Some questions about the Oregon PNW area (Portland, Eugene: sales, credit)

[getmeoutofhere]

Sorry for another moving thread, but I have some questions about Oregon, and the PNW area in general (Oregon / Washington state).

My wife and I currently live in Texas, and I hate it. Lived here all my life, can't stand the heat, how spread out it is, or how generic and new everything is.

We are considering several places to move, the Pacific Northwest and the New England area being the main two.

I want some place with actual seasons and summers that don't hit 105-110 on a regular basis. It's October and it's still 85-90 degrees outside.

I would love to live in a smaller town, as we are not big on "the nightlife". Would just like to live somewhere where the houses look different from each other, I am not crammed in with 2 million other people, and that has scenery.


So, my questions.

1) My wife is a schoolteacher, and she would take a pay cut, somewhat substantial. Looks as if she would go from about $45K a year to about $34K a year. Is that correct?

2) I sell cars. What is the market like up there? Is there a strong demand for cars, or is it more public transit? More new cars or used cars? Here in Dallas, people "have" to have a new car every 3 or 4 years, so it's not a bad business to be in. If anyone else up there does it, can you Direct Message me with some income expectations?

3) Housing is ridiculously cheap here. I know it is far more expensive up there, but is about 1800-2200 SF in a decent neighborhood for less than $250K-ish possible?

4) I pay about $5K a year in property taxes on a $200K home in Texas (2.5%). What is comparable up there?

5) I know there is a state income tax...about what does it equal out to on an average household income? Say, $75K a year? And is it deductible from your federal income tax?

6) Anything I ought know / be aware of?


We are especially considering the Portland area, so any help there would be awesome.



Thanks in advance for any and all assistance.

[StealthRabbit]

Have you considered Alaska or Wyoming (For good teacher salary and well funded schools). Probably not a lot of car sales jobs, but you could find something similar on a commission basis. (Oil field equip sales). Both are income tax free as is TX and WA too. For WY I would consider Sheridan / Buffalo area, or Powell / Cody. Possible Laramie, but it is really WINDY there. Housing is an issue in WY as they are currently having a boom, but eventually they will have a bust and housing will be cheap. Schools are great.

For Portland area, the teacher career would be better in WA, and car sales in Portland. so.... you could live in Vancouver, WA and she work in WA, and you work in OR, thus only taxed from OR on your income. Car sales are light in WA due to sales tax and higher registration fees, but there are some large car dealers in Vancouver (Hannah Motors, also owns some dealerships in OR). There are lots of new cars around, but PNW folks don't put as much emphasis on 'updating-their-rides' as they do in CA and TX. (I drive a $35.00 car, but that is not considered NORMAL ). With a recession in on the way that may be a tough business. So... you could consider 'medical' sales, that is booming and pays really well.

Property taxes are high in PNW, but less than TX (approximately $12 per $1000 of value, or 1.2%)

New England is nice to visit, but some of my friends who moved there didn't like the transition, seems it is better if you are originally from there, and can deal with very long gray winters and humidity in summer. Eastern NH or Western ME would be my choice if I went.

You should consider Colorado too, especially Colorado Springs or Ft Collins Areas.

[davefr]

Originally Posted by getmeoutofhere

Sorry for another moving thread, but I have some questions about Oregon, and the PNW area in general (Oregon / Washington state).

My wife and I currently live in Texas, and I hate it. Lived here all my life, can't stand the heat, how spread out it is, or how generic and new everything is.

We are considering several places to move, the Pacific Northwest and the New England area being the main two.

I want some place with actual seasons and summers that don't hit 105-110 on a regular basis. It's October and it's still 85-90 degrees outside.

I would love to live in a smaller town, as we are not big on "the nightlife". Would just like to live somewhere where the houses look different from each other, I am not crammed in with 2 million other people, and that has scenery.


So, my questions.

1) My wife is a schoolteacher, and she would take a pay cut, somewhat substantial. Looks as if she would go from about $45K a year to about $34K a year. Is that correct?

2) I sell cars. What is the market like up there? Is there a strong demand for cars, or is it more public transit? More new cars or used cars? Here in Dallas, people "have" to have a new car every 3 or 4 years, so it's not a bad business to be in. If anyone else up there does it, can you Direct Message me with some income expectations?

3) Housing is ridiculously cheap here. I know it is far more expensive up there, but is about 1800-2200 SF in a decent neighborhood for less than $250K-ish possible?

4) I pay about $5K a year in property taxes on a $200K home in Texas (2.5%). What is comparable up there?

5) I know there is a state income tax...about what does it equal out to on an average household income? Say, $75K a year? And is it deductible from your federal income tax?

6) Anything I ought know / be aware of?


We are especially considering the Portland area, so any help there would be awesome.



Thanks in advance for any and all assistance.

It all depends on the part of the state. For Portland here are my inputs:

1. ---
2. The Car market is dead. I can't think of too many things worse then car sales right now.
3. You'll probably need another $100k +.
4. About the same.
5. 9% and it get's there very quickly. State income tax is deductable from federal but only a small amount of federal income tax is deductable on your state return.
6. Try living here first before you make a major commitment.

