suze, I. have. been. to. Seattle. I am not in the habit on checking out threads and giving info on places I have never been to, and again, I'm not sure who are you referring to here who has done that.

Again, if it was me, I will stop referring to Seattle weather, and everyone can infer from your postings that the weather in Seattle is absolutely wonderful and no one should comment on weather in places in which they do not reside b/c they are unable to do so.

Auuugh....sorry, another post....

My dad says that due to taxes, you're lucky to make a profit when selling your home in WA state (unless you've done a lot of work, though you probably won't make that much back) or (selling in recently inflated area- appreciation, though housing markets are fickle)

JJ5, Hi in Chicago!

We aren't that crazy out here! The excise tax for the sale of a home is not 17%!!! It is 1.28%. It is 1% in California.

I think you have that wrong- yes you DO make money when you sell your house- my brother just sold his house in town and made enough to buy some nice land....

Absolutely. People are making a killing selling houses here. I just checked our local taxes and Bellevue imposes an addition .5% in taxes. I think the county does not collect if the city does, so here in Bellevue, the sales tax would be 1.78%, when all is added up.

Hmmm- sorry, not just taxes- it's money you spent on improvements plus the mortage plus the cost of moving.

If you own free and clear, and the house was in fairly good condition, and you're not moving "up" or too far away- then yes, you make a profit....unfortunately, I don't know any long term WA house owners like that:)

I have friend with a big, beautiful home on Queen Anne. She's had it for 20 years and will make a killing on it when she sells.

I liked winter in Seattle. Yes, it's often gray but there are flowers year round. Even in December and January there were primroses and pansies blooming.

I, however, hated moving as a teen. Your girls may be different. But for me, it was rough.

big, beautiful home on Queen Anne. She's had it for 20 years

Yeah, those are key points! But if it wasn't beautiful in the first place or you don't own it long...then you're not as lucky.

And long time Seattle area residents really lucked out! The market just goes up and up...

Many posts to read. thanks.
Barbara: just curious are you a single parent?
I may not like that the possible move may be hard on my teenagers. But if it is, I will have to accept that, won't I? Just as everything else that has been hard on them, I've had to accept.
Frankly, if we get 6-7 months of non-grey wet months (?am i right here?) i can deal with it...infact, sun isn't good for me. Yes, the girls may be bummed, but at this point, we don't have many friends over because our townhouse is too small. Speaking of housing, our home in marin county was sold for almost $400K more 14 years after purchasing it.
Marin's market may have reached its peak, perhaps it's Washington's turn...college $'s and #'s are interesting...I'll reread the posts. Thanks guys!

This is definitely not 1 or 2% of a home bought NOW. Not one that you owned for 4 or 5, let alone 20 years. This article had definitive facts for the huge percentage that Washington State took on a house flip of under 24 months.

mleg moves a lot, and this should very much be considered.

The main point of the article was states that encourage incoming mobility for individuals vs that of new business. And Washington was WAY down there in both because of its tax structure. IL is 46th.

If I was moving I would move to a state that WANTS new business and new families and which gives you all kinds of perks for doing so. They are around.

And nearly every place in the country has more affordable housing than CA.

Good luck.

mleg, my SF area friend (born in San Mateo, lived in SF, in-laws in Sonoma, etc) moved to Oregon when the 2nd baby came for exactly the reasons you list. Good luck with your move.

can't totally agree with JJ5. Incoming mobility for individuals? I'm not looking for a state that wants new business.
starrsville, did your friends end up liking it? will check in tomorrow. gotta get up at 5:15am tomorrow. thanks again folks.

They love it. Kids are thriving.

You could move to a College town in Oregon and then the daughters won't have to go away to school.
Ashland, Eugene, & Corvallis all would welcome you.

Whoa- 400k <gulp>

Currently thankful for WA housing prices.....never mind 'bout sticker shock in Bellevue:)

mleg, I am indeed the single parent of three. Quite the opposite of you, I stayed in one school district until all of my kids graduated from high school. I wasn't able to stay in the family home, it had to be sold, but we stayed in the community.

A lot of people have to move because of jobs, or being in the military. That is not the case here.

Mmm, yes, Barbara- but lots of folks move at least partly because of family...and mlegs has a sister in the Bellevue area....

7 years ago we moved to Seattle from Calif. (Sacramento) and haven't regretted it for a second. We left all of our family behind and didn't know a soul when we arrived, but this is definitely "home" now and we can't imagine leaving. The winter weather hasn't bothered us - we quickly learned that life goes on even with the rain (we held our daughter's birthday party in a park today in the mist - it was sunny by the time we left). We think it's a great place to raise our kids and are never in want of something to do. We don't think the housing is that "affordable" but from what I've heard about prices in Marin county, it may be in comparison. I like Newport Hills - pretty community. suze's recommendations for cities were good as well. If your teenage girls like to shop (I'm stereotyping, I know) they would probably love Bellevue (big mall, lots of shopping). We love being in the city but close to hiking and camping with a short drive. Good luck - hope you enjoy your visit!

mooselywild, yes, she does. But she has three kids in Marin who are also family. So whose needs win out? I don't think her kids will have initiated the idea of moving...again.

idgyeaw: what a great post for me to read! it is this type of post that gives me a glimmer of hope that it'll be ok. you're not a single parent i take it though-yes my girls are girlie girls as well as outdoorsy. They love shopping (mostly window shopping-per mom's request) as well as camping and fishing so we may feel right at "home" in Bellevue/N.Hills.
Barbara: I don't think the issue is who initiated the move here (we know it was me--and whose "needs win out"?-it's not that black and white)...many moves are other than for jobs, military, and the like. As in my case, each time we moved, it was for the better-more stable life with my folks until I got my 2nd degree, independence in California again, to a place I bought here in Marin...perhaps you may not like to believe this but some people move "just because" of these reasons. Interestingly enough, during the past weeks and since this post, the idea of relocating to Washington seems to be settling in with all 3 of them. Next week's visit will make our decision easier. thanks to all again.