Is Anyone Else Considering Leaving Seattle Because of High Rent? (Rainier: 2014, apartment)

[Steve Bowen]

I have reviewed the climate data and I'm not intimidated. I've lived in the Midwest before and regularly visit family in Iowa at Christmastime. I don't know why the cold dissuades people so much given everything else that the area offers and the fact that buying a house costs about 60 percent of what it does here. And it doesn't really affect my daily routine. I mean, I spend as little time as possible outdoors in Seattle from November to March as it is.

[Boxkicker]

Like I said....come back the summer after you move and tell us about it and don't sugar coat it

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Steve Bowen

I have reviewed the climate data and I'm not intimidated. I've lived in the Midwest before and regularly visit family in Iowa at Christmastime. I don't know why the cold dissuades people so much given everything else that the area offers and the fact that buying a house costs about 60 percent of what it does here. And it doesn't really affect my daily routine. I mean, I spend as little time as possible outdoors in Seattle from November to March as it is.

After this past winter, it's hard to understand complaints about the weather. Despite the rain being above normal, it's been heavier, for shorter periods. Even where I am at 600+ feet elevation, only one brief, light snow that didn't stick. Well below freezing only once for a few days, and have only had to scrape frost off the car maybe 4-5 times. I spend as much time outdoors as possible, all year. This winter has been a real treat, and confirms to me that it's well worth the high cost to live here. Same for last summer, when it was cooler than normal, only getting to the high 80s a couple of times.

[crf450ish]

Originally Posted by Boxkicker

Like I said....come back the summer after you move and tell us about it and don't sugar coat it

Have you ever been there during winter? I have...in the dead of winter in the beginning of January. First time ever....I loved it. And AMAZINGLY enough, I actually witnessed people DRIVING in the snow and ice there WOW. Seattle isn't bad, but it isnt all good either...crappy traffic, crappy weather, crappy cost of living etc. love it or hate it its still seattle

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Steve Bowen

I have reviewed the climate data and I'm not intimidated. I've lived in the Midwest before and regularly visit family in Iowa at Christmastime. I don't know why the cold dissuades people so much given everything else that the area offers and the fact that buying a house costs about 60 percent of what it does here. And it doesn't really affect my daily routine. I mean, I spend as little time as possible outdoors in Seattle from November to March as it is.

I'm in favor of MORE people leaving Seattle. It will contribute to moderating housing costs here.

Let me count some of the ways: Rent gouging, cottages for castle prices, gloomy weather, rain squalls, murderous traffic, the Chill!, moldy rooms, earthquakes, landslides, too many men/not enough women, liberals, atheists, too white, too diverse, too many potheads, too many nerds/geeks, weekly demonstrations, not enough gun nuts, gay marriage, hippies, tree huggers, burnt coffee, no good pizza, SPD, SSD, Grunge is so over, bad Mexican food, bland BBQ, poor skiing, potholes, bad drivers, road diets, too few freeways, not enough bridges, aggressive bicyclists, Big Bertha, light rail will be the end of us, dodging street beggars, Ave Rats, petty crime wave, hate streetcars, the Green Lake Itch, clothing-is-not-optional beaches (too cold!), thrift-store fashion, parking tickets, hate seafood, love snow...

[Ruth4Truth]

Wow, reading about some of the outrageous rent hikes on this thread makes me wish I hadn't sold my rental in Seattle. When I got a good tenant, I wouldn't raise the rent for years, so after about 3 years, they were paying 25-30% below market rate. I could be making very serious money if I still had that place, and it would have been paid off long ago.

*sigh* Oh well. Hindsight is 20/20.

[victorianpunk]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

After this past winter, it's hard to understand complaints about the weather. Despite the rain being above normal, it's been heavier, for shorter periods. Even where I am at 600+ feet elevation, only one brief, light snow that didn't stick. Well below freezing only once for a few days, and have only had to scrape frost off the car maybe 4-5 times. I spend as much time outdoors as possible, all year. This winter has been a real treat, and confirms to me that it's well worth the high cost to live here. Same for last summer, when it was cooler than normal, only getting to the high 80s a couple of times.

It wasn't the silver skies and rain that got me, it was two things I never considered:

1) This far north, the sun goes down at 4pm in the middle of winter. Gloom I can take, but pitch black during a late lunch is not for me

2) No matter how warm and nice it is during the Summer, it is chilly at night. It can be a hot, 85 degree day but as soon as the soon goes down time to whip out a light coat. Don't ask me why it is that way here. I really miss hot days and warm nights that I can walk around without a coat on in.

and then there is an honorable mention of 3) It is hotter here in Summer then it is in Texas, for one reason: ALMOST NO ONE HAS AIR CONDITIONING! Businesses actually have signs that say "we are air conditioned". Huh? Back on the East Coast a shop that had no AC was as common as a house that still had an out house. So what if it's only 80 or above a few days out of the year, when there is NO ESCAPE FROM THE HEAT UNTIL NIGHTFALL it doesn't matter.

But yeah, the whole almost no snow thing is a plus. You don't have to shovel the rain.

