Lakewood vs Puyallup

[Jane917]

Lake Issaquah? Do you mean Lake Sammamish?

I can't imagine why your daughter and her family would not like Puyallup and the surrounding area, especially coming from the craziness of San Jose and area. I would rather live on Whidbey Island too, but it can be impractical for families unless you also work on the Island. There are so many wonderful areas to live in the PNW. My San Jose family loves to visit us here and is amazed at the peace and quiet and quality of life. They would move in a heartbeat if they could. Good luck with your daughter's move.

[HMBgal]

Originally Posted by Jane917

Lake Issaquah? Do you mean Lake Sammamish?

I can't imagine why your daughter and her family would not like Puyallup and the surrounding area, especially coming from the craziness of San Jose and area. I would rather live on Whidbey Island too, but it can be impractical for families unless you also work on the Island. There are so many wonderful areas to live in the PNW. My San Jose family loves to visit us here and is amazed at the peace and quiet and quality of life. They would move in a heartbeat if they could. Good luck with your daughter's move.

Thanks for answering. I used to spend summers at my grandparent's 99 year lease right at the foot of Mt. Rainier, which means we never actually saw it. And I can remember the big exciting trips into Enumclaw(!). And as I got older, we had a friend who had a little cabin at Lake Issaquah. It felt like roughing it at the time, but I loved it anyway.

Are property taxes like they are here in California? We are being killed in property and income taxes. My husband is retired, but I can't afford to quite yet. I've always loved the Seattle area and have considered living there many times. But, I would want to live someplace quiet and beautiful. I live in someplace beautiful now, but dang, we can barely get out of our driveway most any weekend day because of the tourist traffic. And when we do go over the hill to the peninsula, it's even crazier.

I'm going to be coming up there mid-April for a week to help my daughter with her move. She's 7 months pregnant with a high-needs, boisterous 3 year old. Oy. I'm looking forward to driving around the area and seeing what's what. And I'll be spending most of the summer up there, too.

[Jane917]

Originally Posted by HMBgal

Thanks for answering. I used to spend summers at my grandparent's 99 year lease right at the foot of Mt. Rainier, which means we never actually saw it. And I can remember the big exciting trips into Enumclaw(!). And as I got older, we had a friend who had a little cabin at Lake Issaquah. It felt like roughing it at the time, but I loved it anyway.

Are property taxes like they are here in California? We are being killed in property and income taxes. My husband is retired, but I can't afford to quite yet. I've always loved the Seattle area and have considered living there many times. But, I would want to live someplace quiet and beautiful. I live in someplace beautiful now, but dang, we can barely get out of our driveway most any weekend day because of the tourist traffic. And when we do go over the hill to the peninsula, it's even crazier.

I'm going to be coming up there mid-April for a week to help my daughter with her move. She's 7 months pregnant with a high-needs, boisterous 3 year old. Oy. I'm looking forward to driving around the area and seeing what's what. And I'll be spending most of the summer up there, too.

I have lived in both the Wenatchee area and Clark County (Ridgefield, in north Clark County). The property taxes are definitely higher in the west side of the state. So are utilities. Utilities are dirt cheap in Wenatchee. As a state with no income tax, WA has to get the money somewhere, but property taxes are no where near as high as in CA (unless you still live in the same house you lived in prior to Prop 13). I am not sure Puyallup would be considered quiet and beautiful, as it is town that has grown a lot, as has all suburban Seattle towns. Not much in the way of tourism except when the State Fair is going on (mid September). There is lots of traffic that moves through town, though compared to San Jose the traffic is nonexistent.

Good luck on your exploration. When we decided to move from Wenatchee to SW WA (to be closer to kids and grandkids in Portland), we spent a lot of time exploring many towns in Clark County and all around Portland. We are very happy with our quality of life here.

[Ultrarunner]

My Thurston County Property tax went up 80% right after I-747 was tossed... it was the Washington version of Prop 13.

Not sure how this will end up... over a $1000 a month property tax of the house and land...

$6700 to $12060

[HMBgal]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

My Thurston County Property tax went up 80% right after I-747 was tossed... it was the Washington version of Prop 13.

Not sure how this will end up... over a $1000 a month property tax of the house and land...

$6700 to $12060

Ouch! I hope they're going to do an impound account. Those big checks are awfully hard to write twice a year, and taxes are usually due at inconvenient times.

I'm still under prop 13 so moving around here in California is not going to happen for us. There are some places in CA where you can keep your prop 13 rates, but it isn't any place I could ever live. Inland Empire? Nope. Nope and Hell Nope. No offense to anyone living there, just not for me.

[HMBgal]

Originally Posted by Jane917

I have lived in both the Wenatchee area and Clark County (Ridgefield, in north Clark County). The property taxes are definitely higher in the west side of the state. So are utilities. Utilities are dirt cheap in Wenatchee. As a state with no income tax, WA has to get the money somewhere, but property taxes are no where near as high as in CA (unless you still live in the same house you lived in prior to Prop 13). I am not sure Puyallup would be considered quiet and beautiful, as it is town that has grown a lot, as has all suburban Seattle towns. Not much in the way of tourism except when the State Fair is going on (mid September). There is lots of traffic that moves through town, though compared to San Jose the traffic is nonexistent.

