How do Seattleites feel about the COL? (Vancouver, Pacific: renters, coops)

[MrJester]

Originally Posted by thatguy950

I never understood the wealthy Asians buying up Seattle when they can buy in SoCal for about the same price. I mean they’re parking money so income tax isn’t an issue for almost all of them, universities in SoCal for their kids are far better, property taxes are lower and less aggressive there, and who the F wants to be in Seattle anyway when you can be in San Diego or somewhere like that?

Property taxes everywhere in SoCal are around 1 percent; 1.4% if you pay Mello-Roos. How much are property taxes in a newer area in King County?

Are there really that many Asian buyers in Seattle? Seattle seems very white, not Asian at all.

[thatguy950]

Originally Posted by MrJester

Property taxes everywhere in SoCal are around 1 percent; 1.4% if you pay Mello-Roos. How much are property taxes in a newer area in King County?

Are there really that many Asian buyers in Seattle? Seattle seems very white, not Asian at all.

They’re a little higher in most of WA, but I suppose I didn’t specify enough, Washington is extremely “generous”’with its assessments of property (and there are no homestead exemption or similar so old timers routinely get taxed out of their lakefront homes they bought 50 years ago unless they want to get raked over the coals and defer until they sell), and the values on my WA homes are quite a bit higher than their market value. Another problem is, as with California, the assessments only go one way regardless of the market value. We’ve always paid way, way more in property taxes in Washington than in SoCal primarily due to wa having no prop 13.

As far as Asians go, Bellevue and surrounding areas is where the investors seemed to focus their energy, a lot of the public schools in Bellevue are around 50% Asian students these days, which could be why they perform so well in standardized tests

[pnwguy2]

Asian population is about 14% within Seattle, and about 15% in King County. This makes this minority the largest in the region.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by 41Willys

What are you guys talking about? Like a Cosco?

This is what I'm wondering, too. WHat's Grocery Outlet?

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by MrJester

Property taxes everywhere in SoCal are around 1 percent; 1.4% if you pay Mello-Roos. How much are property taxes in a newer area in King County?

Are there really that many Asian buyers in Seattle? Seattle seems very white, not Asian at all.

That part of the discussion isn't about Asian residents; it's about Asian investors from overseas, investing in US real estate as a safe haven for their money. It's about non-owner-occupied units, whether those are a SFH, a high-end condo, or an entire building. This became a huge problem in Vancouver, BC.

You make a good point, though; if it's purely as an investment, why buy in WA State, where the property taxes are so much higher than in CA? The thing is, the State of CA will come after you, demanding you pay income tax as well, until you prove you're not a resident at all.

[GraceKrispy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

This is what I'm wondering, too. WHat's Grocery Outlet?

Discount food, but only certain products. I guess it's kind of like a Costco, but on a MUCH smaller scale with fewer goods. It's really hit and miss if you are looking for certain products, but I always buy gifts of wine there.
https://groceryoutlet.com

It has really dumb commercials that worm their way into your brain and never give up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q83ZduXuDnA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_s2ZP2LdW8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm0qrdWO3fc

Ok, I'm kind of entertained by them

[Count David]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

Discount food, but only certain products. I guess it's kind of like a Costco, but on a MUCH smaller scale with fewer goods. It's really hit and miss if you are looking for certain products, but I always buy gifts of wine there.
https://groceryoutlet.com

We went to the one in Skyway when we were up there a couple of months ago. Got an incredible deal on Shredded Mini-Wheats, two boxes for 98 cents.

It's kind of a weird place, you should go in without having certain things to purchase in mind.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by Count David

We went to the one in Skyway when we were up there a couple of months ago. Got an incredible deal on Shredded Mini-Wheats, two boxes for 98 cents.

It's kind of a weird place, you should go in without having certain things to purchase in mind.

Grocery Outlet is in many NW cities, I think even in Nevada.

I shop there occasionally, as there are two stores in my area, one is brand new, so there is an indication they are trying to expand.

Yes, they don't have every product you may be looking for. As earlier links have stated, this chain deals with surplus supplies. What they don't tell you is a lot of product is simply product that doesn't sell in the usual retail settings. (But I guess that is the definition of surplus!)

If you are looking for popular brands, you will be disappointed. Instead you will find popular brands products that don't sell. Doesn't mean it is bad, it just means it isn't popular.

You can find bargains here, no doubt. I love a bargain, so I stop in about once every two weeks to see what is available. They even have occasional great bargains on fruit and veggies!

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by 41Willys

What are you guys talking about? Like a Cosco?

No, not a Costco because they don’t sell in bulk. From what I understand they are almost like what Marshall’s is to clothing. They buy up a lot of overstock at a discount, which they pass on to consumers, making their prices overall much lower than a QFC or Safeway, though the selection is nowhere near the level of one of the latter grocery stores. But you can get the essentials at a really good price. You just have to pay a lot of attention to the expiration dates especially for fresh items.

[leastprime]

COL in Seattle?
We find the COL in Redmond about the same as in mid-valley Oregon. We downsized and urbanized in the move. We traded distance to everywhere in Oregon for convenience in Washington. In total, Washington vs Oregon is about an even trade, for our life style. The one thing I miss is going out into the garden in Nov-March to pick mustard greens or collards, and of course as much tree fruits and tomatoes as we want.