Relocating to Seattle from Hungary (Europe) :-) (appointed, sales)

[pnorbi]

*LONG POST ALERT*

Hi everybody,

first of all I'd like to tell you guys how much of a help you are. I'm a 21yo guy and I've just received my US greencard, so I'm looking forward to moving there (probably in March 2008). In the past months I've spent hundreds of hours on researching places, and it seems that I've finally come to an almost 100% choice: Seattle. Actually I couldn't find any other board or site on the internet that would provide so much information on locations as this site / you. From your posts I've learnt a lot about Seattle, but of course I have my own questions regarding my own exact situation.
I'm quite young, and don't have anything else but a High School Degree yet, and some experience (1 year full time customer service groupleader (kinda supervisor), and before that 2 years as a student worker, pretty much doing the same all the full-time employees) from a local Bank (I don't even know if US employers would care about it or not since it's from another continent).
But I'm a very confident driver, I have plentyful computer skills (maintenance, hardware/software, microsoft applications, smaller networks, etc). I also have good communication skills, but that'll be shaded by my accent in English for the first time at least. I'm willing to take almost any kind of job in the beginning, the point is that I'll have to be able to take care of myself. When I looked at the job market (monster, hotjobs, craigslist) I found the jobs plentyful on most of the areas I could be working in. Do you find this true? I mean, is the jobmarket really as wide and open as it seems?

Also, the cost of living. I don't have high standards, but wouldn't like to be in poverty. I saw so many posts complaining about the high cost of living rates in Seattle. I've compared lots of places, and I don't know... okay, it's more expensive than Florida (Jacksonville) or Texas (Austin), but as I saw in general the jobs are paying better as well... And Seattle is pretty much on the same level as Chicago, and these places are nothing close to NYC or SF. Actually Seattle seems to be pretty livable for me. Considering minimum requirements what would you say, how much money does one need to make a month? Including a studio apartment rental, food, (car insurance), health insurance and other expenses I might have not listed. What are the better districts where there's a lot going on (I need young people around me as I'm one myself ), but also cheaper? For example I've found some rentals for around $600/month in the University district.
As for the people, I've read the community is diversed and accepting, so there shouldn't be any problem with that, right?
Well, I guess that's it for now. If you guys think there's anything I should be aware of, please feel free to let me know. I'm sure there are some things, as I've never even visited the US before. And sorry for the long post, but I don't know anyone there so you guys are my only source. Any suggestions on other areas can be welcome, but honestly I've gone through most of the possible places, and this has become the absolute winner with it's beauty, jobs, costs and people. (I could even add weather to it... I understand that it's usually cloudy, but it doesn't have any extreme periods).

Thanks a lot in advance,
Norbi (<- nickname for Norbert )

ps.: I KNOW many of you would advise me to try to get a job lined-up before I move there, but unfortunately I have to enter the US to have my SSN process started which takes 3-4 weeks, so I won't be able to work in that period.

[xsteen]

Welcome to the area when you get here! I suggest checking out some sites for meeting up with new people. I've found Meetup.com to be a great way to find people of similar interests....but living in the U District is a really young crowd too and I'm sure you won't have any trouble making friends especially surrounded by the college lifestyle. Enjoy!

[pnorbi]

Thanks xsteen! I think I must have done something wrong cause I barely got any answers. Well, I only can hope to find a suitable rental in the heart of Seattle (for example U District), because most of the rentals for my budget are in the sorrounding areas. BTW I see you're a real estate agent, do you work with rentals or just trading?

[doni]

Keep in mind you should have 3 1/2 times the monthly cash flow for what ever housing you end up getting. So if you rent or 600.00 /month you will need to have 2100.00 per month for expenses. Rental companies look at your income in order to qualify you for renting and that is the income ratio most use.

[pnorbi]

Interesting... especially that I won't be able to get a job in my first month because of the SSN... but it'd be really nice to find an apartment at the beginning though, cause motel would cost a LOT of money, and while I'll have my resources, I'm not rich and wouldn't like to give away hundreds and thousands of dollars for basicaly nothing. Is it a solution in this case if I show the amount of money for the whole lease period on my account?

[RuralGuy]

Szervusz Norbert! My father is Hungarian, but unfortunately I only know a handful of Hungarian words.

I don't know much about Seattle except that it's a rather expensive place to live. Also, without a college degree, you might have difficulty finding decent work there (the city has a highly educated population). Have you given any thought to starting out in city where cost of living is lower and moving to Seattle later when you're better established in the US? As an example, Louisville, KY, which has a pretty strong job market, has a cost of living that is about 22% lower than in Seattle. In general, Midwestern and Southern cities are going to be far cheaper places to live.

Good luck!

