Property Taxes,Income Taxes & Auto Insurance rates (Seattle, Snohomish: sales, home owners insurance)

[St.Croix to Seattle]

Just trying to get some data from people that live there as the information I collected from the net varies widely...I currently pay about $3500.00 year in property taxes on a $300,000.00 condo and from what I seem to be gathering $3500.00 pay taxes on a 1/2 million home if that is the case what percentage do they raise every year and is there a cap on how much then can raise in a year.Looks like a big savings there.
No state income taxes if that is correct another big savings there
Auto insurance for a Married mid 30's couple driving less than 12k per year with 2 average vehicles seems to be about $1500.00 per year with 300k property damage 500k liability,theft coverage and collision coverage..no savings there...
Seems like there are great savings in those areas...where do the make it up..I have shopped for food in Seattle=lot cheaper than the carribbean,lived in California to about the same as there..Restaurants are about the same price,clothes are about the same...another area is heating-what are people paying to heat a well insulated 2000sq ft home in the coldest months?
What are local repair shop rates for an an Old Mercedes Diesel?
Home owners insurance seems to be about $700.00 per year on a 350k home with excellent coverage-no flood coverage.no earthquake coverage..I don't plan to live in a flood zone and will skip the earthquake coverage...that is very reasonable compared to what I pay now.
I have also heard that many people in Seattle have a Vitamin B deficiency is this true??? caused by lack of sunlight???? not a fan of pills but sure there are some great foods that can help that if that is the case..
Thanks-just trying to get answers to all my questions....

[Ultrarunner]

No personal income tax in Washington... the more you earn, the more this is a factor.

Property Taxes... today as I write, the Governor of Washington is holding special hearings on Property Taxes because the WA supreme court through out I-747 property tax cap last month.

In my opinion, Property Tax is the wild card and something very difficult to budget for. Washington Property is assessed at fair market value... in other words, the assessor's opinion of what your property is worth is the amount used each year to calculate your tax liability.

In my case, I'm nearly $9,000 on a 760k assessment. I don't know what my 2008 property tax will be because the assessor increased my assessment to 1.25m in one year. It is the same home and land as last year and every other year since I bought the place... only the assessor now feels my house and land are worth dramatically more. This is for a home built in 1977 and land... most of which is now classified as wet land buffer... which translates to severe building restrictions.

WA is a great state for those that can afford it.

[MissingAll4Seasons]

I live in a 3000 sq ft home built in 1968 on about 1/5 acre lot north of Lake Washington. I'm still in King County, so my taxes & property values are a bit higher than they are just a few miles away in Snohomish County. My house is currently assessed just shy of 1/2 million, and I pay about $3,600 a year for property taxes which could rise up to 5% based on the property assessor's opinion. Be aware that your house could be tax assessed at a MUCH higher value than it can be appraised/sold/insured. Depending on your location, it is possible your property's market value can go down with new construction in the area, while your property tax assessment goes up because of it.

I'm on septic, but if I transfered to sewer, I'd expect to pay about $100 for that plus the $50 for water I already pay every two months. I have gas heat and stove, so monthly I normally pay $75 in the summer and about $200 in the winter for power (gas & electric) - but that's with PSE, not Seattle City Light (which I hear is more expensive). If you have all-electric, it is not unheard of to pay over $300 a month to heat your home during a cold winter.

We pay a little over $800 a year for homeowners insurance (with flood and earthquake) but that's cheaper than most. I don't recommend that you skip either flood or earthquake insurance, regardless of where you intend to buy because flooding can happen anywhere when it rains a lot... our basement has flooded twice in the winter due to rain and we live on the top of a hill.

WA currently doesn't have a state income tax (but there are hidden taxes galore on things like gas, tobacco, vehicles and alcohol). If you're in King County, factor in 8.8% sales tax on anything other than whole foods, and (I think) 13% for service gratuities (restaurants, etc). I don't think you'll find much problem locating a mechanic for your older mercedes diesel, but you're probably looking at roughly $100/hr for labor. We pay a little over $1000 a year to fully insure both our vehicles (but that's cheap). Driver's licenses are cheap and good for 5 years, but vehicle tags are renewed yearly and can get pricey for newer vehicles. You must also have your vehicle tested for emissions (inexpensive but time consuming) every two years.

A lot of people have a Vitamin D deficiency probably because of lack of sunlight in the winter. Some people have a Vitamin B deficiency probably because of stress (esp. if you work high-tech). Both of these combined are a suspected cause of the high depression and suicide rates reported for the area. Both can be helped by eating cheese, but you will need a full-spectrum sunlamp for the Vit D (if you have a problem) since humans don't metabolize D efficiently without UV (so taking more doesn't necessarily help).

All things considered, if you don't have to work in downtown Seattle, I'd recommend you look in Snohomish county for deals (although the sprawl has hit it and prices are going up). Also, keep in mind that the calculation for driving time is pretty much "miles x 2" -- i.e. it will take you 40 minutes to drive 20 miles in rush hour. Rush hours are normally 6:30 to 10am, 11:30am to 1:30pm, and 3:30 pm to 7pm... and most commutes mean you're going to get trapped on at least one of the major congestion routes (I-5, I-405, SR 520, SR 99 or I-90).

Good luck!