Interested in moving to Washington, looking for the right place. (Seattle: transplants, apartment)

[ShadowXOR]

Wow, thanks for all the help I appreciate it very much! Someone on a forum elsewhere said there wasn't much in Bothell, but you sound much more educated on the topic so I'm going with what you say. Bothell does sound like a great place. I also checked out Kenmore and it had a low crime-rate as well so both are at the top of my list. They are both a little more expensive than what I was hoping for, but I'll have to look into it more. I think I've found what I'm looking for but if anyone has more ideas/commentary please feel free to add to the converation! There is no such thing as too much information!

[ShadowXOR]

Oh yeah, I've heard a difference of opinion on this, but I would like to know. I make about $16/hr here in California but I've heard people telling me not to expect that much in Washington. I only have a High School diploma and lots of computer experience (fast typer as well). Is this true?

EDIT: Do you think this is enough to survive in Bothell? My girlfriend will also have a part-time or full-time job, though likely making about half as much as me (maybe a little more). I just hope the traffic into Seattle isn't TOO bad.

[compltlyme]

Originally Posted by ShadowXOR

Oh yeah, I've heard a difference of opinion on this, but I would like to know. I make about $16/hr here in California but I've heard people telling me not to expect that much in Washington. I only have a High School diploma and lots of computer experience (fast typer as well). Is this true?

EDIT: Do you think this is enough to survive in Bothell? My girlfriend will also have a part-time or full-time job, though likely making about half as much as me (maybe a little more). I just hope the traffic into Seattle isn't TOO bad.

I am from CA too and yeah pretty much true... Starting pay here isn't as much as in CA. As for living off of that in Bothell I think on a decent budget one can do it. But it depends on what you expect from housing and such. Having a degree helps so if you want to go that direction...you only have to be here 1 year to establish residency. In CA I believe it is 2 years. And Traffic is bad according to Wasingtonians...but if you know the OC and LA freeways...this is NOTHING!!

[ShadowXOR]

I know the LA freeways, though I avoid them thankfully so I definitely don't deal with much traffic often.

How much less should I be expecting to make? I have a rather large car payment.

[compltlyme]

I guess that depends on what kind of computer experience you have. I know someone with tons of computer knowledge and experience among other things yet had no degree and that was an obstacle. All she could find was anywhere from 9-12 an hour. Not good.

[Just4K]

Originally Posted by ShadowXOR

Honestly I don't think I would mind living in a place like that too much but I doubt I could afford it. Are the areas surrounding them expensive too? Any places closeby that are cheaper? Also, do you know anything about Olympia? It's the capital but seems VERY affordable. I'm not sure how the jobs are though. I am engaged (and have been for five years, no rush to get married) so we will have two incomes. Just so you have an idea I'm making roughly $30,000/yr and she makes roughly $15,000/yr. One of the big draws is lower expenses so I don't prefer to move to an expensive place, but I must live in a nice city/place. If it's kind of small that's O.K. but I don't want to pay a fortune and I don't want to live in a dump.

Hi Shadow,
Before moving to the NW I checked out the following website. http://www.******/ It asks a lot of questions regarding your preferences and then gives you several suggestions. It helped me a lot.

Good luck and let us know how this works for you.

[ShadowXOR]

Thanks for that website Just4K, I'll check it out!

Maybe you guys could clear something up for me. A lot of people are saying I should be expecting to make less, but after checking Monster.com, people with my level of education seem to have the same opportunities up there as I do down here. I found Customer Service jobs making about 30k/yr, which is how much I make down here.

Also some people are claiming it's very expensive to live up there, yet others say they make as much as me and are living alone in a nice area with no problems! I'm getting so many mixed reviews! I'm pretty much to the point where I am 99.9% sure that the Seattle area is where I want to live, I just don't want to move there and be too poor to survive! Everyone I know is down here, so I can't borrow money to make the bills if I run up short! Some people claim it's much cheaper up there, others are saying it costs about the same! I'm very confused with the mixed opinions. Statistically at least, it seems a good amount cheaper. As long as I can afford to survive I am going to the Seattle area.

A few new questions for you excellent folks. How is the public transportation? Also, as an adult this is my first time choosing where to move and when. How do I go about finding a job/house BEFORE I get there? I'm very confused as to how I would interview and apply for a place to live! It would suck to have to drive/fly up there to interview/sign papers before I actually move! That would add a lot to my expenses. Can anyone share some light on this important aspect of moving?

[scirocco22]

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[ShadowXOR]

Thanks for the help. It might be tough as traveling back and forth would be expensive, but I'm going to have to work something out. I need to do more thinking and I will post again later.

[ShadowXOR]

I was reading the Wikipedia page and it says that Seattle is often just a light sprinkle, and rarely ever TRULY rains. Is this true? It also says it has nearly the same cost as L.A. or New York due to the tech boom around 2000. Now from my research it seems that Seattle is much safer than both of those cities, a much lower population, and doesn't cost nearly as much. For homes in my area (Southern California) it costs about $1,400 a month for a DECENT townhome, while I'm seeing prices around Seattle being around $1,000 for a similar looking place. Am I just confused? It seems significantly cheaper and nicer.

Sorry I'm being so anal over all of this, I'm very picky and want to be sure my move is the correct one! I checked prices and a plane ticket is pretty cheap round-trip and is only a 2 1/2 hour flight. But I'm kind of afraid of planes, the train ticket costs about the same (I've never ridden a train) but is a whopping 25 hour trip! I'm tempted to take the train since I've never done it before...

EDIT: Maybe I just live in an expensive town, but there are VERY few places to rent in my town, and they are all much more expensive than anything in Bellevue, Redmond, and Bothell. Hell, the houses in Washington look like a DEAL. Maybe I can afford to live in one of the "fancier" areas. Everything here is SO much more expensive. This is according to my research on Rent.com. House purchasing prices are much lower as well (though still high for Washington from what I can tell).

EDIT 2: Well now that I'm pretty sure I can afford to live in one of the "nicer" cities in Washington, can you please suggest some affluent areas that have good jobs/a low crime rate?

I want to be close to Seattle in the Snohomish or King county areas. So far my list of places to look VERY closely at is Bellevue, Bothell, Remond, and Kirkland. Do I have them all or are there a few more that meet my needs? I think we're coming close to a decision, you are all amazingly helpful!