Plenty of great spots near the foothills. I'm scouting out some locations, but this housing market is rough. Elevation and commute time is important for me. I am considering the North Bend and Snoqualmie area. Brings me into better CZ area, and higher elevations. I-90 is not bad for traffic too and full of transit (especially if they wrap up that annoying fish passage construction).
Some 700ft lakefront homes just north of me in Renton is my backup plan. There are some pretty cool lakes around here.
Prices are coming down... and you don't pay a millionaire tax when spending money. You pay it when earning money. Of course the falling prices also hurt us on the other side.