[Bendite]

1) My wife is a schoolteacher, and she would take a pay cut, somewhat substantial. Looks as if she would go from about $45K a year to about $34K a year. Is that correct?

According to salary.com, Portland area public school teachers average 50k a year (starting at about 39k)

2) I sell cars. What is the market like up there? Is there a strong demand for cars, or is it more public transit? More new cars or used cars? Here in Dallas, people "have" to have a new car every 3 or 4 years, so it's not a bad business to be in. If anyone else up there does it, can you Direct Message me with some income expectations?

Portland has a great transit system, but people have cars so they can get to the mountains and the coast. No idea what the market is except that large cars & trucks are not selling well. With the credit crunch, sales of large items like vehicles will likely go down considerably for a while.

3) Housing is ridiculously cheap here. I know it is far more expensive up there, but is about 1800-2200 SF in a decent neighborhood for less than $250K-ish possible?

Possible, perhaps, but not probable. The average home in Portland is selling for $331,000, the median price is $280k. There are houses in lower price ranges, but I'm not sure about their being in decent neighborhoods. The housing market is of course declining so there could be some good deals out there.

4) I pay about $5K a year in property taxes on a $200K home in Texas (2.5%). What is comparable up there?

Depends on where you buy because of local tax initiatives, but from what I can find, a $200,000 house has taxes at about $2500 a year.

5) I know there is a state income tax...about what does it equal out to on an average household income? Say, $75K a year? And is it deductible from your federal income tax?

Oregon income tax is 9%. Yes, it is deductible from Fed tax if you itemize (that is a Fed tax rule, not a state law)

6) Anything I ought know / be aware of?

The PNW is suffering economically like every where else, so try to find out job specifics before moving here. Our unemployment rate is 6.4 percent right now (a bit higher in some areas). The national average is 6.1%.

[John Shaft]

Hey there. I moved here from TX about 3 years ago (native born Texan). The best part is the summer weather. Occasional 100 degree days but mainly just 80s. WOW!
As for your specific questions:
1. In my experience, Oregon wages aren't much more than Texas, and often less. Plus you take a greater tax hit. I wouldn't be surprised at a pay cut. I took one in my career. I don't know specifically about education.
2. The car market is nothing like Dallas where keeping up with the Joneses is the culture. Of course people still need cars, but you'll have to learn to sell different types of cars (Like Subaru Outbacks). If you relocate in the Portland area, I'd concentrate on the ritzier suburbs like Lake Oswego, West Linn, Wilsonville, and Beaverton for dealership opportunities.
3. No. Maybe in a year or two it will creep down to those ranges, but - very generally speaking - $250K will get you a 1500 sq.ft townhome in the Portland area. In smaller towns you will probably be able to get more, but it seems like the price difference between urban and rural up here isn't as wide as it is in Texas.
4. Property taxes are less, and are based on an assessed value that's usually only 50-60% of the market value of a house (although that will change as house prices drop and "assessed" values don't).
5. 9%. Defenders of the income tax like to say, yes, but there's no sales tax, which in fact is a better deal. Which frankly is absurd - would you rather pay 8.25 to 8.75% on most of what you spend, or 9% on what you make? If you spend less than 100% of your income, a sales tax is a better deal.
6. Where to begin...
Because of the higher cost of living up here, there are far more free or cheap activities to take advantage of. And they are more varied than what Dallas offers (shopping, restaurants, and that's pretty much it for Big D). The geography of Oregon is unmatched in the lower 48. But you will pay more for less.
You are also not allowed to pump your own gas, so you have to wait for 15 minutes to accomplish what would be a 5 minute task anywhere else (native Oregonians love this law and everyone from out of state hates it).
Quality Mexican food (especially Tex-Mex) and Bar-B-Q are virtually nonexistent, but seafood and Asian food are far better. Mid-range restaurants are slightly more than in Texas, but the really nice restaurants are far cheaper than the ones in Dallas.
The city of Portland is like Austin on steroids; the two political parties are liberal Democrat and Socialist. If that ain't your thing (with most Texans it's not, even if they sort of think it might be) there are numerous suburbs to the city, many of which have older neighborhoods with varied homes.

Not trying to knock Oregon/Portland, just trying to prepare you for the surprises as one Texan to another.

Originally Posted by getmeoutofhere

Sorry for another moving thread, but I have some questions about Oregon, and the PNW area in general (Oregon / Washington state).

My wife and I currently live in Texas, and I hate it. Lived here all my life, can't stand the heat, how spread out it is, or how generic and new everything is.

We are considering several places to move, the Pacific Northwest and the New England area being the main two.

I want some place with actual seasons and summers that don't hit 105-110 on a regular basis. It's October and it's still 85-90 degrees outside.

I would love to live in a smaller town, as we are not big on "the nightlife". Would just like to live somewhere where the houses look different from each other, I am not crammed in with 2 million other people, and that has scenery.

