Washington -- the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Seattle: real estate, apartments)

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by wolfdog

Where is this raise/lower bridge you speak of? Nothing like that on Whidbey.

It does not refer to Whidbey at all, but Hood Canal Bridge...in case the OP is also interested in the Olympic Peninsula. HC Bridge would be a sticking point for some parts there.

[pikabike]

Moss etc is going to be a fact of life to get the lush greenery and moderate temps with no hard winters. A lot depends on the exposure/siting of buildings.

Moss is pretty, I think. But you don’t want it growing in the joints between your concrete driveway sections (you know...to reduce muddy areas). Some bleach mixed with water and elbow grease takes care if it—just routine care. One neighbor power-washed his driveway to get rid of the green coating all over it. Make sure to clean out gutters, too.

Diana, I saw a car that was covered in moss, parked right along the street. The owner must never have driven it.

OH! Since you said “Washington” and not necessarily only western WA, you might look at going east of the Cascades. Drier climate to the east.

[Taz22]

We just left Washington and my spouse really disliked the rain and gloom. Moss grows everywhere and is hard to get rid of, mushrooms will pop up in your yard on a regular basis. The mud is something else, in winter, it would often suck my barn boot off my foot, if I ventured too far in the pasture. It got almost knee deep in spots.

Moving to a water rich state is not a bad idea, I pity those folks in dry states where rainfall is down year after year. Washington is not going to have that problem for quite awhile. It rains and rains.

Getting services for your horses can vary depending on where you live. I found a great equine vet and good farriers, but farriers come and go. It’s more the nature of the business than Washington not having enough of them. When one of my horses got sick, my vet was out of town and I had a difficult time trying to find someone close who could drive to the house, many I called were too far away. Humans can also have limited healthcare options. I had to drive my spouse up to Virginia Mason in Seattle, since the procedure he needed wasn’t available in Olympia.

Hay is available, and usually it’s pretty decent, It’s expensive, the last hay my horses got here was thirty two dollars a bale. Grass is readily available except in summer, when lack of rain dries the pasture up. The horses were moved to FL, and the place where they’re being boarded sent a picture of them grazing. The pasture is beautiful, it’s almost the end of summer and grass in Washington is long gone. In FL it’s growing lush and green. The horses looked super happy to be grazing in that pasture and I complimented the owner about her beautiful fields. In Washington, they’d get supplemental hay this time of year, everything is dry and brown.

Another bad or ugly is a lack of friendliness and crime from some. This depends on where you live. Shortly before moving I had a talk with a local, he was very pleasant and down to earth and we talked about the area. He mentioned the ‘crazy reds’ in the area, but I knew about them. So depending on where you move, there are locals and locals. Each town or area varies.

Our new neighborhood is a horse suburb with a few acres. The area has lots of feed stores, vets and so on. Unlike where we used to live, the biggest challenge will be to sort through all the businesses and find ones to use on a regular basis. In Washington I was frequently told they aren’t accepting new customers. Seeing all the choices in the new area is one of the best parts of moving. The neighborhood is dotted with million dollar homes, so unlike Washington, there won’t be trash dumping in the front yard, at least I certainly hope not.

The good and the best is the scenery, Washington is a gorgeous state, one of the absolute prettiest, but you can’t live on beautiful views. If you love hiking and outdoor activities, you’ll enjoy it.

[twelvegates]

Thank you, Taz22. That is very helpful information.

I hope you enjoy your new life in Florida! Where did you end up? I lived in Fort Lauderdale during my high school years.

I did check hay prices in Washington and there seemed to be quite a range, with less expensive bales needing to be loaded on your own from the field (those days are gone).

Good to know about the lack of availability of services, as that could cause a panicky situation for me. One of my horses was hospitalized for an intestinal displacement 4 times during a 2-month period, and I'm sure she would have died without the availability of a nearby facility that can manage that type of care.

Wow -- trash dumping in the front yard.

I think there are unfriendly people everywhere, but do you think it is more prevalent in WA? I have lived in Colorado since age 20...born in MD. There seems to be an overall resentment of people moving here and "destroying" everything, though I think the concern is really about the lack of affordable prices for homes along the Front Range. I suspect Washington has also seen a huge influx of people given its moderate climate and beauty.

[MechAndy]

I have been a part time resident for 4 years.
I see more and more junky panhandlers out here in paradise as time goes by.
Luckily I don’t live close or near to town.
That would be a deal breaker for me.

It can’t be because of the lack of jobs there are help wanted signs everywhere.
It has to be because of that poison they put into themselves.
Having people shipped in to a methadone clinic surely doesn’t help .

Our other place in California while more populated just feels safer as far as leaving your car unlocked shopping in town or parking it at a trail head.
It’s a bubble though I’ve been told.

[pikabike]

Taz22, good point about the grass going dormant in summer. A normal thing for the dry season there, and yes, we had actual drought conditions there at least two summers. However, it is self-curing once the cooler and damper seasons return.

Another thing is that with climate change accelerating all over, even western WA has had some severe heat spells, especially in summer 2021. This year, it was NW OR that got hit with temps over 100. Last summer, someone in our former town (in NW WA) emailed me that it was 9 pm there and the temp was 95! Even in a hot part of CO, our hottest summer nights were not even close to that...so far.

Nothing is going to be “normal” in the next decade.

[mayfair]

Originally Posted by twelvegates

Wow -- trash dumping in the front yard.

You'll get some very trashy properties in rural WA. There's also a lot of illegal trash dumping in the woods. It's expensive to haul things to the dump so some people don't.

Nature is the draw in WA- not the infrastructure.

The mud and rain creates a lot of maintenance for a horse property. The standard of how things look around a farm needs to be downgraded if you move to Western WA. I think most people give up after a while on the visuals and just keep their small farms functional.

[CrazyDonkey]

Ellensburg area:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...04975462_zpid/

$1,440,000 (down from $1,599,000 on 4/28/22: 3bd/3ba, 2,714 sf

"31+ irrigated acres along east Kittitas Valley slope....mature vineyard & wine making room, fruit trees, 25 acres hay production, wheel line irrigation, horse/cattle/livestock facility/sheds/runs, hay/equipment storage. Farm and pasture ground can be leased for additional income."

[Diana Holbrook]

Ellensburg would have just about the same climate they're leaving, and probably fewer trees - as shown in the pictures!

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

Ellensburg would have just about the same climate they're leaving, and probably fewer trees - as shown in the pictures!

But no mud!

It has a vineyard, fruit trees, and a swimming pond! ~1/2 hour to Cle Elum and access to mountains, lakes, forests, camping, hiking, etc. One hour to Snoqualmie Pass and skiing. Less than two hours to Seattle.