From Texas to Washington - bad call? (Seattle, Vancouver: transplants, real estate)

[disneyfanatic]

Hey guys!

I'm originally from Ontario, Canada, went to school there and everything. My fiance's from Texas and works in the gas and oil industry. We're currently residing in Texas. We're thinking of moving to Washington state mainly because of me. I have a comparatively uncommon skin condition that makes my life very difficult when exposed to heat and sunlight. Money and jobwise we're good here but it's tough for me because of my health issues, also because I'm the only child of my parents and I'd like to stay close to Canada so that I can visit them more often. We are thinking of moving near Blaine, Bellingham or Ferndale. I have plenty of questions to be honest...

1) How are the current job situation within the oil and gas industry in Washington? (my fiance is an electrical engineer and works with oil refineries)

2) I have an honors degree in communications..nothing fancy, not a lot of work experience. am I going to have a lot of difficulty finding a job?

3) I know housing situation is prolly not the same in Washington like Texas. We'd prefer a house within 200k (Our current house is 2300 sqft and we got it for 160k, brand new) is it possible to get a fairly new house with 3 bedrooms within that price range.

4) How's the commute from Blaine, Bellingham, Ferndale to Vancouver?

5) Out of Blaine, Bellingham and Ferndale which area would you recommend in terms of safety, transportation and entertainment. We have no children.

6) Other than housing, what would be my biggest living expense.

7) How are the communities there? Are people friendly and welcoming? We have no friends or family there..how difficult would it be to start from scratch?

8) Money and expensewise..is it a bad idea to move to Washington from Texas? We don't have any savings..

I'm sure I'll have more questions as I do more research...Thank you for your help.

[Granny Fats]

Been there, done that.

I had great difficulty finding a good-paying job with fulltime hours. But a Double E should fare well, even if his experience isn't in hydroelectric.
People were unfriendly, in my experience, except other transplants, who were friendly.
There was a tremendous amount of regulations that I found bothersome, concerning land use.
House prices were through the mossy roof.
Keeping the house warm was a big expense for us.
There was a bias against the energy industries. I think right now, coal is especially disliked.
It was a nice area in terms of plants and sea, but I think B'ham has lousy weather as compared to middle Washington.
Blaine, nah.
You won't have to worry about getting too warm, so that's a plus for you.

Some people LOVE it there. I LOVED the sea and plants, would like to go back for that! But priced out, alas.

You are young! Go for it! You can always come back to Texas if things don't work out (I did).

[Hemlock140]

The Cherry Point Refinery is in the Blaine-Ferndale area, and there is another farther south in Anacortes. You can check the websites for openings in his area of expertise by selecting the location and type of job. While in general our cost of living is higher than most of Texas, that northern-border area is far more reasonable than here in the Seattle metro. Ferndale will have homes in your price range though more will be $200-300k. We drive from the Seattle area to Vancouver several times a year, and the time of day, day of week, and time of year all make a difference in crossing time. Basically avoid the commute times and tourist seasons and it's a lot faster. We have gone through in as little as 15 minutes or as much as 90 minutes. Coming back Sunday afternoon in summer is the worst.


Jobs and careers at BP

[Hacker1234]

I have not been to Vancouver in like 15 years, do you need a passport now? I used to be able to get in just showing my drivers license.

[analogkid84]

Property taxes, homeowner's insurance and, likely, car insurance will be less expensive - and those are a decent part of your budget. The actual purchase price of a comparable house will be more. I don't necessarily buy the whole cost of living is less thing here in Texas. For us, personally, moving to NE Houston, it has been about a wash actually.

Gas will be more expensive in WA, by about 40-50 cents per gallon from what I've seen. Electricity costs per kWh will likely be less and though you will heat more in the winter, you won't have to worry about months on end of running the A/C. You also won't have to worry about switching your REP to keep up with the lowest costs. It will get cold up there during the winter, especially when cold air spills out of the Frasier River valley into that area. Moving anywhere without some sort of savings is risky, at best, but without kids you're at the best time of your life to do it. I know once my kids are out of the house, I'm doing what I can to move back, but this is personal and not health related (well, maybe mental health). Hopefully others can chime in with specifics about that area. I love Bellingham and all of the outdoor opportunities there are, but cannot say much about Blaine or Ferndale. Good luck with things.

It may also be helpful to post to the general Washington board on this site, with your area of interest in the subject line.

Current openings at Tesoro refinery in Anacortes: Engineering

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by Hacker1234

I have not been to Vancouver in like 15 years, do you need a passport now? I used to be able to get in just showing my drivers license.

I believe you do need a passport unless you get an "enhanced" WA license. I do not know the procedure for obtaining one as I will always have a valid passport (husband is foreign).