So, my questions.

1) My wife is a schoolteacher, and she would take a pay cut, somewhat substantial. Looks as if she would go from about $45K a year to about $34K a year. Is that correct?
2) I sell cars. What is the market like up there? Is there a strong demand for cars, or is it more public transit? More new cars or used cars? Here in Dallas, people "have" to have a new car every 3 or 4 years, so it's not a bad business to be in. If anyone else up there does it, can you Direct Message me with some income expectations?
3) Housing is ridiculously cheap here. I know it is far more expensive up there, but is about 1800-2200 SF in a decent neighborhood for less than $250K-ish possible?
4) I pay about $5K a year in property taxes on a $200K home in Texas (2.5%). What is comparable up there?
5) I know there is a state income tax...about what does it equal out to on an average household income? Say, $75K a year? And is it deductible from your federal income tax?
6) Anything I ought know / be aware of?

We are especially considering the Portland area, so any help there would be awesome.

Thanks in advance for any and all assistance.

[haggardhouseelf]

Originally Posted by John Shaft

...If that ain't your thing (with most Texans it's not, even if they sort of think it might be)...

Oh, I so giggled when I read that! I truly felt I was liberal while growing up in Dallas, TX. I went to the Arts Magnet high school and worked for 10+ years at Whole Foods Market and hung out with the artsy fartsy crowd and didn't think mainstream and wasn't afraid to go against the grain...

...and then we moved to Eugene, OR. Well... first we moved to a little nothing town outside Sacramento, CA that was way boring and hot and overpriced for what it was... it was kind of a lot like Texas only the people looked fake orange and it was much more expensive - maybe like Dallas or Austin, TX is now? But anyway, then we moved to Eugene, OR... (we also lived in Redmond, WA for a year)...

... and I realized that Texan liberal is way WAY different from PNW liberal... and suddenly I found out I was a lot more conservative in my views than I thought I was. It's not a bad thing, but you might want to check your ego before you make the move. Leave your stereotypes in Texas with the giant flying cockroaches and bad-ass mosquito's.

Anyway - to the OP - Portland and Seattle and the many 'burbs that have mushroomed off those rat-race towns are going to be pricey and quite honestly we haven't found the quality of life in those places to be that great. Too much traffic, too many people, higher crime, congestion, higher stress, ugh. I would highly recommend you guys check out Corvallis or Eugene, OR. Both great and growing towns and still affordable as far as the PNW goes. Nothing on the west coast is as affordable as anything you'll find in Texas, but that's because... well, why would anybody want to live in Texas when you can live out here instead? Texas is flat, hot, and boring. Out here you will be amazed at what you find... I'm not even going to go on another one of my long Oregon-loving rants about what you'll find here so you'll be surprised when you do. It's amazing out here. They should be giving those Texas houses away for free - to anybody who can stand the heat, humidity, and mundane mediocrity!

[Topaz]

We found Portland to be a tough place to be, financially. Salaries are low compared to the housing costs, for sure. The more affordable areas are rather seedy.

I'd look at smaller towns in Oregon instead of Portland.

And haggardhouseelf, that's some serious Texas bashing you've got going on there. Sounds like you didn't leave your stereotypes in Texas...

[getmeoutofhere]

I am very conservative. I've already dealt with the fact that anywhere I want to move will be the polar opposite of my political views. That's fine with me.

I mentioned Portland because it's a bigger city. I am open to smaller places, would prefer them, in fact. But I have to make sure I can afford it. Commissioned sales is hard enough as is.

I am just sick of how generic and plastic everything is in Texas. Sure, housing is cheap, but they all look the same and were all built 5 years ago. I hate that it is so spread out and flat and boring. I don't need a hopping nightlife, but I would like to have some scenery, something. Maybe even some snow now and then.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for your responses. It's proving quite helpful.

Honestly, I am leaning more towards the New England area, but the PNW would be a compromise area between my wife and I.

[Nina-in-Ashland]

Don't know how helpful this is, but we have a friend who moved from Oregon to Portland, Maine for a job last year, and he likes it there. He was born and raised in Oregon and says he will move back if a job oppt. arises, but he does like it there. I vacationed there w/ my sister a few years ago in August, and it was a pretty city. Another sister of mine likes to vacation in Killington, VT, and she loves it there (I've never been).

[Steve Miller]

Hummm... I replied, but it disappeared? I'll try again...
My daughter in-law was born and raised in the Brownwood area of Texas. When my son discovered her and packer her back to Oregon, she said to me, "I think I've died and gone to heaven". My son is a GSM in Eugene. Yes, car sales are tough, but what isn't right now? My occupation is worse... I think I still have an occupation... Anyway, I've said for decades that if one wants to live in Oregon, they need to make some sacrifices (unless you're a politician). Email me and I will give you my son's contact info and you can call if you'd like. He might tell you the truth? Remember, government will always get their money. It just varies from place to place how its done.