tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post4412042521743870815..comments2024-03-05T11:36:50.299-05:00Comments on Stand and Deliver: My visit to SeattleRixahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908864785513937876noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-43805544126945464042014-03-07T23:26:36.340-05:002014-03-07T23:26:36.340-05:00Well I think we top it all here in Perth, Western ...Well I think we top it all here in Perth, Western Australia. Our first home buyers price has now reached $500k. For the $400k-$500k range we are very limited for choice and usually have to compromise by choosing something that you may not feel entirely happy with. I am at a loss for how we will continue to live here. <br /><br />This is my home, where I was born, however with four children it is becoming impossible to live. For a decent house we would have to pay upward of $650k. For a nice, very comfortable house, $800k-to a million plus is required and a million is very normal to pay, even for a large block with no house. Rentals (where we are at, at the moment) are just as bad. It is a minimum of $450 per week, with the average around the $600-$800 per week. I struggle to see a way through at the moment, to buy again, to save any money, to create a solid future. Perth is an amazing, safe, comfortable place to live. We have summer all year around. I am grateful to live in such an amazing place! Just not sure how long we can keep it up! Especially when I see how much cheaper it is elsewhere in the world. Food is also a great expense, our food bill is approximately $350 per week, and we are not excessive. <br /><br />Rixa a house for $70k-150k sounds like a dream! Is it in a nice place to live? Schools, employment (husband is a Physio), ect? How do you look for houses in your area? We use: http://www.realestate.com.au/buy?searchMapId=WA I feel like we need to think about a move! <br /><br />MiaAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03078433539851309893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-77780747080774132992014-03-07T01:34:07.389-05:002014-03-07T01:34:07.389-05:00It is appalling how expensive it is out here! We l...It is appalling how expensive it is out here! We live in Issaquah outside of Seattle (about 20 minutes). I LOVE Issaquah, but the COL is out of control. We live in a dingy 1,800 square foot house for $2,200 a month. But the cost of trash, gas, electric is outrageous. That is about an additional 400-500 per month. My husband is doing his Fellowship at UW/Harborview, so we had no choice in moving here. On a fellow salary, it would have been impossible without the stipend we are getting for choosing to work with an HCA affiliated hospital when he is done. Our yard is nice though, but the house is ugly and nasty. My gym pass is $125 per month (which included unlimited day care). The equivalent in Utah would probably be a third of that cost. EVERYTHING here is just expensive. And the weather SUCKS! We are not rain people AT ALL. But it is gorgeous, and I really love so many things about it. But we look forward to moving in July to an affordable area where it doesn't rain almost every day! Summers here are divine though! Bri!!!https://www.blogger.com/profile/00934051919575864988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-22412573635660718102014-03-06T12:16:05.498-05:002014-03-06T12:16:05.498-05:00Hah! I've been trying to convince Tom to move ...Hah! I've been trying to convince Tom to move to the Seattle area bec it's so cheap! In the South Bay, we pay 2550 for 1021 sq ft 3 bd 1 bath, cute little yard, and feel lucky to have it. Tom commutes by bike and train 1 hour each way. I was careful to get rid of 2/3 of our stuff before we moved and besides the 1 bathroom for 6 people, I love having a small house. <br /><br />It helps that the weather is almost always gorgeous.<br /><br />But I spend way too much of my time figuring out, again, that yep, we cannot afford to buy here, so it's not sustainable long-term. Even our tiny house is about twice the mortgage we could qualify for, and that's even considering the pay differential from Utah. Jane of Seagull Fountainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14842786356309158400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-79814854325066598942014-03-06T01:23:29.671-05:002014-03-06T01:23:29.671-05:00East Bay of San Francisco area, a 3 bed house is a...East Bay of San Francisco area, a 3 bed house is around $3000 a month, for something tiny and not-kept-up. Seriously. Trying to find something cheeper is considered crazy talk. Even if you don't work for Google.Sarah Vinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17230747469806951003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-33233076365813625362014-03-06T00:37:35.181-05:002014-03-06T00:37:35.181-05:00Two words: student housing. It is by far the best ...Two words: student housing. It is by far the best deal around here for space and also for some grassy areas for the kids to play in. My friends who don't live in student housing manage apartments and get discounts that way. There are things I like about the city life, lik great Thai food, but I cannot usually afford to "buy local" and support small businesses, nor do I enjoy all the traffic and narrow streets to navigate (or paying for parking). We only have one car (and no car payment), since my husband can walk to campus, and I can walk to the grocery store and the elementary school. We drive to church and the library and our monthly trip to Costco, etc. We are living on a small research stipend and a bit of savings, and I really only buy necessities (and I use craigslist for larger items). If we were to live here long-term, I would choose a suburb (some of my friends recently bought nice houses 45 minutes away and commute on the train or just work further from the city). Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15114651470511807813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-74972056855754185152014-03-05T23:22:10.119-05:002014-03-05T23:22:10.119-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15114651470511807813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-7080932198316943092014-03-05T22:30:15.737-05:002014-03-05T22:30:15.737-05:00SLC doesn't seem terrible. So in my sister'...SLC doesn't seem terrible. So in my sister's neighborhood of very small, but cute, bungalows and tiny yards and rarely garages or driveways, a house that needs to be torn down or gutted goes for $400k. Houses in good shape go for $600-800k. Or higher, of course. These are very modest-sized homes built in the 1910s and 20s. 3-4 bedrooms max, small rooms, no duplicate rooms (ie, you have one living room, rather than a formal living room + family room). Rixahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07908864785513937876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-11605323205650895262014-03-05T19:24:28.850-05:002014-03-05T19:24:28.850-05:00Here in Denver starter homes begin around $300k an...Here in Denver starter homes begin around $300k and rent for an older, 3-bedroom house is around $2000/month.<br /><br />Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12754749628409313759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-89877891003110359172014-03-05T17:59:08.208-05:002014-03-05T17:59:08.208-05:00Here in Salt Lake and surrounding suburbs you'...Here in Salt Lake and surrounding suburbs you're looking at 160k and up for townhouses. 2 bdrm, 850 sq. ft. apartments go for 95k to buy or $850-950 to rent per month. If you want a decent house in an area with good schools you're looking at 215-270k or more. You can find the occasional 155-175k home in a good area, but that's rare. We currently rent a 3 bdrm, 1200 sq. ft. duplex for $850 and that is a steal around here.Tammyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06657611418372687995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-31595032914992858912014-03-05T14:07:39.388-05:002014-03-05T14:07:39.388-05:00Oh, darn! Now I am even more bummed to have missed...Oh, darn! Now I am even more bummed to have missed you in Seattle! Childcare just didn't work out for me that evening. I <3 Elias- he caught my third baby and deals with my general nuttiness with good spirits:)<br /><br />I couldn't speak about salaries in academia, but in my husband's field (and my own, though I don't work), the salary difference is substantial enough to account for the jump in housing costs. We can get away with a smaller house then I think we'd need in a different climate and location. While our small yard is nice, there are plenty of other places for the kids to run and play as well. We don't drive often (pretty much to/from church), so our car and gas costs are lower then they would be in a more suburban or rural area.<br /><br />All of our extended family is in the NE and we have considered many times whether we should move back "home". My husband would take a major salary cut to work outside the PNW tech center, and while the housing would be less expensive, I don't see a major cost difference between the other major areas my growing, homeschooling family spends money. The books and curriculum we buy would still cost the same, I don't think there would be substantial savings in food costs. We'd drive more, and our vehicle purchases would be similar in cost. Our home state also has much higher property taxes, a similar sales tax, a state income tax, and utilities are much more expensive then they would be in Seattle. I don't think it would be a struggle financially per say, but it would shake out differently for us.Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11934725670523343332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-17260161489936204622014-03-05T12:41:56.276-05:002014-03-05T12:41:56.276-05:00Katie, isn't it frustrating that salaries can ...Katie, isn't it frustrating that salaries can be the same but housing prices 4x, 5x, maybe even 10x what they might be elsewhere in the country? In our town, the vast majority of houses range from $70k-150k, with some cheaper and a few more expensive. You can buy one of the nicest houses in the historic district for around $200k. Occasionally you'll see one or two priced higher, usually newer houses out in the country on acreage. With those prices, many people can live fairly comfortably, if not even somewhat luxuriously, on one income. Starting salaries at our liberal arts college are in the mid-upper 50s; a newly tenured professor's salary is around 65-70k. I can't imagine living on a similar income if housing were double, triple, quadruple, or even more!Rixahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07908864785513937876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-54661352160628802552014-03-05T12:32:56.776-05:002014-03-05T12:32:56.776-05:00We live in Santa Cruz, CA, which isn't a big c...We live in Santa Cruz, CA, which isn't a big city, but has some of the most expensive housing in the country. My husband is a professor, and his salary isn't any higher here than it would be elsewhere in the country (darn UC system). It is a huge stretch. He does some consulting, but basically, we have a smallish house, with zero yard (so hard with 4 kids!) and basically no disposable income. My husband loves to surf and mountain bike, and loves his job, so for him, it's worth it. I am really struggling. I agree that there's something that just feels "wrong" about houses costing so much. I drive around town and it just somehow feels like a hostile environment, since an average person can barely afford to live here. Nice to know I'm not the only person who feels that way :).Katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04275742618608956921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-43660546567896307692014-03-05T12:30:09.070-05:002014-03-05T12:30:09.070-05:00Can I be super nosy and ask what you pay? And what...Can I be super nosy and ask what you pay? And what's typical in your neighborhood for the same size of house/apartment? Rixahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07908864785513937876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-66661020936721537722014-03-05T12:11:35.816-05:002014-03-05T12:11:35.816-05:00Dining with Kim would be the ultimate. She is a h...Dining with Kim would be the ultimate. She is a hoot!liz smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17233276763504345726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20642800.post-71455761726792027102014-03-05T11:12:17.094-05:002014-03-05T11:12:17.094-05:00How we live in an urban area: We just got really l...How we live in an urban area: We just got really lucky with rent. Though, we are wanting to buy a house this year; I've been looking for a job.TopHathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03014761105792283513noreply@blogger.com