[pnorbi]

Szia RuralGuy! :-) Yes, it's rather expensive than inexpensive. I was researching a lot, including the Southern areas as well (Florida and Texas), but while the cost of living is lower in those areas, the jobs pay worse as well. Actually, I'd like to study besides working, because I've got pretty good computer skills, but I'd have to extend them and get a paper of it naturally. Or start my own business instead of being an employer, but that I don't know until I spend some time there. Right now the important thing is that I should be able to provide myself a comfortable life. The way I see it, the mostly educated population is not neccesary bad for me, because that can mean a need for less educated workers for simpler jobs. But I still haven't made a 100% decision about it, the only thing I know that Seattle seems to be reasonable cost of living / payment wise, and besides I really like it from what I've seen. :-)

[doni]

I understand why you are interested in the Seattle area. Personally I don't
care for the south.(I'm in Florida now and trying to sell and get up to Seattle myself) The wages are horrible and it's just not a good fit for me.
Just keep in mind where ever you decide to go that you should have enough
emergency money for say....3 months.That way you will be able to get settled and find employment.Good luck to you

[dmodlin71]

Hello Norbi -

First of all, don't let people discourage you from living in Seattle! Yes, it's an expensive city, but not any more so than the average city of its kind. Rental prices in Seattle are NOT bad. For one thing, if you have to pay for heating an apartment in Seattle, you will be paying much less to heat than you would if you were living in Chicago, or any other city that has a COLD winter and a HOT summer. Seattle is much like most of the western half of Europe as far as climate - most of the middle of the US has a climate that goes from subzero winters to blazing hot summers, and the cost of keeping an apartment/house heated/cooled is a huge factor in your rent. In the midwest, where I came from (northern Michigan) I paid about 400.00 for a house that I rented. That may seem cheap; BUT in the winter months, which there meant November-April, the cost of heating (natural gas) was about $300.00 for the three coldest months last year (just moved to Seattle last spring) and that certainly makes a big difference in housing costs. The winters were much colder there than in Seattle,where I have never paid a gas bill higher than about 40 dollars. Likewise, if you were to move to Austin, TX, you would have to use air conditioning for most of the year, which would cost quite a lot - hence, the rental price of an apartment is only one consideration.
Seattle has a rather high sales tax for the United States; however, we pay no income tax to the state! In Iowa, for example, you pay 11% or so of your income to the state, plus another large chunk to the federal government and then sales tax. So in reality if you are not a property owner, as a renter you will pay less taxes in Washington than in most states (since you won't be paying property tax either.)

One last thing about Seattle - as compared to many other cities, Seattle has a WEALTH of thrift stores, and many great grocery stores to choose from, and the cost of food isn't any higher here than anywhere else (and the quality is better than midwestern food - trust me!) And, when you have all the same chain stores at your convenience as in all other cities, you pay about the same no matter where you are. So, if you are an economic-minded person, and don't mind buying second-hand goods (like furnishings for an apt, etc.) then you will do really well in Seattle!

Think of it another way too - the poverty rate in Seattle is around 12%, which is lower than the national average which is around 13%. If Seattle were too expensive for most people to get by, you would obviously see a lot more homeless people than in other cities - but in fact, I'm sure there are much less homeless people in Seattle than in Detroit, Cleveland, etc. - cities which are much more "low-cost" than Seattle, supposedly.

Don't let money be the driving factor when you choose where you live - if you do that, you will be way too much like an average American - I think we worry more about money than most other countries in the developed world! Of all the places I've lived, Seattle seems to be the one where people seem generally happy and content, which has a lot to do with the fact that our city is surrounded by beauty and filled with many open-minded people. As a foreigner, you will be welcomed graciously here (and especially as a European, since you will be somewhat 'unique', which is considered a good thing. That is one bad thing about most of America though - being judgmental about people who don't seem to fit "the mould. Like latinos - they are not usually very apt to find decent employment in any American cities. Sad but true.)

Believe me, though - as far as recreation, economy, and scenic beauty, Seattle ranks right up at the top - and you won't be disappointed. And don't listen to people who complain about the rain! If they had to put up with one northern Michigan winter, they would never complain again, haha..............

[wsugrad03]

Hello Norbi,

My wife is Hungarian and we both live in Seattle. You might be pleased to know that Seattle has a pretty good sized Hungarian community. They have regular meetings and social events to make the transition smooth for you. Because you're younger, I would recommend living in the University District (U-District). There's plenty of affordable housing, restaurants, and there's a large younger population living there because of the university. The U-District is close to other nice neighborhoods like Wallingford and Montlake. Taking a quick trip south to the Arboretum is a perfect way to spend a nice summer afternoon. The U-District is also a convenient hub for public transportation, so if you want to rely on the metro bus system, this is one of the easier locations to commute to by bus. I lived in the U-District, and Belltown areas when I first moved here after college and I actually liked the U-District the best. It's one of the easier places to live while you're getting your life started. Other nice areas for newcomers is Wallingford, Fremont, Ballard, and Queen Anne...but those areas are more expensive to live than your typical U-District apartment housing.

A couple of down sides to living in the U-District are all those typical attributes of living in affordable parts of town. There's more bums, more noise, the housing quality is a little dumpier than normal, more crime, and parking is very difficult navigate without having a dedicated parking garage. But you'll have to deal with this in any affordable part of town, so have a look for yourself.

Best of luck!