State Income Tax Opinion - Country boys opinions not needed :D

[oldmodman]

How about buying a condo with that money instead of handing over to a landlord.

I have a friend (locally) that was paying $2300.00 a month in rent for a fairly nice two bedroom apartment that wasn't even located near where she works.

I went out with her for a couple of weekends and found her a very nice two bedroom townhouse with private garage for only $100.00 a month more than she was paying in rent.

So basically she is paying herself for her living arrangements. Always but if it is at all possible.

 

[starnsey]

How about buying a condo with that money instead of handing over to a landlord.

I have a friend (locally) that was paying $2300.00 a month in rent for a fairly nice two bedroom apartment that wasn't even located near where she works.

I went out with her for a couple of weekends and found her a very nice two bedroom townhouse with private garage for only $100.00 a month more than she was paying in rent.

So basically she is paying herself for her living arrangements. Always but if it is at all possible.

Its definitely crossed my mind. My wife and I actually just closed on our house today in Houston so we've got a nice chunk of change but we'll probably be a little bit short of a 20% down payment that quickly. Plus, I'm not sure if this new job will have me move back up to the Seattle area within the next five years.

 

[SHOdown220]

You do realize conservatives live in the city too right? But I guess I'm too country folk for my opinion in this thread...

 

[Teethy]

If you are renting an apartment, go with the bigger city. Not like you're tied to it for more than a year if you don't like it....

Me personally, If I can't shoot 5.56 off my back deck without pissing someone off, it ain't for me.

 

[starnsey]

You do realize conservatives live in the city too right? But I guess I'm too country folk for my opinion in this thread...

"country boys" was mostly a joke, simmer down now.

If you are renting an apartment, go with the bigger city. Not like you're tied to it for more than a year if you don't like it....

Me personally, If I can't shoot 5.56 off my back deck without pissing someone off, it ain't for me.

That's what I'm realizing. If it gets to be too burdensome we can just move. After a year we'd have enough cash to cover a good down payment on a purchase and have a better idea of what our future looks like up here.

 

[SonicDTR]

Which one has less emissions laws for vehicle registration/inspection purposes? This is SVTP after all.

 

[starnsey]

Which one has less emissions laws for vehicle registration/inspection purposes? This is SVTP after all.

Unfortunately I believe they're both pretty strict

 

[Blackness03]

An extra $6500 to live around a bunch of hipsters and homeless people in an apartment with thin walls. Sounds amazing.

 

[thomas91169]

If you like the scene, stay near it.

Though an extra $500+ a month (you said youd save $6500/yr) sounds like a nice payment on a new S550 GT....

 

[Rct851]

Where did you and your wife always go in Houston that shut down at 10? Houston isn't for everyone but if you can't find new good food and drinks you really aren't trying.

Point being if you don't know how to explore a city then it won't matter where you go and you should save the $6500

 

[BigFatMatt]

Why don't you find somewhere to live that doesn't cost an arm and a leg but still has all the bars and nightlife?

I lived right in the heart of downtown a few years back. I liked it a lot since I could literally stumble home from the bars, but it kind of sucked since I had to park on the street. One of my mustangs got hit once. Luckily the girl was nice and left me a note with her info.

Fast forward to today, just closed on a very nice 1600 sq ft brick ranch with a 2 car garage, full 1600 sq ft unfinished basement with garage door, and a walk in attic. I have 1.3 acres, beautiful yard with trees and a creek, and room to build a shop in the backyard. I'm literally just over the city limits line, so I don't pay city taxes, but all the bars and clubs are only 10 mins away. Cheap cab ride, or drive if I feel like showing off the Cobra. I even got a city address to impress all the relatives. What did it cost me?? I bet you'd be shocked if you knew...

Living in a nice house is a million times better than living in an apartment. I love the fact that I got to keep all the benefits of city life, but none of the drawbacks. I can't stand suburbia either, so I feel you on that. I'd never live in a cookie-cutter house on a postage stamp yard. I'm very happy with where I'm at now.

 

[CO Mack]

Traffic there is really shitty (and I'm familiar with Houston traffic too, BTW, it's comparable or worse depending), if you have a commute pay attention to this.

Moving trucks go both ways. If you really want to try the city, and want a family, do it before kids, though.

 

[starnsey]

An extra $6500 to live around a bunch of hipsters and homeless people in an apartment with thin walls. Sounds amazing.

Meh, I'm not too bugged by those things (except the paper thin walls). Somehow I manage to get through life without being bothered by the way people that aren't me live their lives. Crazy right?!

If you like the scene, stay near it.

Though an extra $500+ a month (you said youd save $6500/yr) sounds like a nice payment on a new S550 GT....

LOL, I was actually mostly set on getting an S550 GT but the more time I'm up here, the less time I spend thinking about a new 'stang. There's enough stuff to do up here that I've been getting more preoccupied with other things and keeping my mind off a new car payment. Plus, we just got a brand new 4Runner 4x4 that I'd like to do some work on to get ready to go out into the mountains.

Where did you and your wife always go in Houston that shut down at 10? Houston isn't for everyone but if you can't find new good food and drinks you really aren't trying.

Point being if you don't know how to explore a city then it won't matter where you go and you should save the $6500

The Backyard Grill up on Jones Rd and West Rd. Haha.

We know how to explore a city - but its a lot harder when you're a 30 minute drive away from the heart of the city.

Why don't you find somewhere to live that doesn't cost an arm and a leg but still has all the bars and nightlife?

I lived right in the heart of downtown a few years back. I liked it a lot since I could literally stumble home from the bars, but it kind of sucked since I had to park on the street. One of my mustangs got hit once. Luckily the girl was nice and left me a note with her info.

