1. Are rates negotiable in Seattle? or the Zillow estimate is kind of a hard number. Has anyone negotiated the rent down successfully than what was listed on Zillow? 2. What are the other things to ask the landlord when renting and negotiating? 3. How is Kirkland as an area to live? (given that my office is in Downtown Seattle).
No rent is not really negotiable at this point unless you are moving into a shithole. Seattle is still more or less a Landlord’s market. If you negotiate and drag it out, the landlord may respond politely but someone will take the apartment from under you.
You may have luck with brand new apartment complexes - sometimes while they are still not fully ocupied they give one or two months free as an incentive.
Kirkland is awesome. Probably the best place on the Eastside to live.