Expenses of moving to washington (how much, home, unemployment)

[Zenith void]

Im interested in moving to washington state but have not been able to find reliable fact on things like state tax, yearly car inspections fees, and various forms of money that a person would have to spend to move and live in Washington state. Any help on locating information on the web or otherwise would be helpful. Im planning to attend college for Computer Security either before or after the move and eventually would like a job in the stated career field. Im not to picky about were i would live so long as i can make it out to the snow resorts during the winter in a hour or two.

once again thanks for any info that is provided.

[RobE]

In Thurston County, we don't have any car inspection/smog check. YMMV, depending on the county you choose to reside in.

Property taxes are high relative to California (no prop 13 here), as are food prices and water rates, but gas prices are lower. Car tags are low and driver's license renewal is every five years. Where I live, I get in and out of the DMV usually within about 15 minutes in nice, clean offices as opposed to the under-air conditioned zoo holding pens where you are trapped in a line for an hour or more in CA.

One other thing: the speed limits here are made to generate traffic tickets since the state troopers are basically used as a shakedown racket to generate income for the state rather than as a real law enforcement agency. They also pull a lot of people over for things such as not wearing a seat belts (I don't understand folks who don't wear them anyway) and other ticky tack stuff. Car theft is rampant here like it is in CA.

[Ultrarunner]

The only thing that came as a real surprise is learning first hand that there really is no limit how much the the county can increase individual property taxes...

I'm in a neighborhood where taxes went up 30 to 40% one year over last...

I know of no way to budget for this and it is my only WA regret... this would my only reason for selling and was not a problem when I originally bought...

The WA Supreme Court threw out PROP 747 that limited tax increases... so now individuals are at the mercy of the County...

[orlandoyankee]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

The only thing that came as a real surprise is learning first hand that there really is no limit how much the the county can increase individual property taxes...

I'm in a neighborhood where taxes went up 30 to 40% one year over last...

I know of no way to budget for this and it is my only WA regret... this would my only reason for selling and was not a problem when I originally bought...

The WA Supreme Court threw out PROP 747 that limited tax increases... so now individuals are at the mercy of the County...

Is there any relief on the horizon to alleviate the potential for huge year-to-year property tax increases? You mention that the WA Supreme Court threw out Prop 747. Is there any movement by the state legislators to address this issue in the next 2-3 years? Being in FL, I don't follow the local issues in WA very well. However, I am retiring in the next 2-3 years and Washington WAS on my short list. If there is always going to be a possibility that property taxes can jump by that amount, it would seem that the politicians are shooting themselves in the foot. And sadly, I will have to consider more tax friendly locales.

[Ultrarunner]

Yes... there are several groups dedicated to WA property tax issues...

Shelly Taylor, co-founder of Predictable Tax keeps people informed of Bills in the legislature and County Tax measures...

I'm sure not everyone has seen such dramatic increases... I can only speak to mine and that of my Neighbors in Thurston County...

My Home Property Tax has increased each and every year and I have not had any success pleading my case with the Assessor's Office.

I did plenty of research before buying and I-747 was the law of the land...

Other than the uncertainty and lack of predictability in Property Taxes... unless predictability means always an increase... WA is truly a beautiful State... I just wish the political end of things would finally get straightened out... we did not know who won the election for Governor a few years back for weeks... and this was in the midst of the I-747 mess.

There are several Threads pertaining to WA taxes here on City-Data.com

[Sobefobik]

I didn't see it on here, but I wanted to mention that we do not have a state income tax like most other states do. I don't know anything about property taxes because I don't own a home.

[nwexplor]

Keep in mind that Washington State has about 9.2% unemployment. Don't move here without a serious emergency fund.

[Zenith void]

thanks for the info. i continue my research and i just might move in the next year or two.