries matter more than district, level rankings.

The Pacific Northwest adjustment

This part doesn't always come up in real estate conversations but it should. The weather here is real. From roughly November through March, you will have a lot of gray days with low clouds and frequent rain, not dramatic storms but persistent drizzle and limited sunlight. Most people who grow up here don't notice it much. People relocating from sunnier climates sometimes find the first winter harder than they expected. It's worth thinking about honestly if you're someone who is seriously affected by light and weather.

On the other side: summers here are genuinely spectacular. Long days, low humidity, mountains visible in every direction, and easy access to the water. People who make it through the first winter usually understand pretty quickly why everyone stays.

Is it better to live closer to campus or closer to amenities on the Eastside?

It depends on how often you're actually required on site and what you do in your off hours. If you're hybrid and going in two or three days a week, being 20 minutes away instead of 10 is not a big deal. If you're on site every day, proximity to campus pays off quickly in time saved. I'd push back gently on optimizing entirely for commute at the expense of living somewhere you actually enjoy being, especially since Eastside housing is expensive enough that you'll spend a lot of time in and around your home.

How does the East Link light rail change the equation for Eastside buyers?

The 2 Line now connects Redmond Technology Station through downtown Redmond, Overlake, Bellevue, and across Lake Washington to Mercer Island and Seattle. For people who work in Seattle but want to live on the Eastside, or vice versa, this is a real option. It also changes how I'd think about living in central Bellevue specifically, since the walkable downtown area around the Bellevue Transit Center becomes more useful if you're using transit regularly. That said, the Eastside is still largely car dependent outside of these corridors.

Is it realistic to buy a home on the Eastside with a typical tech salary?

For a senior individual contributor or above at a major tech company, yes, the math often works, especially with dual income. For someone earlier in their career, the Eastside is genuinely expensive and may require tradeoffs: a condo instead of a house, a longer commute to reach a lower price point, or renting longer while equity vests. The mistake I see is people anchoring their budget to total compensation including unvested equity before a lender has actually underwritten them.

How different are property taxes on the Eastside compared to other states?

Washington has no state income tax, which helps. Property taxes vary by city and assessed value but are generally in the range of roughly 0.8 to 1.1 percent of assessed value per year on the Eastside. For a $1.5 million home that's somewhere around $12,000 to $16,000 annually, though I'd encourage you to verify the current rate for any specific property you're seriously considering since it varies.

What should I actually do first if I'm relocating here and have a month to figure it out?

Spend time in each area at different times of day, not just weekend afternoons. Drive your potential commute during a Tuesday morning if you can. Walk around downtown Kirkland or Bellevue in the evening. Have a real conversation with a lender before you fall in love with a specific price range. And if you're not certain you want to commit to buying yet, give yourself the option of renting for a year. The Eastside is expensive enough that getting it wrong costs real money to fix.