Fasemelta Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Hey guys, We (girlfriend and pets) are seriously debating a move to the PNW from Indiana. I have lived here my entire life and have grown tired of the landscape and the majority of lifeless people. I do landscape photography (Luministphoto.com) and my gf does archeology. We would like to be near a larger city but close enough to the country that we can easily get away on the weekends. . .so suburbs right? We are not looking for apartments but rather a nice home/condo that we can rent until we find a nice one to buy. We are used to cheaper rent (<$1k) so somewhere lower on the totem pole. . . At the moment we are looking around the Seattle area but are open to Portland, Eugene, and other larger cities. We have a few job leads and are just looking for more info about areas before we commit. Hence I post to you fine upstanding lgt members. . .what do you guys suggest? Anyone in real estate or know someone that could make our lives easier moving forward? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_holm Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 I live in Maple valley WA and love it, its kinda hidden but is still close to everything. If I were you id also look around North bend (expensive but super nice), maple valley, and Enumclaw. Either way its all super nice over here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBmirin Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 I grew up in Vancouver, WA. Great area, friendly people, good schools. Drive 15-20 minutes and you'll be in the middle of a forest. Hour and a half from Mt. Hood, 2 hours to the beach. 10 minutes from Portland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidInSeattle Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Rent is out of control in the Seattle area. It's not just rent, but everything is expensive here. My company adjusts salary for location and this area is at the highest income bracket. That said, Enumclaw is a pretty good bet. If you want to stay in King County. Honestly, down south toward Tacoma is cheaper and there is still access to Seattle. Even Olympia is nice and cheaper than Seattle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fasemelta Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Thanks guys. . . A lot of good tips. We took a scouting trip out there last fall and fell in love with the area. Maple valley looks dope for its location and parks around it. We traveled to Enumclaw and made our way around the suburbs of Seattle...all great places and friendly people everywhere. I'll agree that rent is outrageous North and East of Seattle and the Tacoma area is much more reasonable. That being said...I imagine that it would be a nighmare to travel from enumclaw or maple valley to the north of Seattle for work. Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fasemelta Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Vancouver WA, I have a question about that area. Can you apply for dual residencies in WA and OR? That would mean you get no income tax and you could shop in Portland for no sales tax. . . The best of both worlds...or am I missing something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_holm Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 maple valley to seattle actually isn't bad, when I commute there its about 45 minutes and there is a few way you can go. my friend commutes from Eatonville to seattle and his travel time is about an hour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruff Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 I commute from Auburn to West Seattle, it isn't that bad. I would say that I-5 gets pretty backed up headed into Downtown Seattle in the mornings though, but I can avoid it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBmirin Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Vancouver WA, I have a question about that area. Can you apply for dual residencies in WA and OR? That would mean you get no income tax and you could shop in Portland for no sales tax. . . The best of both worlds...or am I missing something haha...well you get no sales tax in portland no matter what. But the income tax depends on where you work I believe. Work in portland live in Vancouver=income tax, work in Vancouver live in portland=income tax. Work/live in vancouver=no income tax lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anti Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Yeah, it's best not to work in OR if you live over here. You won't be able to get any of those taxes back. Not to mention their traffic. You can shop in OR as much as you want. I've heard of them trying to catch people as they cross back over the river during the holiday season, but it's very very rare, haven't heard anything about that in years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBmirin Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Vancouver WA, I have a question about that area. Can you apply for dual residencies in WA and OR? That would mean you get no income tax and you could shop in Portland for no sales tax. . . The best of both worlds...or am I missing something Yeah, it's best not to work in OR if you live over here. You won't be able to get any of those taxes back. Not to mention their traffic. You can shop in OR as much as you want. I've heard of them trying to catch people as they cross back over the river during the holiday season, but it's very very rare, haven't heard anything about that in years. That traffic is a huge reason why i moved to portland. 1hr plus commute vs. 15 minutes at the most now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty_barry Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 We (girlfriend and the pup) recently relocated from Seattle to Portland for my work. Cost of living is pretty much a wash between both cities, you can find well priced options in both cities it just depends on what amenities you require. I pay more for my location but also walk to work now instead of driving which is great. Portland is easier to get around as a city and has much better transit/public transportation than Seattle. Proximity to the outdoors I would give the nod to Seattle because you have options North/South/East/West depending on the type of outdoor activities you are into. Seattle has more ski areas (Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Summit, Crystal Mountain) than Portland (Meadows, Timberline). Summer months there are endless hikes east of Seattle throughout the foothills and into the Cascade range. Mountain and road biking could go to either city, rock climbing would go to Portland for indoor and outdoor options. Feel free to fire away with any other questions, comments, concerns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkita Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Thanks guys. . . A lot of good tips. We took a scouting trip out there last fall and fell in love with the area. Maple valley looks dope for its location and parks around it. We traveled to Enumclaw and made our way around the suburbs of Seattle...all great places and friendly people everywhere. I'll agree that rent is outrageous North and East of Seattle and the Tacoma area is much more reasonable. That being said...I imagine that it would be a nighmare to travel from enumclaw or maple valley to the north of Seattle for work. Right? enumclaw to north of seattle would be enough to make you commit suicide on the 2nd day. If you wanted the enumclaw experience and worked north of seattle, I'd look in Mt Vernon or Bellingham. Everett could work however you lose the big city feel. The closer you live to Seattle the better the transit system is. Getting off the I-5 corridor really cuts into your options. Its being worked on, however, 2020 and later are target dates for finishing the rail system. North Seattle is easier to get out to the islands. Central Seattle has ferries to everywhere, and 3 major freeways for getting out of town. South Seattle has the airport with attendant noise however gets you an hour closer to southbound fun. To get an understanding of traffic, check this page during the morning commute (6am - 10:30am) and evening commute (3pm - 8pm) PST. The black & red blocks mean you are not moving. Yellow usually means 1st/2nd gear. Green means you are over 35mph. Everyone is on their cell-phone, so distracted driving rules the day. That said, wife & I have traveled all over US & Europe. Still keep coming home as this area has the best combo of things we like to do. Build my car Boxkita Track days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fasemelta Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 Guys you rock!...another example of PNW's helpful nature. So far I've gathered 1. Seattle's traffic is worse than Portland 2. Rent and other commercial expenses are a wash. Ok, so some concerns I have about the region. 