Advice about multi-family properties in Seattle for a newbie?

[Ana P.]

Hello everyone! 

This is my first post, i have been reading and listening to the podcasts and webinars, and I am very interested in learning about multi-family properties in Seattle. 

I have contacted a couple of Realtors to get advice and they told me that they do not recommend owning rental property in Seattle due to the landlord/tenant laws in the city. Instead, they recommend outside areas close to Seattle, like Lynnwood, Shoreline, etc. 

I wanted to know your opinion about this, why are those laws so terrible, enough to drive investors away? 

Does everyone here also recommend staying away from Seattle? I know prices are high (i have seen duplexes listed at 700,000)... But rentals can also be very high (capitol hill tiny one bedrooms in old buildings are 2,000 a month easy). 

I have been a tenant in Seattle for years and never felt i held that much power, in fact i have been taken advantage of and ignored repeatedly by my landlords (of course, that is NOT the kind of landlord i want to be!). 

Can someone help me understand a little better this situation? As a newbie, is Seattle too ambitious? Where should i focus? 

Thank you so much!!