39th Avenue South

Single person (me!) in beautiful Craftsman in Hillman City (b/w Columbia City and Othello light rail stations) looking for 2 community oriented and conscious housemates to complete the 4 bdr, 2 bath home. One bedroom (can come partially-furnished as photographed) is open now (Aug 15, $1000/mo+util) on the main floor which shares a bathroom with me (my room is on the top floor). The basement bedroom and bathroom will be finished in the next few months (slightly larger room, bigger closet, mostly private bath, which will rent for $1200/mo+util). Utilities are around $100/mo. Also close to completion in basement is a 1bdr apartment with a separate entrance, so there will be a little bit of construction happening over the next few months.

The house has beautiful common spaces including an amazing yard + garden beds, nice sized living room w/ fireplace, and dining nook off the kitchen, as well as a main-floor bedroom dedicated as a meditation / yoga room. If you come as a pair, could consider temporary bedroom in meditation room until basement is complete. If you work from home, we can talk about possibly doubling part of this room as an office space, if it’s possible to keep meditation/yoga hours and a peaceful vibe. The way that the house is laid out, all will have plenty of privacy and a chance to come together when we want.

The neighborhood: Very diverse neighborhood, family oriented, many spiritual faiths on the block (Cham Community Center which is Muslim and Jehovah’s Witness, and several Christian and Buddhist centers within a few blocks, including a huge Vietnamese Buddhist temple across MLK whose bells can be heard each evening at 6:30p). Easy access to public transportation (bus and light rail), restaurants, markets, and nightlife to look forward to once we are post-CoVid. A little over a mile from Seward Park / Lake Washington for summer lake fun in the sun.

About me: I am a pretty chill, moderately social 40-year-old who loves meditation, healthy living, ethnically diverse foods, and music. I’m queer/pansexual/genderfluid (she/her or they/them), White/Western-Euro descendant, Aries sun / Virgo rising / Cancer moon, mostly pescatarian, and have been training/working the last 3 years as a Buddhist chaplain who specializes in working with youth / incarcerated youth (although currently looking for new work due to corona virus). I’m passionate and active in social service and social justice, working on dismantling my own inherited and socialized white supremacist lineage and rebuilding a better me. Former college basketballer, now most of my exercise comes from walking my dog, yard work, and occasional cycling/kayaking/paddle boarding. I have a 7-yr-old blue heeler mix named Keeper. She is pretty protective of the house, but will be cuddled next to you in no time. She generally loves people, and tolerates (but occasionally loves) other dogs. I’m open to another dog - or a badass cat that stands up to her, otherwise Keeper will keep the cat in hiding. She has an occasional loud bark at noises or when visitors arrive, which can be difficult for people who startle easily or are triggered by loud noise. She also is a herding dog so she may follow you around the house. If those are deal breakers, this home isn’t for you! (4th of July here is also very noisy, so doubling down on that.)

What I’m looking for in housemates: Queer and BIPOC competent and friendly - I have a lot of BIPOC friends who come over and they need to continue to be able to have refuge here. Communication, Cleanliness, and Community are paramount, especially because of CoVid, we’ll have to quickly master talking about what it means to live together during this wild time. A general positive outlook on life, conscious living (recycling/composting/cleaning/caring for the land and home) and being conscious of others in the house is also very important. Ideally you are also interested in gardening, helping out with the yard, and general house maintenance. I am pretty good at fixing things but extra help is awesome. The house was built in 1926 so it needs continued TLC, and it would be great to have housemates who can help take gentle care of it so it continues to last. With regard to Community, I have family in Edmonds and quite a lot of friends in Seattle, and do enjoy having friends over from time to time. Totally cool if you are social and want to have company too, we just need to come up with a plan for social distancing and talk about our bubbles. I also like to cook and would also love to share meals together as a household from time to time. General communication and respect of each other’s needs around noise / social time / alone time is important, and being kind and helping each other out when we’re able, is an obvious plus.