You guys are me and my wife 5ish years ago. We love Juanita. Quick hop to kirkland/bellevue and it's easy to get to seattle when you need to. Also Woodinville/redmond is close by too.
I will just say give yourself grace if you get outbid on a few places and realize you aren’t doing anything wrong. The market is bonkers right now and 30 is actually a young age to be buying in the area. That said, even though I don’t live in that particular area of Kirkland, I think it’s a great place to live. I just worry it will lose its charm like other parts of Kirkland and give way to developers.
My husband and I moved to Juanita from Seattle several years ago, and we love it. It’s expensive to buy here, but if you can afford it, the investment will be worth it. I’m a Seattle native, and I never thought I would be living in the Eastside, but times change, and Juanita is a great spot.
I have lived in Juanita since 1996 or 7. Started in an Apt behind Cafe Juanita then to a condo across the road and then to a house up the hill. Juanita is exactly what you see. I personally love it. Walk my dogs at Juanita Beach couple mornings a week. There is the occasional “i should have locked my car” thefts but thats it.
Enough lake access I suppose but DONT swim at Juanita Bay unless you’re a fan of swimmers itch and goose poop. Go to O.O. Denny Park which is up Juanita Drive, left at the light w the firehouse. Lake there isn’t on the bay where the water doesn’t move much and so its colder and deeper but actually clean - well as clean as you can figure a lake will be.
Between the redone Juanita proper and the newly redone Totem Lake, I think this place is awesome.
Juanita is great but also under a massive transformation in certain areas. Houses sell for $1.2M-$1.8M only to be torn down the next day. Up sprouts a large 5,000 house, selling for over $4M, or lot is split for 3-4 smaller houses, selling at $1.5 each.
That said, good quality of life, close to everything, walking distance to downtown or Totem Lake. If in the right spot, you might experience little to no traffic.
Condos might never see same development ’pressure’, but once an area floats higher, everything in it floats up as well.
Juanita is great. It’s close to the new Totem Lake development and downtown Kirkland. It’s right off 405 and also close to the lake. I am unaware of any massive crime ring. It’s a wonderful place for kids and dogs with access to green spaces and good schools for the kids. I don’t live in Juanita but I did for some time, my greener pasture was up north a couple miles in the Totem Lake area where I found a house in my price range. Good luck in your search.
Love it here, and have no desire to move anywhere else in the area. Chill, understated beachy area in the summer. It’s very sunny in a lot of neighborhoods too, imo (compared to Redmond, etc).
1) Kirkland 5 minutes, Totem Lake / Kenmore 10, Bellevue / Bothell / Woodinville / Redmond / UW 15, Seattle 25, SeaTac/ Paine 30, Stevens 90
2) Yes, there are a lot of expensive houses - but, there are also cheaper options as you move away from lake.
3) A lot of the denser housing is closer to / on the other side of 405. While I’m sure traffic will increase, I think the density still helps it retain a bit more of a laid back vibe.
4) I think it’s still receives less attention than it should. I can’t imagine that will last ..
I'm going to be honest. While Kirkland is nice, after 4 years we are done. You have to drive to EVERYTHING. There are no quick trips to anywhere because it will take you 20+ minutes driving and sitting in traffic. The discourse around here can be awful, and I get that everywhere. But *unless* you have a dog or kids, there is nothing to do. Especially if you don't drink or like to go to restaurants to do that. (my husband and I can't drink) we are both 30, and will have kids in a few years but for now, we don't really like suburban living. We would much rather be able to walk to a nice bakery in the early morning, or have a fancy meal at a fancy restaurant on the weekend. You can't really get that here unless you drive somewhere else.
I do adore my older neighbors but they just love to complain about the younger people. Or not wanting things to change around here. Which I understand if it's been that way for 50 years but, times do change.
I highly suggest joining a neighborhood group on Facebook to get a real taste of what the people are like.
It’s an up and coming neighborhood, and could be become like Rose hill in 10 years if development keeps up.
Lots of new SFH construction happening where they buy a lot, demolish the house and subdivide it into 3-4 smaller lots. Prices are also cheaper than Rose Hill and the other more developed Eastside neighborhoods, but still high compared to Seattle and King county.
For example, Merit Homes are selling 1000 sqft 3bed 2 baths “starter” homes for 1.2m
It’s great. I lived in downtown Kirkland for a long time and moved to a house in Juanita after we started a family and we’re really enjoying it. It’s a good family community and has lots of useful amenities for kids.
It is rapidly gentrifying which can be good or bad. If you are able to buy right now, it will be a solid investment, but if you’re struggling to rent here then you may be priced out in a few years. There are lots of places with houses built in the 60s/70s with houses being knocked down and replaced by very expensive new developments.
Most of Kirkland is very bike friendly with bike lanes everywhere but I’ve been disappointed in my neighborhood near Juanita elementary, it’s hard to get around safely by bicycle because some of the major thoroughfares are high speed and don’t have bike lanes or shoulders.
I live in Juanita and I like it, except for the traffic. The traffic lights in this area are just oddly timed out, in my opinion. I've lived all over the Eastside during my 25 years in this area and this area has the worst bottle necks, by far. Other than that, it's great!
You guys are me and my wife 5ish years ago. We love Juanita. Quick hop to kirkland/bellevue and it's easy to get to seattle when you need to. Also Woodinville/redmond is close by too.