Good luck on your exploration. When we decided to move from Wenatchee to SW WA (to be closer to kids and grandkids in Portland), we spent a lot of time exploring many towns in Clark County and all around Portland. We are very happy with our quality of life here.

Anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area counties is getting so congested and difficult. So yeah, I can't leave the coast on weekends, but at least I'm "stuck" someplace amazing, even with all the tourists running about. And no, I wouldn't consider Puyallup for myself. I'm more drawn to Portland, Eugene, etc. for myself. I also looked at Brookings-Harbor and Bandon, but that's pretty pricey for us, although we are sitting on a stupid amount of equity right now. But hey, we're past the point of chasing upward mobility through real estate. But once you've lived within a block of the water, it's hard to consider anything else. We love to bike, kayak, hike, whale watch, eat great seafood, and we need a little wildness around us for our own sanity.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by HMBgal

Ouch! I hope they're going to do an impound account. Those big checks are awfully hard to write twice a year, and taxes are usually due at inconvenient times.

I'm still under prop 13 so moving around here in California is not going to happen for us. There are some places in CA where you can keep your prop 13 rates, but it isn't any place I could ever live. Inland Empire? Nope. Nope and Hell Nope. No offense to anyone living there, just not for me.

There are options...

No impound for me... just mailed off the check in full... it was painful.

Thing is I see a nice balance in my account and it is tempting... it is not like the bank pays much interest.

So I mailed it yesterday

Not really sure what the future holds... I'm working in the Bay Area right now so the house is rented... $1950 per month with a $1000 of that to taxes... almost another month for insurance and a month and a half for property management... so 8.5 months of rent already committed.

Prop 13 does let you downsize in your county... and I have had friends move to the foothills.

The demise of Washington i-747 sure threw my long range plans for a loop... insurance and property tax is about a mortgage payment.

[HMBgal]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

There are options...


Prop 13 does let you downsize in your county... and I have had friends move to the foothills.

The demise of Washington i-747 sure threw my long range plans for a loop... insurance and property tax is about a mortgage payment.

I'm sorry you're having to rethink your plans. If it's not one thing, it's another. I didn't realize I would be helping raise a special needs grandson and his sister, but there you are. We were all set to re-locate and had driven all over California and Oregon trying to find a good fit for us. In the end, it's hard to be many aspects of Half Moon Bay, especially if you've been here as long as we have.

Downsizing in San Mateo County would put us in a little tiny place. Our house is at the bottom end of the market here as it is-- 3 bedroom, 1,200 sq. feet, and is valued at $890K or so for this 45 year old house. It's a lovely little house with beautiful gardens front and back. But, the newer houses have such nice big kitchens and bathrooms, and ours isn't like that. Even so, we constantly have people bugging us to buy/sell it. But, we stay for the ocean so nearby. Once you live on the edge of a landmass, it's hard live anywhere else, for us at least.

[CrazyDonkey]

Things are changing rapidly throughout the Central Sound, with many moving closer to Seattle to shorten commutes and others moving further out to lower housing costs. Some previously "bad" areas are becoming "good" areas, and vice versa.

In general, violent crime rates are very low here. On the other hand, property crimes can be higher (more report crimes, have insurance, etc.). What might stand for a "less safe" area here, might be a "very safe" area elsewhere. If buying, budget for an up-to-date security system. The person stealing packages off your porch or ripping off your bike is likely a neighbor...

Note that South Hill is actually outside of Puyallup - it is a "census-designated place", not a city, so relies on the county for police protection, I believe. Newer developments might have private security.

[HMBgal]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Things are changing rapidly throughout the Central Sound, with many moving closer to Seattle to shorten commutes and others moving further out to lower housing costs. Some previously "bad" areas are becoming "good" areas, and vice versa.

In general, violent crime rates are very low here. On the other hand, property crimes can be higher (more report crimes, have insurance, etc.). What might stand for a "less safe" area here, might be a "very safe" area elsewhere. If buying, budget for an up-to-date security system. The person stealing packages off your porch or ripping off your bike is likely a neighbor...

Note that South Hill is actually outside of Puyallup - it is a "census-designated place", not a city, so relies on the county for police protection, I believe. Newer developments might have private security.

It's funny but crime isn't even on my radar; I guess i'm spoiled. Some types of crimes have become a feature of where we live now: car burglary rings, gang activity, drugs, drunk tourists or homeless people raising hell occasionally, even in our little town. So, I lock my car, we installed an alarm system for the house--what else can you do? My daughter's development will be gated, which seems to weird to me. I thought gated communities were for golfers and to keep the looky-loos out--not out for crime reasons but for keeping out people gawking at the huge, ritzy homes. When I went out to Stockton to go to college (as the world's oldest co-ed at age 46), the gated communities there were definitely for safety reasons. So when my daughter said her community was to be gated when the development is completed, I wondered why. I mean, the houses in her development are nice, but not all that special. And she is moving from San Jose, which has increasingly violent crimes, even in South San Jose, where she was living. Interesting.