In recent months I've had many younger clients that are actually designing their life around mass transit. They want homes that are within walking distance of some of Washington's newest mass transit hubs. One such hub is the beautiful new Kent Station; the station offers restaurants, theaters, shopping, and dining.
There are still many affordable homes within a half mile radius of Kent Station, starting at around 300k. Many young clients have determined that sitting in traffic burning gas at almost $4.00 per gallon (and it's not getting cheaper) is the way of the past. By living close to the major stations they can catch express shuttles to downtown Seattle without the headache of navigating through gridlock in their car, or waiting in the rain and cold for a neighborhood bus pick-up.
Soon many stations will be completed all over Washington and some will offer the new monorail to zip them to work, shopping, and to just go have fun. Since Washington State hasn't the advantage of a subway system, it's inevitable that these new modern stations will become the way to travel from suburbia into the city and back.
Prices on the homes around such stations are sure to prove an excellent investment for those with the foresight to buy in now. It's good to see the younger generations trying to get away from the gas guzzling automobile. If only we all could.

Michael - My sister lives in Kent and when I was visiting in November she had to show me Kent Station and we had dinner at Zao... Wow, what a great concept and I can see how this is a popular place to live.