5 Things To Consider Before Moving To Washington

Is it expensive? Can you find work? These are the top 5 things to know before moving to washington. 

Hey guys, I'm Austin with the Robertson Collective, your favorite Tacoma real estate broker and today I am going to break down the 5 things you need to consider before you make a move to Washington state. 

Listen, this isn't just some random idea, it wasn't too long ago that I was packing my family of seven up and hauling them over 2000 miles when we made our move from the midwest to the upper left coast.

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All right here we go #1 the cost of living

The entire west coast isnt exactly known for its low cost of living. The advantage above most of the west coast is you can get a little bump because we have no state income taxes. 

Cost of living also really comes down to where you choose to live. For example if you live in the area I serve in Pierce County which has cities like Tacoma and Bonney Lake you can buy a home on average for about thirty thousand dollars less than the rest of washington.  

Let's say though that you want to go really big time and get a place in Seattle. A very dense, very high rise centered area and the fifteenth largest city in the country you can expect to be paying more. According to PayScale the cost of living in Seattle is 94% higher than the national average and yet the cost of living in Tacoma is not much different from the national average cost of living.

Across the greater Pierce and King County area you can expect to pay between 500 thousand and a million for a home depending on where you choose to live.

So, let's take a quick look at what it looks like to live here. We will use my area Tehaleh in Bonney Lake for reference. 

Home cost are a little over three thousand a month for house payment, our energy bill for 7 people runs just a little over three hundred dollars, my last doctors visit cost me around one hundred and fifty dollars and at the time of filming this gas is around five dollars a gallon but normally mid to high threes has been normal. 

#2 and the one everyone always talks about. Weather

First off let's just address the giant pink elephant in the room. Rain. While the weather obviously can change where you are in the state we are famous for rain. Here is what I will tell you. Short of an atmospheric river that comes across once and a while, rain here is not like rain I experienced before. Instead we should just call it precipitation. It's just kind of wet. You will see most locals just walking around, no umbrellas and no rain coats. When it comes to rainiest cities Seattle actually comes in sixth behind cities like Rodchester and Portland .

Tacoma gets about 41 inches of rain per year compared to the national average of 38 inches per year and in case you're looking at the other side of our state eastern washington is arid and relatively dry. 

In the Tacoma Seattle area you are going to find moderate winters, Tacoma gets on average just 3 to 4 inches of snow a year and cool summers with an average of 71 to 76 degrees for the summer months. Looking over to the east you are going to find hotter summers. Spokane averages temperatures of 74 to 84 degrees in the summer months but you'll also be experiencing colder winters staying in the 30s for about 3 months and a wapping 44 inches of snow a year.

Lets go straight to number #3 

This one might not be one most people would have thrown on their list but let's talk taxes. Now first of all, as I mentioned before Washington has no state income taxes. This is a nice little break but as all things everything evens out. Washington has a wild high sales tax of 6 point 5 percent! It doesn't stop there most cities have additional sales taxes that can easily push that amount up around 10.5%

Other taxes to consider. Real estate taxes will be on average about 1.28% of the worth of your home, and the wildest one is the Washington alcohol tax. The alcohol tax in Washington is a crazy 20.5 percent.

These taxes are something to consider when planning a move.

For number 4 let's look at the job market 

Many people planning on making a move finding and having a great job can be a top concern for many people. Well, luckily for you there are a TON of jobs in Washington. 

Washington is widely celebrated for its business, technology and innovation. Companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Expedia have thousands of available jobs at any given time. In the wake of the covid 19 pandemic many of these companies still have options that allow you to work from home.

Washington company Costco is a fantastic place to work. Costco has around two hundred and fifteen thousand employees. The reason so many people migrate towards Costco is not only because of the great pay and benefits but the company also has plenty of room for people to grow into.

Boeing, Nordstrom, Alaska Airlines and Starbucks call Washington home. 

Boeing has around 72,000 employees in Washington state across multiple campuses Alaska Airlines has 9,754 jobs. Starbucks has over 4000 corporate employees plus the baristas and our friends that run the coffee shops directly and norstroms creates thousands of jobs as well.

Outside of aerospace and technology we can take a look at the other side of the coin, farming. Washington produces over seventy percent of all apples in the United states. They also specialize in Christmas trees and cherries. The chain of farming from production to trade creates thousands of jobs.

A study from Wallethub shows Washington state the number two state in the country for employment.

Let me know where you're considering moving the state and ill send you some of the BEST employers in the area.

I think it's also important to point out that many jobs in Washington are comfortable hiring even if you're out of state and moving to our area. Don't wait until you get here, go ahead apply and get the ball rolling NOW

Lastly number 5 Figuring out which city is right for you

Moving across the country or even a state can be a daunting task. The last thing that you want to do is make the move and end up hating where you moved to. If you rent you're stuck there for at least a year and if you buy well, that's a longer story all together. 

So we have to look at what is important to you. Do you love urban living? Well, Seattle might be best for you. That said cities like Tacoma and Spokane are also incredible cities with so much to do but at a much more reasonable price point. 

Do you like being left alone?  Places like Wanachee and Ortign might be better options for your family. 

No matter what is right for you, make sure that you take the time to plan it out, be confident, comfortable and prepared when you make your move. If there is anything we can do for you please feel free to reach out for us. 

I hope you got something beneficial from this video. Until next time I'm Austin. Can't wait to see you in the Evergreen state.