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by victorianpunk

It wasn't the silver skies and rain that got me, it was two things I never considered:


2) No matter how warm and nice it is during the Summer, it is chilly at night. It can be a hot, 85 degree day but as soon as the soon goes down time to whip out a light coat. Don't ask me why it is that way here. I really miss hot days and warm nights that I can walk around without a coat on in.

and then there is an honorable mention of 3) It is hotter here in Summer then it is in Texas, for one reason: ALMOST NO ONE HAS AIR CONDITIONING! Businesses actually have signs that say "we are air conditioned". Huh? Back on the East Coast a shop that had no AC was as common as a house that still had an out house. So what if it's only 80 or above a few days out of the year, when there is NO ESCAPE FROM THE HEAT UNTIL NIGHTFALL it doesn't matter.

But yeah, the whole almost no snow thing is a plus. You don't have to shovel the rain.

One thing I will never miss is hot nights. After half a year in Africa I was relieved that I could finally feel cool when I went to sleep at night rather than need the air conditioner or fan blaring or sleep without clothes, sweating. I guess with an advanced central AC system, where you don't hear the thing or notice it, maybe it is more bearable, but I hate to have to manipulate my environment to feel comfortable sleeping.

I agree the lack of air conditioning in businesses here is horribly annoying. Not only do most businesses not have air conditioning, but many do not have adequate ventilation or even fans. If you go to a coffeeshop you will literally sweat your brains out as they have just one window open with giant bay windows and no fans anywhere. At least in Africa, where air conditioning wasn't prevalent they had buildings with ventilation and ceiling fans. And, people who think the Pacific Northwest has mild summers are wrong, because it can be in the high 80s and sometimes 90s for two months straight like last Summer. My hometown of Portland is even worse where high 90s and 100s are common and yet still there is no air conditioning and many buildings are poorly ventilated. Many people's response is that, "Oh, Summer only lasts a month". In reality, it depends on the year, but people forget how intense summer can sometimes be, especially considering most buildings around here are not built for heat.

This Summer I am actually planning on buying a battery operated fan to carry with me to coffeeshops and restaurants in Seattle, so I can stay cool while I work and eat. I am even considering starting a business selling them.. Many people in Seattle don't realize that fans can actually cool you down and that just sitting and sweating in a hot building isn't always necessary.

[Boxkicker]

I remember after being born in Seattle and leaving @ 12 years old and moving away I told myself I was never coming back to live here....

After being moved around in the military for 20 years and renting, buying and living in different places from extreme heat (AZ) to extreme cold (IL), I realized this isn't that bad.

Good fortunes brought me back when I applied for jobs and got an offer here in 2011 and bought a house using my VA loan.

Even with a household income of $110K, I find it easy to live here. I guess I am immune to a lot of the things people talk about as I pay $580 a year for health insurance with $12 co-pay, shop tax free at the base exchange, save 30% on food on average by shopping at the commissary all the while paying $2100 a month on a mortgage while living on a golf course in a 4BR/3BA/2100SF house.

I find it easy to commute to downtown Seattle for work via the Sounder and don't even worry about the 75min per trip each way twice a day back and forth to home.

I guess it helps having only a 19 year old left in the house!

[Steve Bowen]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

After this past winter, it's hard to understand complaints about the weather. Despite the rain being above normal, it's been heavier, for shorter periods. Even where I am at 600+ feet elevation, only one brief, light snow that didn't stick. Well below freezing only once for a few days, and have only had to scrape frost off the car maybe 4-5 times. I spend as much time outdoors as possible, all year. This winter has been a real treat, and confirms to me that it's well worth the high cost to live here. Same for last summer, when it was cooler than normal, only getting to the high 80s a couple of times.

I'd be more inclined to go for a walk outside if it were snowing and in the 20s than if it were a typical Seattle winter day of 40s and gray with passing sprinkles. So, yes I am complaining about the climate but not in the way that you think. it's too mild in Seattle for my tastes. Winters without snow feel unnatural to me. And I have come to hate how cold Seattle summer nights are. I always need a jacket by 8:00 PM no matter how hot it was that day. Living somewhere that has hot summer nights but where all the buildings are air conditioned sounds great to me, particularly if housing costs are half of what they are in Seattle. In short, I like the seasons, and I think that Seattle doesn't really have a true summer or a true winter. But I have weird opinions about weather and that's not what this thread is about.

If someone is in all of the following categories, I can see how they'd want to leave Seattle because of housing costs:

1) They don't own; they rent (If you own, of course you don't care about the escalating housing costs, it's great for the appreciation of your home/townhouse/condo. Of course you're going to stay)
2) They aren't within striking distance of saving the 40k that it takes for the 10% down payment you'll need to buy a SFH anywhere you'd actually want to live in the Seattle area
3) They are a transplant and their family doesn't live in the area
4) They don't want to live in the suburbs and/or don't want to deal with the awful commutes that you experience commuting in much of the Seattle area outside the central core

I would argue that if you are in these categories, there are other major cities whose quality of life relative to their cost of living equals or exceeds Seattle, depending on your transit, climate, job, and other preferences. My list is below. Your mileage may vary.

Atlanta
Austin
Chicago
Denver
Minneapolis
Pittsburgh