Just signed contract to buy a house in Heron (Four Corners: rental car, rentals)

[Mr Miker]

They might deliver from Sandpoint for a fee. If you get stuff from Home Depot you might have to wait a couple days before they get a full truck load to come this far out.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by dawnterese

Thank you for the welcome! We are looking forward to the move and have already spoken with a few of the neighbors around our new home. The cost of moving about 2000 miles turned out to be very high, even using ABF U Pack, which we've used before and was always the most affordable option. Given the cost, we were considering maybe just hitching a small trailer to the back of our vehicle for clothes, paperwork, etc. and just buying new furniture out there. Are there any furniture stores that would deliver to Heron out that way? If not, I suppose we just bite the bullet and move the stuff we have.

The nearest town big enough to have many different furniture stores would be Spokane, WA, about 120 miles away. (Missoula is further away.) You'll get used to Eastern WA, North Idaho and NW MT being one cultural region. I know there is a Mor For Less store. You might want to call them and ask if they deliver to Heron. They might--after all, everybody in the entire region goes to Spokane for major purchases. But anything you're particularly fond of, I'd bring it if I were you!

[Mr Miker]

And one little trick-when you go to Spokane for major purchases tell them you are from Montana and are exempt from sales tax in their state. If you're buying cars or furniture or computers or anything you can get away without sales tax just because Washington towns with that stuff for sale are closer than Montana towns.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by dawnterese

We closed on the house and the paperwork was completed Friday, so for better or worse, we are moving to Heron in about a month.

Hey Dawnterese, it's been about a month! Keep us posted about the move, and what you think of the house and the area. Hope it all works out for you. Here's a picture from Elk Creek Road (yes, it does have elk!) last year in May, it should be just south of your place:

[DontLookPhoto]

Originally Posted by Mr Miker

And one little trick-when you go to Spokane for major purchases tell them you are from Montana and are exempt from sales tax in their state. If you're buying cars or furniture or computers or anything you can get away without sales tax just because Washington towns with that stuff for sale are closer than Montana towns.

I don't think that that is true. Many retailers don't charge Montana residents sales tax as a courtesy (wanting repeat customers from Montana) and I don't think there is any official law that makes folks from Montana "exempt". They often do choose to not charge the tax and they may be violating Washington state law by doing so.

It may be that I am wrong on this but I doubt it.
We live in Montana and we do shop in Spokane often, we have inquired about the sales tax we are often charged while shopping there and had been told by more than one retailers that they have to charge sales tax on all sales no matter where the customer lives.

[historyfan]

Why can an Oregon resident purchase clothing in a Washington store, present some identification, and not have to pay sales tax?

A:*
RCW 82.08.0273, provides an exemption from the retail sales tax to certain nonresidents of Washington for purchases of tangible personal property, digital goods, and digital codes, for use outside this state. This statutory exemption is available only to residents of states other than Washington, US possessions, or*Canadian territories or provinces that do not impose or have imposed on their behalf, a generally applicable*retail sales tax, use tax, value added tax, gross receipts tax on retailing activities, or similar generally applicable tax of*3% or more. Qualifying nonresident buyers must present picture identification noting their out-of-state address to the seller at the time of purchase.

Currently, residents of the following jurisdictions qualify for this exemption:
Alaska
Colorado
Delaware
Montana
New Hampshire
Oregon
American Samoa
Alberta
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
Yukon Territory
*
Purchases of meals, hotel rooms, laundry services, or other services or products the nonresident uses while in Washington do not qualify for the exemption.

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by historyfan

Why can an Oregon resident purchase clothing in a Washington store, present some identification, and not have to pay sales tax?

A:*
RCW 82.08.0273, provides an exemption from the retail sales tax to certain nonresidents of Washington for purchases of tangible personal property, digital goods, and digital codes, for use outside this state. This statutory exemption is available only to residents of states other than Washington, US possessions, or*Canadian territories or provinces that do not impose or have imposed on their behalf, a generally applicable*retail sales tax, use tax, value added tax, gross receipts tax on retailing activities, or similar generally applicable tax of*3% or more. Qualifying nonresident buyers must present picture identification noting their out-of-state address to the seller at the time of purchase.

Currently, residents of the following jurisdictions qualify for this exemption:
Alaska
Colorado
Delaware
Montana
New Hampshire
Oregon
American Samoa
Alberta
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
Yukon Territory
*
Purchases of meals, hotel rooms, laundry services, or other services or products the nonresident uses while in Washington do not qualify for the exemption.

........always nice to read posts that are based on "fact" and not "conjecture"........ "bully" for you 'historyfan'
....as a side note......I've purchased "hundreds" of items from a variety of merchants in Spokane since 1979 (including a new automobile and thousands of dollars worth of appliances, lighting fixtures etc for a new home)..............and never have paid one cent of tax.

[Room512]

Hi Dawnterese! Don't know if you've made it out here yet, but when you do please let us know if you need anything. And please keep us up to date on your adjustment to Heron life. We're all excited to know what you think of your new home and community.

[dawnterese]

Well, we have been here for about six months now and absolutely love it! The house turned out to be much nicer than we thought, needing mostly just some "prettying up" which we are still working on. We ended up buying furniture on craigslist, and after a few trips to Spokane and CDA, we have what we need to be comfortable for now. I still look around me and think that this is the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life.

Clark Fork Fantast, that was an amazing picture of the elk on Elk Creek. We really enjoyed seeing them when we drove down that road in the spring, and even had a herd on our front lawn when we first moved here. We fenced the front for the livestock now, and we haven't seen them in a while, or maybe it's because of the time of year with hunting season and everything and they are just staying more in the trees. We did have a couple of moose come through in the spring, which was great to see also.

We're getting ready for winter now, have our firewood, and bought an old truck with a plow. I was thinking of getting some studded tires for my Jeep, but they seem to be really expensive. Any recommendations on where to buy them, or even if we really need them?

[historyfan]

Hope you enjoy this winter. The key to no major problems is plenty of winter prep.
Snow tires seem a prudent purchase. Also be certain to have head bolt heaters and/or oil pan heaters for all vehicles, heavy duty extension cords for them, and get vehicle winterization of all fluids & a battery check.

Your home might need winterization of water pipes or other prep. For example, this weekend we will hang & turn on a new light bulb in the bottom of the well houses. The small amount of heat generated by 60 watt incandescent keeps the pump & water lines trouble free all winter. Water lines & pipes not used in winter will be drained or blown out with a compressor, RV antifreeze poured in any traps, drains, etc in unused buildings/houses, heat tapes turned on & checked on waterlines in outbuildings that are used....

Most of our prep concerns water; water lines, livestock waterer heaters, hydrants.

We also pour Seafoam in all gas powered motors like augers, lawnmowers, weedeaters.