Fast forward to today, just closed on a very nice 1600 sq ft brick ranch with a 2 car garage, full 1600 sq ft unfinished basement with garage door, and a walk in attic. I have 1.3 acres, beautiful yard with trees and a creek, and room to build a shop in the backyard. I'm literally just over the city limits line, so I don't pay city taxes, but all the bars and clubs are only 10 mins away. Cheap cab ride, or drive if I feel like showing off the Cobra. I even got a city address to impress all the relatives. What did it cost me?? I bet you'd be shocked if you knew...

Living in a nice house is a million times better than living in an apartment. I love the fact that I got to keep all the benefits of city life, but none of the drawbacks. I can't stand suburbia either, so I feel you on that. I'd never live in a cookie-cutter house on a postage stamp yard. I'm very happy with where I'm at now.

We just left a very nice 4 bed/2.5 bath house in Houston in a really nice area and rented a nice house before that up in the Dallas area the two years prior to that. It was nice but it wasn't really giving us the lifestyle we want. We're wanting to be more social. In Houston the next youngest people to my wife and I in our neighborhood were like 60 years old. lol.

Also, we're both engineers - we go where the jobs are so being able to just point to a specific city and say "there" isn't really feasible for us. She has to work in Portland and I have to work north of Vancouver. I'll be going away from traffic.

Traffic there is really shitty (and I'm familiar with Houston traffic too, BTW, it's comparable or worse depending), if you have a commute pay attention to this.

Moving trucks go both ways. If you really want to try the city, and want a family, do it before kids, though.

No kids for us. Like I said above, I'll be going the opposite direction of traffic so it won't be too bad (unless there is a wreck of course). Wife will be using mass transit.



Thanks to those that actually provided input based on the possibilities. Hopefully my wife and I will be able to go down to the area in the next couple weekends and get a feel for everything and check out a few apartments in both areas. Like some of you said, renting makes it less of a big deal since you can just bail out if it gets overrated or the finances begin to bug me. But then we might stumble across a cool place in Vancouver while we're visiting.

Damn, also keep forgetting renting means some places don't allow pets. Definitely a downside for not owning.

 

[CO Mack]

It's too wet for me there, but I'm in that area very frequently and there's a lot to like about it. The corridor of Portland to Seattle is a place an engineer will always be able to find work. Portland is nice, revels in its weirdness and hipster-ness a bit. Seattle is awesome.

 

[starnsey]

It's too wet for me there, but I'm in that area very frequently and there's a lot to like about it. The corridor of Portland to Seattle is a place an engineer will always be able to find work. Portland is nice, revels in its weirdness and hipster-ness a bit. Seattle is awesome.

Yeah, luckily my wife's company is based out of Seattle and has a remote office in Portland so it was almost trivial for her to move up here. I lucked out in randomly contacting a manager of a hydraulics distribution company after I got laid off in January that led to the position I'm starting at on Monday.

Really wish I could stay in Seattle but unfortunately that's not possible with the position right now. Not to mention it's obscenely expensive here!

 

[CO Mack]

Yeah, luckily my wife's company is based out of Seattle and has a remote office in Portland so it was almost trivial for her to move up here. I lucked out in randomly contacting a manager of a hydraulics distribution company after I got laid off in January that led to the position I'm starting at on Monday.

Really wish I could stay in Seattle but unfortunately that's not possible with the position right now. Not to mention it's obscenely expensive here!

Seattle is more expensive, but Portland is getting pretty crazy too. Once you're in the area you'll figure out which area is a better fit and can move easily. Getting hired already living in the north-wet will make it easier too.

I'd say again the weather is going to suck, but it's a big improvement to Houston! LOL

 

[starnsey]

Seattle is more expensive, but Portland is getting pretty crazy too. Once you're in the area you'll figure out which area is a better fit and can move easily. Getting hired already living in the north-wet will make it easier too.

I'd say again the weather is going to suck, but it's a big improvement to Houston! LOL

Haha yeah. I'm going to try to not be too bothered by the rain/drizzle. Just need to make sure I've got the right gear to go out and bike and run even if the weather isn't great. Cloudiness doesn't bother me too much - I'll probably be inside a manufacturing shop all day anyway so won't see much of the sun regardless. Luckily (or unluckily since its a short period of time), the weather for the next three months or so should be amazing. Till the clouds and drizzle return for the other nine months haha.

And yeah, Portland is pricey too - but its about a $1000/month difference between Seattle and Portland for the sizes we're looking at right now.

 

[thomas91169]

LOL, I was actually mostly set on getting an S550 GT but the more time I'm up here, the less time I spend thinking about a new 'stang. There's enough stuff to do up here that I've been getting more preoccupied with other things and keeping my mind off a new car payment.

Thats exactly how ive gotten too. The weeks/months just fly by. We can keep staying here and enjoy other things, or move somewhere bland and rely on toys/etc to pass time. I like both options to be honest, and some day we will move away from this awesome place, but today is not that day, and tomorrow doesnt look good either.

 

[starnsey]

Thats exactly how ive gotten too. The weeks/months just fly by. We can keep staying here and enjoy other things, or move somewhere bland and rely on toys/etc to pass time. I like both options to be honest, and some day we will move away from this awesome place, but today is not that day, and tomorrow doesnt look good either.

Yep, the good thing is I already went through the "move somewhere bland and rely on toys". After I got rid of my Mach 1 in Houston, I started to go crazy. But here, I don't even really care much about driving as cycling everywhere is easy enough. However, the 4Runner is one of my favorite vehicles I've owned so far and I haven't even gotten to take it off-road yet. Hope to take it on a trip to Moab at some point.

 

[Blk04L]

While $6,500 is not a drop in the bucket, you both are engineers, and if you want to try something out now is the time to do it.

You're not buying/stuck in it if you hate it. Try out Portland.