[analogkid84]

WA State Licensing (DOL) Official Site: Enhanced Driver License Program resources for other states

[thatguy950]

Engineering jobs aren't as hot in Seattle/Bham as they will be in TX, not even close. In fact, nothing as far as jobs are concerned will be even close to what you have in TX, so keep that in mind. Of course when it comes to health reasons, sometimes it's worth it to not live as lavishly so that you can be comfortable, you can't buy your health after all. I have a M.S. in electrical engineering and when I was getting started I found it to be more difficult here than elsewhere, but luckily I fell into something quickly. There is a higher demand for programmers and IT than anything else, but when I was working as an engineer I actually did computer engineering. I actually went back to school to get a BA in accounting and a CPA license for added job security (and I am currently enrolled in an MBA program at UW), but as I have said in other threads, my education certainly doesn't "stand out" in Seattle and often you'll need a BA/BS just to get a job driving a fork lift or work the front desk at a hotel...no joke unfortunately. Many of the people who come here and have good jobs are farmed out from other states and are HIGHLY qualified and will fill positions as-needed, moving on a whim and trying to find work will be exponentially more difficult.

A communications degree will be rough in Seattle, no denying that, but engineering should pan out, albeit at probably much lower wages than you guys are used to down there. It can be really hard to find a career in Seattle as well, jobs are easy, but many with "jobs" will struggle mightily as the cost of living IS much higher here regardless of what other posters may insinuate. For 200k in the Seattle area you can maybe find a studio in downtown or a condo in a terrible part of town, but I doubt it. I have friends who work in real estate and it's such a seller's market right now many homes are going for 15%+ over list according to them, and often bidding wars break out for what's available. I'm not sure how it translates in Bellingham, but I know it'll be a lot more than Texas, even if it is cheaper than the Seattle-area.

I wish you the best of luck, but I think it would be best to try and at least secure an engineering job before moving out here, this place can suck up your savings VERY quickly. On the bright side, you WILL feel much better here physically, as I know what a TX summer is like and it's nothing like that in Seattle. I cannot imagine how miserable it would be with a medical condition that makes heat/sunlight hard to tolerate.

For reference, this is about what 200k (probably will go for more) gets you in the Seattle area:
http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...62-97725?row=8
Basically a crack den built in 1921 that's the size of a basketball court in a pretty crappy part of town, where you will hear sirens all night and jets taking off and landing...

[StealthRabbit]

Since you are Canadian, Why not move to Canada? More jobs, more expensive, but at least you can get Health Care!!!!

gonna need 6-12 months savings, so start working PT / nightshift jobs in TX. (BTDT for 40+ yrs)

option: Come visit, and get a job BEFORE you move.

Rural Ferndale will probably be most reasonable housing costs, but minimally acceptable @$200k. (Rural spot with Modular home). I have found people very nice and friendly in rural Ferndale. (I frequent a few churches there). PNW is NOT as friendly and helpful as TX. and few potlucks (BooHoo)

Food is about same to less in WA (I have a home in TX too), Gardening year-round is possible, store fruits and veggies in season, eat lots of $3 Salmon bought from NA fisheries.
Utilities are MUCH less in PNW, and you can heat by wood (usually free)

Border crossing is no problem if you plan your trips and avoid the main crossings.
Get your enhanced license (tho it will require you to wear a 'Chip'). TX folks will not usually be keen on that.

[disneyfanatic]

Thanks for replies really appreciate it.

Well great I'm all bummed out now.. The houses that we possibly could afford there looks terrible. While for half the price we're living in a 3 bedroom house now..

I'm assuming it's probably not going to be a comfortable life if we have just one income in the household from my fiance's potential engineering job and my useless communication degree?

Do you have any idea about the payscales for utilities/reliabity engineers there? I have looked up on glassdoor and it seems rather totally vague or confusing.

How's their medical care related job industry? If I go back to school to be trained as a medical assistant or something would that boost my chances of making a living? Or any particular sector that you would suggest?

My condition is so bad that if I'm out on a bright sunny hot day for about just half an hour, in a fully tinted car, I still end up with painful blisters all over my arms and my face. Forget about getting out. It's been extremely difficult. I have considered staying home but how long can I do that I feel suffocated. Since in Ottawa I was used to go for walks down the trails or to the park or sit by the lake everyday. It's not just physically painful but mentally exhausting for me.. Texas is great. I still haven't gotten used to living in here but I see that people are nice and there are tons of opportunities for my fiance to move on with his career and perhaps even I could find a good source of income eventually. But waking up everyday with ideas of how can I stay away from going outside is really frustrating. I sure don't wanna live like a prisoner in my own house but that being said I don't want us to financially struggle forever..neither of our parents are rich, it was very difficult for the both of us to finish school. And now that one of us actually made it into a somewhat decently paying career I feel awful to be the one to ruin it all..

Any thoughts on how we could approach or how should we start preparing if we really do get to move? I understand my questions and concerns are broad..I'm just lost and confused.. Thanks and appreciation for everyone for their time and advice.