Seattle as Most Secure City (Vancouver, Starbuck: to rent, insurance, credit card)

[KGreene]

rather waste 1700 than live in a **** hole outside of Seattle. 2 bedroom for half of what we pay will be not be worth my time and does not exist. spent two years looking while trying to move out of my last place.

[goldengrain]

Originally Posted by Jake840

That list is a bit old. I did a post on my blog about it in December.

Here are the top 5's:

Large Metro Areas (500,000 or more residents)
1. Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash.
2. Portland-Beaverton, Ore./Vancouver, Wash.
3. Honolulu, Hawaii
4. El Paso, Tex.
5. Tacoma, Wash.

Mid-Size Cities (150,000 - 500,000 residents)
1. Olympia, Wash.
2. Las Cruces, N.M.
3. Salem, Ore.
4. Bremerton-Silverdale, Wash.
5. Bellingham, Wash

Small Towns (Fewer than 150,000 residents)
1. Corvallis, Ore.
2. Bismarck, N.D.
3. Logan, Utah
4. Wenatchee, Wash.
5. State College, Pa.

You are probably correct, but I saw the article posted this month and she does give her sources . . .

[goldengrain]

Originally Posted by JesseJames34

keep wasting 1700 a month on rent and you may never own. you can rent for half that in a 2 bedroom and save the other half. then maybe in 5 years you will enough for a substantial down payment and your salary will be less important than it is without a substantial down payment.

That is exactly what we did. Lived a cr@p life for years, while saving. We even invested during the Clinton years. When the market went down we were ready to buy at a savings and with a big down payment.

It's a tradeoff. If you want to be comfortable now you may not have your dream later. It depends on how much you want what you say you want.
Property ownership may not be worth it.
It can be a headache, an extra chore.

But getting the things we want ususally requires some sacrifice. One of the things that seperates kids from adults is that adults are willing to forego pleasure now for more later - or so they tell me.

The prepared person will be ready to take advantage of changing situations . . .

. . . and I sound like a fortune-cookie writer.

[JesseJames34]

Originally Posted by goldengrain

That is exactly what we did. Lived a cr@p life for years, while saving. We even invested during the Clinton years. When the market went down we were ready to buy at a savings and with a big down payment.

It's a tradeoff. If you want to be comfortable now you may not have your dream later. It depends on how much you want what you say you want.
Property ownership may not be worth it.
It can be a headache, an extra chore.

But getting the things we want ususally requires some sacrifice. One of the things that seperates kids from adults is that adults are willing to forego pleasure now for more later - or so they tell me.

The prepared person will be ready to take advantage of changing situations . . .

. . . and I sound like a fortune-cookie writer.

i agree with everything you said, except the fortune cookie writer part. my cookies usually have much shorter blurbs.

[goldengrain]

Originally Posted by JesseJames34

i agree with everything you said, except the fortune cookie writer part. my cookies usually have much shorter blurbs.

Pity my husband, over breakfast.

[texastrigirl]

Ya gotta have that big down payment...it is key.

[victorianpunk]

Originally Posted by pw72

The best example would be, Seattle is the most frequent users of libraries (implication it is so gloomy there is nothing else to do.)

Righhhht God forbid a city be full of people who *gasp!* actually enjoy reading and learning!

[KGreene]

Originally Posted by goldengrain

It's a tradeoff. If you want to be comfortable now you may not have your dream later. It depends on how much you want what you say you want.
Property ownership may not be worth it.
It can be a headache, an extra chore.

But getting the things we want ususally requires some sacrifice. One of the things that seperates kids from adults is that adults are willing to forego pleasure now for more later - or so they tell me.

The prepared person will be ready to take advantage of changing situations . . .

I can't help but get the feeling that you are inferring that I am a child and not an adult because of the choice that I am making by having a large rent in a nice little house, rather than just buying a home because the market is good for buyers? I personally, feel that makes me very wise. Have you lived in downtown Seattle? The market is good for buyers who are willing to purchase a $200,000 + i bedroom condo that is incredibly small (700Sqft) Just to own somerthing. Meanwhile, We are not comfortable -we are working our butts off for our dream, not having children when we want to (again, being wise) and saving what little we can, so we can make the BEST purchase for our family, not just the fastest one. As you know, because you did it, it doesnt mean we aren't making huge sacrifices....

We have to live in this expensive little house because we took pets from jerks who abused them and didnt want these darling, elderly animals going to shelters. The space was neccessary. We may have the nice house, but we would rather be saving in something more reasonable. These little guys give us a lot of joy though, so there is a payoff. Dont put all renters into a category of unwillingness to be "adults" and make "sacrifices" because you never know why they have to rent.

I eat triscuits and cream cheese daily for lunch.
I wear the same pair of pants, shoes and fleece every day
I dont get my hair done anymore
we cut cable
we cook all meals at home
We both work full time
Haven't seen any of my family in almost a year because i didnt fly home for Christmas or a visit during the year) to cut on airfare.
No health insurance

*I miss my family, I want to eat well, I want to look nice, I want a break, I want to go on dates with my new husband, I WANT TO GO TO THE DENTIST! but I dont. because I am making sacrifices.

[ElektroDragon]

Originally Posted by KGreene

Its sad. My husband and I work really hard, make almost 60K combined (which in Seattle is basically poverty level- sorry but its true- we spend money on NO extras) and we can only rent. Granted, we want to stay in the city limits. Right now we're renting a small house in Queen Anne for $1700/mo. ouch! People say we're crazy because thats a mortgage- yes, but it is a mortgage on a TINY condo- That is just a no go for us! So, yes Its a great thing for people that housing is coming down!

I hope one day we will own...

Or, for $1700 a month, buy a nice 1600 sqft non-condo house in Canyon Park/Thrasher's Corner with a huge yard (9000 sqft). Your kids can walk to school, and you can still walk to a park, restaurants, and tons of shopping. Granted, you may have to walk a full mile, but its great exercise! Or hop in a car and be at Alderwood Mall or I5 in 7 minutes, or 405 in 3 minutes. You'd still be within city limits, only it would be Bothell. We only make around $75K total, so we're not that much better off, and I'm not making any of those sacrifices. Do you absolutely NEED to be within Seattle limits? You'd be less than 30 minutes to Seattle unless there is bad traffic. Under 20 to Bellevue. I find it hard to believe that an extra $15K a year can make the difference between owning in Bothell without sacrifices and renting in Seattle with all those sacrifices , but if it can, I apologize.

[KGreene]

I have never even hear of those places! (bothell, yes) Unforturnately, no.. we need to be in Seattle. I commute to Bainbridge and really, its a much better fit for us anyway.

Personally, I would rather start somwhere new entirely... Seattle is wonderful, but its my Hubby's city, not mine.