Help us pick a place to live! (Seattle, Vancouver: best cities, sales)

[mar99]

My husband and I have lived in Los Angeles all of our lives and are planning on relocating to Washington. We're having a lot of trouble narrowing down exactly where we want to live and have lots of questions!

First of all, what are the pros and cons of living in the general Seattle area (not right in Seattle, but maybe something like Sequim or Bellevue) vs. the Vancouver area?

Within those areas, what are the best cities?

Basically, we're concerned with finding the best place for our kids to grow up in, and an area that will give us the most bang for our buck (we're financially comfortable, but sick of spending a fortune in LA). In particular we'd like to find a nice neighborhood, where housing isn't necessarily cheap, but the cost of living for everything else is (ie. food, personal items, etc)

Also, we'd like to find out more about property taxes in Washington. Is there some publication somewhere that lists this for different regions of Washington?

Thanks so much for your help!

[CityGirl72]

I'm from Los Angeles, and I live in Seattle and I have kids too

What part of LA are you from, I'm Marina Del Rey/Westchester area (Born Santa Monica, then moved to Sacramento for College, moved to Seattle 3 years ago)

The schools in Seattle are poor, most people will put their kids in a private school

All the areas around Seattle that you have mentioned are very good schools and are the more expensive places to live (but probably a bargain in LA dollars)

We really like the Vancouver WA area best - it's a bit slower then Seattle but still has the hipness of Portland...that would be my choice

PS - We are moving to LA (probably Ventura County) in the next couple of years. I don't really like the weather up here - it's too cold all year long, and there's only a very short lived summer (80 degrees for only a few weeks to maybe a month) I've been sick because of all the moisture, and just generally tired of being cooped up in the house all the time because of the weather.

[StealthRabbit]

You need to visit to get the feel, as SEA and Vanc are quite different, mainly the SEA waterfront / sea fairing input. + SEA has lots of big city activities (more than Portland) but it is really HUGE.

Portland is a bit more 'granola', less 'coffee'
The OR coast (1.5 hrs west of PDX) is really nice and there are plenty of free and fun things to do for families in PDX. I'm sure the same in SEA.

I would consider PDX easier to manuever (get to a variety of activities quickly). Vanc / PDX prices will be more towards the low end of SEA, and more variety of prices and places within 20-30 minutes of central PDX. The close availability of numerous college choices is pretty strong point of PDX

Shopping in Portland saves the sales tax (~8%) but doesn't help the merchants in Vancouver, nor contribute to the WA governor's coffer. (who was elected by SEA ) . Both OR and WA have terrible voter representation, as 2-3 counties sway the elections, and the business and farm owners in the remaining 90% of the state suffer HUGE burdens. It's fine if you are an "employee", and even better if you are a renter, too !

property taxes are usually posted by county and region. Basically it seems to average ~ $15 per $1000 of home value. This can vary tho depending on school and emergency district. We have places across the street where one is $14.70 levy and the other $8.20, so it pays to seek this info out.
WA taxes on 100% of Fair Market Value, but assessors vary on how aggressive they rachet up. (ours is very aggressive and I am in court, again... on my home valuation contest -value went from $380k-to $800K in one yr,). They usually do a 'physical' inspection and re-value every 3 yrs. (they also do frequent aerial / satellite photos to be sure you don't make any new 'additions'). If you build new, don't sheetrock before Aug, as values are determined in July . That will give you a yr 'reprieve' (usually 50% of value). Some states use a 'homestead' exemption (ID) and other tax you on an adjusted value (7% of FMV in WYO , and ~ 60% of FMV in OR) But OR has a healthy state income tax (which WYO doesn't) and OR has some fiscal responsibility issues. WA State has a pretty big surplus and that is largely due to really heavy taxes on businesses. I feel the property taxes are very high, and probably all spent... as I mentioned, it is not a killer unless you are a business owner, or have a 'fixed income' (that can hurt). The lack of income tax is a bonus, (If you have income...) but WA does have a pretty high tax burden as compared to other states.

[WA2TN]

We relocated from San Diego, CA to Bellingham 3 years ago, and we love it here. It is a middle size town (population 70,000 or so) with great schools and very safe community. We have all the shopping you could want (Target, Best Buy, Walmart, Home Depot & Lowes, etc) Bells Fair mall and some very good theater and arts. We're about 90 minutes north of Seattle and 50 miles south of Vancouver in Canada.

We live in a commuity called Sudden Valley (www.SuddenValley.com) which has lakefront/marina, golf course, and lots and lots of beautiful green trees.

If you want to get outside of the big city, but still be close enough to go there when you want, you might research Bellingham some!

[seahawksweetie]

WOW, so many people from San Diego! I currently live in the Lakeside area and we will be moving early next year - 2008. I can't wait to get up there. I hate the heat, the desert, the palm trees, etc. I love it up there. Go up there every chance we get.

We haven't quite narrowed it down yet as to where to move to. We don't own a home now so that isn't an issue on selling it or anything. We have two kids and were kind of thinking the homes looked nice in Puyallup and Bonney Lake, but not sure how they are for schools. I know people say traffic is a bear, but I used to live in LA and having experienced that, I think I can handle any traffic, except maybe NYC.

[jwb123]

Would you be commuting to Seattle from Bonney Lake/Puyallup? That's more than just "a bear".

[ridemhorseygirl]

You won't find Bellevue/Seattle housing very cheap and Sequim probably doesn't offer what you'd want in education. You might consider the Northshore school district which is outside of Bellevue. The commute is horrendous, however, just about anywhere in the Puget Sound.

[fourfirs]

I've lived in the Bellevue area for 30 years and I've been yearning to move for a while. The traffic is awful, but probably doesn't compare to LA. Schools are excellent. My wife and I plan to retire to the Olympic Peninsula. You would probably like the Vancouver area. I don't know what the employment situation is like there though. Seattle and the surrounding area is growing like crazy. Beautiful as it is.

[triselmore]

I live in South Richland here in the Tri-cities. I have also lived in San Diego. This place reminds me of it. It is paradise. You should look into it. Very low cost of living, great schools, amazing sense of community and the fastest grownig area in the Northwest. Check out realtor.com to see what you can get-I think you will be amazed and start packing your bags right away, hee-hee.

[PNW]

Most cities in Snohomish County are within commuting distance to Seattle and there are commuter buses from most of them to Seattle.

Snohomish County is a great place to raise a family.
Go to this website and click on the SCOPI map to see actual photos, statistics, and taxes on each home in Sno.County:

http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/Assessor/

Keep in mind that the assessed value does not equal the market value which is climbing steadily. Edmonds School District is one of the better districts in Sno. Co.

For starters, try Lynnwood, Edmonds, Bothell, Mill Creek.

Good Luck!