Seattle, WA
Seeking a House in Seattle for About $600,000
Ted Land had almost given up on being a homeowner.
When he moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2014, he was an award-winning television journalist, having lived and reported in Indiana and Alaska before arriving in Seattle to work for a local station, King 5. At first, he rented a studio apartment in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
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“It’s very walkable, with lots of transit, very L.G.B.T. friendly, great restaurants, nightlife, parks,” said Mr. Land, 40. “It has everything I like in a neighborhood.”
His journalism career had been fraught with unexpected transitions, so it didn’t seem sensible to buy a home. “I thought I was going to move up and be a reporter in New York City or L.A. or D.C.,” he said. “I had my sights set on that. It really wasn’t even on my mind. Buying a house seemed so out of reach for me.”
As the years passed and he bounced from rental to rental, the hustle of TV news began to wear him out. Finally, in 2022, he grabbed an opportunity to move into corporate communications. With that choice came a higher income and a more stable future in Seattle with expanded living options.
“I kept signing lease after lease, not wanting to confront the daunting process of purchasing, and increasingly frustrated with the fact that I didn’t lock in a low interest rate during Covid like so many of my peers did,” Mr. Land said.
He had up to about $620,000 to spend, but as a single-income buyer, he was vexed by the down payment. “Everyone says that you’ve got to put down 20 percent. It’s like, ‘Where am I going to get $100,000? Does anyone know? Can you please tell me that?’”
With help from his broker, Mark Chavez of Windermere Real Estate, Mr. Land arranged to structure a purchase with 10 percent down using a mortgage insurance that costs him less than $100 per month, with his payments reducing in size until they total 20 percent of the home price. “I mean, $50,000 is a lot easier to save for than $100,000,” he said.
But even with that cushion, options were limited in pricey Seattle, especially for the kind of home he wanted. “Apartments are noisy places,” Mr. Land said. “They just are. And that kind of gets old after a while. I was looking for something a little quieter where I’m not hearing neighbors all the time.”
Most of Mr. Chavez’s clients want single-family homes, the broker said, but “it’s a bigger expense and there’s more to take care of, like the landscape. It used to be that to get into a condo, the entry point was more affordable. However, with many homeowner associations underfunded for future expenses, it is becoming more challenging to buy into a condominium.”
The middle ground? Townhouses. But every square foot needed to count, and location was critical. Mr. Land loved Capitol Hill, but felt he couldn’t afford to buy there. “I just really like being in the central part of the city,” he said. “The more I looked, the more I realized that walkability is a really important attribute for me.”
Find out what happened next by answering these two questions:
With the calendar flipping to May and first month of the MLB season in the books, it’s a good time to check in on some notable former Seattle Mariners to see how they’re doing with new teams.
How Seattle Mariners’ ABS usage stacks up with rest of MLB
As it turns out, a number of players who were with the Mariners last season and on new teams this year are currently injured, including some names that didn’t make the cut for the list below like Caleb Ferguson and Tyler Locklear.
Below is a look at how several notable former Mariners have fared through the first month of the 2026 campaign.
Jorge Polanco
Polanco, who signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Mets during the offseason, got off to a slow start with his new team and is currently on the 10-day injured list with a right wrist contusion. He was also playing through left Achilles bursitis before landing on the IL.
In 14 games, the switch-hitting Polanco is slashing .179/.246/.286 with a .532 OPS, one homer, three doubles, five walks and 11 strikeouts.
Eugenio Suárez
Suárez, a fan favorite in Seattle who signed a one-year, $15 million deal to return to the Cincinnati Reds during the offseason, was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a left oblique strain. Before landing on the IL, he was also off to a bit of a slow start.
In 25 games, Suárez is slashing .231/.300/.363 with a .663 OPS, three homers, three doubles, nine walks and 30 strikeouts.
Harry Ford
Ford, who was traded to the Washington Nationals in an offseason deal that brought left-hander Jose A. Ferrer to Seattle, was assigned to Triple-A at the start of the season and has struggled at the plate early on.
In 20 games with Triple-A Rochester, he’s slashing .182/.289/.221 with a .510 OPS, three doubles, 10 walks and 26 strikeouts. Ford produced an .868 OPS and hit 16 homers in 97 games with Triple-A Tacoma last year.