1.Rain - is it really that bad that everyone needs to complain about it? I hate the climate extremes that the Midwest has. 90° summers and 20° winters are average nowadays. . .bitter cold and soup-like humidity 2. Hipsters - I haven't quite figured this breed out and not sure that I want to... no offense Are they everywhere in Seattle as much as Portland(mecca)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruff Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Guys you rock!...another example of PNW's helpful nature. So far I've gathered 1. Seattle's traffic is worse than Portland 2. Rent and other commercial expenses are a wash. Ok, so some concerns I have about the region. 1.Rain - is it really that bad that everyone needs to complain about it? I hate the climate extremes that the Midwest has. 90° summers and 20° winters are average nowadays. . .bitter cold and soup-like humidity 2. Hipsters - I haven't quite figured this breed out and not sure that I want to... no offense Are they everywhere in Seattle as much as Portland(mecca)? Rain isn't THAT bad. I like rain personally so I don't mind, I would say it is more overcast than plain raining most of the time. Our summers have gotten pretty hot as of late, or at least I've been noticing it more. 75-90 seems to be the average summer temperatures. It doesn't get super cold during the winter, but we do get snow (some places more than others, and it only happens once a year or so). You'll run into more "hipsters" in Seattle on Capital Hill, Georgetown, and in West Seattle. The only "bad" hipsters are the ones that are trying WAY too hard, but for the most part they're just the "hip" crowd, just like with any other generation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fasemelta Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 You'll run into more "hipsters" in Seattle on Capital Hill, Georgetown, and in West Seattle. The only "bad" hipsters are the ones that are trying WAY too hard, but for the most part they're just the "hip" crowd, just like with any other generation. Well said my friend. . .I guess I have bad impressions because the Hipsters around here are indeed trying way too hard. Although they are not alone, the Midwest also boasts numerous Caucasians that truly believe they are as "gangsta" as the rappers on TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruff Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Well said my friend. . .I guess I have bad impressions because the Hipsters around here are indeed trying way too hard. Although they are not alone, the Midwest also boasts numerous Caucasians that truly believe they are as "gangsta" as the rappers on TV. Word. I guess what it comes down to is that anyone trying too hard or attempting to be something they're not gets pretty obnoxious. I'll say that I really enjoy the area myself, and many, many people say the same that live in the PNW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fasemelta Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 Guys I'm sold...just talked to me lady and I think the tentative move date is early October. However, finding a house is going to be difficult without seeing it in person. A lot of these properties come and go in days, not weeks, like around here. Do you think it would be possible for me to pay someone on Craigslist or task rabbit to preview the property and take tons of photos? I don't want to push my luck on here, but I'd much rather pay someone on this forum if they were willing to help out. . . Am I dense or is there a profession out there that handles these things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_holm Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I can get you in contact with a really good realtor if you're interested. :edit: if you are PM me your email aand your number and I will pass it on to them or I can give you theres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty_barry Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Guys you rock!...another example of PNW's helpful nature. So far I've gathered 1. Seattle's traffic is worse than Portland 2. Rent and other commercial expenses are a wash. Ok, so some concerns I have about the region. 1.Rain - is it really that bad that everyone needs to complain about it? I hate the climate extremes that the Midwest has. 90° summers and 20° winters are average nowadays. . .bitter cold and soup-like humidity 2. Hipsters - I haven't quite figured this breed out and not sure that I want to... no offense Are they everywhere in Seattle as much as Portland(mecca)? The rain exists, the media seems to do an amazing job playing it up. Buy a proper waterproof job, don't go cheap spend the money once and be happy for the better part of a decade. Summers have definitely been on the hotter side for the last couple years but there are amazing places to get in the water too. Hipsters are in any city nowadays, Portland has more of the stigma attached to it but I'd say they exist in certain quadrants mostly. I'll take hipsters over some of the other trends that we've dealt with over the last two decades. As for the home search question, are you looking to buy or looking to rent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBmirin Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I kind of enjoy the rain, just means more snow in the mtns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidInSeattle Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Most of the time it's not real rain, more of a misty drizzle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fasemelta Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 As for the home search question, are you looking to buy or looking to rent? At the moment we would be renting, until we get the lay of the land and stable jobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanGT Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Ok, so some concerns I have about the region. 1.Rain - is it really that bad that everyone needs to complain about it? I hate the climate extremes that the Midwest has. 90° summers and 20° winters are average nowadays. . .bitter cold and soup-like humidity It's not just the rain. It's that plus the short days plus grey skies all adds up to a very depressing late fall/winter months. It doesn't get extremely cold but the wetness makes it feel colder. Make sure you're mentally prepared for that. . . I have enough drama for now..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flinkly Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I love the rain and overcastness, but i was born and raised here. Wish it would rain for a few days straight right now, actually... Sent from my XT1028 * Build Thread * 26.53 MPG - 12 month Average * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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