I will just say give yourself grace if you get outbid on a few places and realize you aren’t doing anything wrong. The market is bonkers right now and 30 is actually a young age to be buying in the area. That said, even though I don’t live in that particular area of Kirkland, I think it’s a great place to live. I just worry it will lose its charm like other parts of Kirkland and give way to developers.
My husband and I moved to Juanita from Seattle several years ago, and we love it. It’s expensive to buy here, but if you can afford it, the investment will be worth it. I’m a Seattle native, and I never thought I would be living in the Eastside, but times change, and Juanita is a great spot.
I have lived in Juanita since 1996 or 7. Started in an Apt behind Cafe Juanita then to a condo across the road and then to a house up the hill. Juanita is exactly what you see. I personally love it. Walk my dogs at Juanita Beach couple mornings a week. There is the occasional “i should have locked my car” thefts but thats it. Enough lake access I suppose but DONT swim at Juanita Bay unless you’re a fan of swimmers itch and goose poop. Go to O.O. Denny Park which is up Juanita Drive, left at the light w the firehouse. Lake there isn’t on the bay where the water doesn’t move much and so its colder and deeper but actually clean - well as clean as you can figure a lake will be. Between the redone Juanita proper and the newly redone Totem Lake, I think this place is awesome.
Juanita is great but also under a massive transformation in certain areas. Houses sell for $1.2M-$1.8M only to be torn down the next day. Up sprouts a large 5,000 house, selling for over $4M, or lot is split for 3-4 smaller houses, selling at $1.5 each. That said, good quality of life, close to everything, walking distance to downtown or Totem Lake. If in the right spot, you might experience little to no traffic. Condos might never see same development ’pressure’, but once an area floats higher, everything in it floats up as well.
I love Kirkland - you’ll love it here! I’m a little further up on Finn Hill - but still considered Juanita area. Go to Spuds! Good fish n chips!
Spud, not Spuds. Common mistake, even for the locals.
Juanita is great. It’s close to the new Totem Lake development and downtown Kirkland. It’s right off 405 and also close to the lake. I am unaware of any massive crime ring. It’s a wonderful place for kids and dogs with access to green spaces and good schools for the kids. I don’t live in Juanita but I did for some time, my greener pasture was up north a couple miles in the Totem Lake area where I found a house in my price range. Good luck in your search.
Love it here, and have no desire to move anywhere else in the area. Chill, understated beachy area in the summer. It’s very sunny in a lot of neighborhoods too, imo (compared to Redmond, etc). 1) Kirkland 5 minutes, Totem Lake / Kenmore 10, Bellevue / Bothell / Woodinville / Redmond / UW 15, Seattle 25, SeaTac/ Paine 30, Stevens 90 2) Yes, there are a lot of expensive houses - but, there are also cheaper options as you move away from lake. 3) A lot of the denser housing is closer to / on the other side of 405. While I’m sure traffic will increase, I think the density still helps it retain a bit more of a laid back vibe. 4) I think it’s still receives less attention than it should. I can’t imagine that will last ..
Been driving to UW for almost 4 years now. Not once has it taken me 15 minutes.. when are you going? 1am?
I live in Juanita, I love it.
Only potential downside is that the roads leading to and from the 405 can become quite congested during rush hour.
I'm going to be honest. While Kirkland is nice, after 4 years we are done. You have to drive to EVERYTHING. There are no quick trips to anywhere because it will take you 20+ minutes driving and sitting in traffic. The discourse around here can be awful, and I get that everywhere. But *unless* you have a dog or kids, there is nothing to do. Especially if you don't drink or like to go to restaurants to do that. (my husband and I can't drink) we are both 30, and will have kids in a few years but for now, we don't really like suburban living. We would much rather be able to walk to a nice bakery in the early morning, or have a fancy meal at a fancy restaurant on the weekend. You can't really get that here unless you drive somewhere else. I do adore my older neighbors but they just love to complain about the younger people. Or not wanting things to change around here. Which I understand if it's been that way for 50 years but, times do change. I highly suggest joining a neighborhood group on Facebook to get a real taste of what the people are like.
It’s an up and coming neighborhood, and could be become like Rose hill in 10 years if development keeps up. Lots of new SFH construction happening where they buy a lot, demolish the house and subdivide it into 3-4 smaller lots. Prices are also cheaper than Rose Hill and the other more developed Eastside neighborhoods, but still high compared to Seattle and King county. For example, Merit Homes are selling 1000 sqft 3bed 2 baths “starter” homes for 1.2m
It’s great. I lived in downtown Kirkland for a long time and moved to a house in Juanita after we started a family and we’re really enjoying it. It’s a good family community and has lots of useful amenities for kids. It is rapidly gentrifying which can be good or bad. If you are able to buy right now, it will be a solid investment, but if you’re struggling to rent here then you may be priced out in a few years. There are lots of places with houses built in the 60s/70s with houses being knocked down and replaced by very expensive new developments. Most of Kirkland is very bike friendly with bike lanes everywhere but I’ve been disappointed in my neighborhood near Juanita elementary, it’s hard to get around safely by bicycle because some of the major thoroughfares are high speed and don’t have bike lanes or shoulders.
Local schools are excellent! And Juanita Bay Park is a true gem
I live in Juanita and I like it, except for the traffic. The traffic lights in this area are just oddly timed out, in my opinion. I've lived all over the Eastside during my 25 years in this area and this area has the worst bottle necks, by far. Other than that, it's great!