Is it normal in Seattle for a new property manager to raise apartment rents bigtime?

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Rombus

Seattle is to expensive an area to live in anymore if one is not in the high-tech or highly paid medical fields.

If I was having troubles making ends meet, I would move someplace else. There are plenty of great cities in the USA where one can have an equally hight quality of life at far less expense. In fact, now that I am no longer tied to being employed in the Seattle area I may move out of it and stop wasting my pension check on high cost housing and instead spend it on worthwhile things like women and booze.

There are plenty of other jobs that pay well enough to live in this area. Look at City-Data (not the forum) for the resident occupations in affluent areas. In Sammamish, for example, with 2013 data (all higher now) the median family income is shown as $143,000, home price $581k, rent $1995. The breakdown in jobs is:

• Management occupations (22%)
• Computer and mathematical occupations (21%)
• Sales and related occupations (15%)
• Business and financial operations occupations (7%)
• Architecture and engineering occupations (6%)
• Office and administrative support occupations (5%)
• Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (2%)

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Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Sammam...#ixzz4TUlUEFYd
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[Blitzmark]

Seattle has become nothing but a rich persons playground. If your not raking in $200K + a year, then your screwed. Screwed how you might ask? Lets see...traffic is a nightmare so living outside of Seattle is a nuisance. Housing in Seattle proper is priced comparable to that of Beverly Hills. I would rather make $30K less and live elsewhere than move to Seattle to make more and inherit more headaches related to the locale. But hey, to each their own.

[DutchessCottonPuff]

Hemlock is right but at 54 my husband would have to go back to school for just too long to retrain for any of those listed and compete with the younger ones , but those are all great industries to aim for .

[mhays25]

Without debt, kids, or car, it's easy to live on $50,000. The $200,000 is if you have those things and want a big house in a semi-high-end part of town.

[Hemlock140]

At Christmas my brother (North Bend) was telling us that he is going to move. He has been in the same apartment for 15 years, and with reasonable rent with minimal increases. I nice old landlord that appreciated his longevity, and always paying on time. Unfortunately, he sold the building, and the new owner is raising the rent to current market value, a 50% increase.

[Rombus]

There are many great cities in the USA that have good job prospects, good quality of life and far cheaper housing costs.

[annonymous0381]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

At Christmas my brother (North Bend) was telling us that he is going to move. He has been in the same apartment for 15 years, and with reasonable rent with minimal increases. I nice old landlord that appreciated his longevity, and always paying on time. Unfortunately, he sold the building, and the new owner is raising the rent to current market value, a 50% increase.

I hope your brother finds a new apartment.

[Ultrarunner]

^^^It may be hard to lower cost in a market with demand.

On the other hand there are still bargains but they are usually by word of mouth...

I have made allowances for excellent tenants but only on property I own.

[DutchessCottonPuff]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

At Christmas my brother (North Bend) was telling us that he is going to move. He has been in the same apartment for 15 years, and with reasonable rent with minimal increases. I nice old landlord that appreciated his longevity, and always paying on time. Unfortunately, he sold the building, and the new owner is raising the rent to current market value, a 50% increase.

I believe that . Yesterday I did go to the office and signed the papers for a short lease ( 3 months) because they did not have a place ready for my daughter and I for the job my husband has taken outside Spokane and outside his field. Part of the salary is living quarters/utilities/cable. He is living in a very small room . We had to do something with the layoff at Christmas. Just no one was hiring, even at the day labor places and we have to leave the region entirely to find something in his profession . He is working as an assist trainer in my profession, I found him the job thru colleagues of colleagues. Before he had only done this on the side but is very good .

If this does not work out hopefully we will have the $$ to leave because the lease lady was NOT happy I decided not to go for the 6 month or year lease and warned me then if I needed to renew in 3 months they would be raising the rent even higher . I said IN THREE MONTHS IN TACOMA ??? She said yes ,, I said until when ??? She said ," Who knows, but they ARE going to keep the rent rising with everyone's renewal for the foreseeable future "

NO thanks. We WILL have money again but I am not willing to be subjected to a limitless ceiling in an apt in Tacoma. Shame, as I liked it here.

I signed and I am packed , Feb 15 ( they require 60 days notice @this particular complex) , I will give notice and hit the road in April with or w/WO my husband . She said I needed to be thankful because they were renting studios here for $1350 - so you can gather mine is QUITE a bit more. If I lived closer to Seattle then maybe.

With the latest hike. Even if Id signed for a year it would have been only $100 less .

I need a rest badly . Both from the traffic and the COL . LOL and this from a woman who has lived in Houston , Den Haag , L.A. , Bruges, Belgium, etc , you'd THINK I'd be used to anything .

Having ONE kid left in High school is making this even harder .