Leody Taveras
Taveras, who struggled to find his footing in 28 games with the Mariners last season, isn’t necessarily a notable former Mariner, but he stands out due to the rebound season he’s starting to put together with the Baltimore Orioles following two rough years at the plate.
After signing a one-year deal with Baltimore in the offseason, Taveras is slashing .288/.397/.455 with an .852 OPS, two homers, three doubles, one triple, 12 walks and 16 strikeouts. He’s also tied for third on the team with 17 RBIs.
Tayler Saucedo
Saucedo, a product of Maple Valley’s Tahoma High School, was designated for assignment during the offseason before signing a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels. He is currently pitching for Triple-A Salt Lake.
Saucedo has a 4.85 ERA and has struck out 13 batters over 13 innings in 11 appearances. He’s allowed seven runs on 12 hits and 10 walks.
Dylan Moore
Moore, who was the longest-tenured Mariners player when he was released amid a career-worst slump in August 2025, signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies over the offseason and was awarded a major-league deal after opting out of his initial contract in March.
Moore is still in search of his first hit with the Phillies. He’s 0 for 11 at the plate with three walks and five strikeouts in 13 games.
Trent Thornton
Thornton, who missed the final two months of last season with a torn left Achilles, elected free agency after being non-tendered by the M’s over the offseason. He signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs and was recently activated to Triple-A Iowa for his first game action since the Achilles injury.
In two outings (one start), Thornton has struck out four batters and allowed one run on three hits and one walk over 3 2/3 innings.
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The Seattle Seahawks have an extensive history of taller cornerbacks on the roster, but not this tall.
The only reason why this is notable is because Broden was measured at just over 6’5 and weighed under 200 pounds. In addition to Broden’s height, he ran a reported 4.37 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. For context, Broden is taller than Richard Sherman (6’3), Riq Woolen (6’4), and Brandon Browner (6’4). Other reports of Broden’s height (including from Tyrone himself) have him up to 6’7. Unsurprisingly, Broden did not have any prior experience at corner during his college football days, and there’s nothing to indicate he had any cornerback work in high school.
At receiver, his chances of making the active roster are slim and none given the competition ahead of him, so why not have some fun experimentation? I’m not banking on it being much of anything, but I hope it continues into training camp so that fans can see this in person.
The Seattle Mariners have two notable players on the injured list that are nearing their returns.
Mariners’ Matt Brash details side issue, doesn’t think it’s serious
Here’s a quick look at what we know about the statuses of third baseman Brendan Donovan and Bryce Miller.
Brendan Donovan
Donovan has been out of action with a left groin strain since April 18, but could be just days away from getting back in the Mariners’ lineup. The 29-year-old All-Star has reached the minimum amount for a stay on the 10-day injured list.
“The progression has gone as hoped, and he’s taken swings. I think he looks like he’s on pace to be back during the homestand at some point,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Tuesday.
Donovan was the Mariners’ key offseason acquisition, landing in Seattle from the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-team trade that also involved the Tampa Bay Rays.
Donovan underwent sports hernia surgery in October and had a few periods where he missed games in April due to injury or illness.
When Donovan has been on the field, he’s been Seattle’s primary leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching and among the team’s best offensive producers. He has a .304/.437/.518 slash line for a .954 OPS with three home runs in 18 games this year.
Bryce Miller
Still working his way back after oblique inflammation derailed his spring training, Miller is expected to make the third start of his minor league rehab assignment Friday in the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers’ home game against the Las Vegas Aviators at Cheney Stadium.
The Mariners will have a tough decision to make with their starting rotation when Miller returns, as Emerson Hancock (2.86 ERA, 0.981 WHIP) has been great thus far filling in for Miller. Seattle has some time before a decision needs to be made, though.
For one, Miller isn’t fully stretched out, throwing only 47 pitches and three innings in his second rehab start last Friday with the High-A Everett AquaSox. And second, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said that the M’s were likely to use the full 30 days allowed on Miller’s rehab stint, which would put him on pace to join the team in mid-May.
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