COL of NYC vs Seattle? (fit in, homes, private school)

[jjinla]

The prices in Seattle for homes in coveted areas close to the city aren't drastically different than NYC suburbs believe it or not but the homes are much newer and have more sq ft. in WA (but they have a ton of wasted space and silly rooms I'm finding...really, if you people are so into the outdoors why do you need 5000 sq ft for a 4 BR?)

Anyway, for our 2500 sq. ft 4 BR/2.5 bath, our property taxes are $25k. I kid you not. And I actually know several people in this town that have tax bills over $50k and still send 2-3 kids to private school. Must be nice!

Of course in WA you are saving $400+ on a train pass, your utilities, food, etc. is way cheaper.

[OleSchoolFool]

Originally Posted by jjinla

The prices in Seattle for homes in coveted areas close to the city aren't drastically different than NYC suburbs believe it or not but the homes are much newer and have more sq ft. in WA (but they have a ton of wasted space and silly rooms I'm finding...really, if you people are so into the outdoors why do you need 5000 sq ft for a 4 BR?)

Anyway, for our 2500 sq. ft 4 BR/2.5 bath, our property taxes are $25k. I kid you not. And I actually know several people in this town that have tax bills over $50k and still send 2-3 kids to private school. Must be nice!

Of course in WA you are saving $400+ on a train pass, your utilities, food, etc. is way cheaper.

thats like sayin two cars are the same price, but one is much newer with less mileage lol these cars are not comparable so in other words home prices in ny and seattle are not the same

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by jjinla

The prices in Seattle for homes in coveted areas close to the city aren't drastically different than NYC suburbs believe it or not but the homes are much newer and have more sq ft. in WA (but they have a ton of wasted space and silly rooms I'm finding...really, if you people are so into the outdoors why do you need 5000 sq ft for a 4 BR?)

Anyway, for our 2500 sq. ft 4 BR/2.5 bath, our property taxes are $25k. I kid you not. And I actually know several people in this town that have tax bills over $50k and still send 2-3 kids to private school. Must be nice!

Of course in WA you are saving $400+ on a train pass, your utilities, food, etc. is way cheaper.

So I'm an idiot when it come to taxes... those $25k and $50k tax bills are not the TOTAL amount due, just property taxes???

[UrbanAdventurer]

Originally Posted by OleSchoolFool

btw, is 1k/month an average price for a 1 bd in seattle? like what does it get you exactly and where?

Nah. If you want to live in a cool/clean/safe area of Seattle in a 1-bdrm with parking, W/D, and some extra's you're looking at $1500 and up.

Yeah, your money does go farther in Seattle and gets you more than it does in New York City, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Most people live differently in New York than they would in Seattle, and it works out because New York is the undisputed king of service and convenience. Seattle is primarily a car town...you need the car therefore you need the apartment with the available parking (for a price of course). You need the in unit washer and dryer because there is no Korean laundry down the block that will wash your clothes for $.60/lb. There are no deli's that will make you chicken cutlet on a roll for $5 at 11 o'clock at night. Sure, you can have anything and everything your budget allows in NY, but it's beauty lies in it's flexibility and convenience options that places like Seattle cant touch.

[jjinla]

Lol, yep...that's $25k each and every year between property and school taxes. Disgusting, isn't it? Oh, and there is a mortgage tax of 1% and also a mansion tax of another 1% for anything over $1M (which is anything renovated and over 2000 sq ft basically) due once at closing.

I should also mention that if you have kids, because your taxes are so high in NY, you often get hit with the AMT in your salary range, making you loose your child deductions as well as property tax deductions and lots of other stuff on fed taxes. Am I selling you on NY yet?

As for comparable properties to the poster above, it's not as simple as that. Our 2500 sqft house feels bigger than many of the ones my husband has seen that are 4000 or more in Seattle. And i was really comparing NY to the Eastside. NY suburbs aka train towns compared to areas close to downtown with great schools in Seattle are really close in price...if anything they cost more and are on smaller lots in Seattle.

The homes on the Eastside might be bigger and newer, but use cheaper materials and finishes compared to a restored older home.

[OleSchoolFool]

Originally Posted by UrbanAdventurer

Nah. If you want to live in a cool/clean/safe area of Seattle in a 1-bdrm with parking, W/D, and some extra's you're looking at $1500 and up.

Yeah, your money does go farther in Seattle and gets you more than it does in New York City, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Most people live differently in New York than they would in Seattle, and it works out because New York is the undisputed king of service and convenience. Seattle is primarily a car town...you need the car therefore you need the apartment with the available parking (for a price of course). You need the in unit washer and dryer because there is no Korean laundry down the block that will wash your clothes for $.60/lb. There are no deli's that will make you chicken cutlet on a roll for $5 at 11 o'clock at night. Sure, you can have anything and everything your budget allows in NY, but it's beauty lies in it's flexibility and convenience options that places like Seattle cant touch.

well i live here and i hate the mass transit, and its not as conveinient as people make it out to be cuz the trains only go limited places and take forever so i use a car and no matter how u look at it having yo w/d in unit is better than korean laundry down the street
but 1500? damn thats pretty expensive, i didnt even kno there were unclean and unsafe nhoods in seattle lol
what bout unhip, but decent nhood?

[OleSchoolFool]

Originally Posted by flyingsaucermom

So I'm an idiot when it come to taxes... those $25k and $50k tax bills are not the TOTAL amount due, just property taxes???

yea that could be property taxes easy, imagine that, 25k is very common on average homes
its like u need another job jus to pay those

[OleSchoolFool]

Originally Posted by jjinla

Lol, yep...that's $25k each and every year between property and school taxes. Disgusting, isn't it? Oh, and there is a mortgage tax of 1% and also a mansion tax of another 1% for anything over $1M (which is anything renovated and over 2000 sq ft basically) due once at closing.

I should also mention that if you have kids, because your taxes are so high in NY, you often get hit with the AMT in your salary range, making you loose your child deductions as well as property tax deductions and lots of other stuff on fed taxes. Am I selling you on NY yet?

As for comparable properties to the poster above, it's not as simple as that. Our 2500 sqft house feels bigger than many of the ones my husband has seen that are 4000 or more in Seattle. And i was really comparing NY to the Eastside. NY suburbs aka train towns compared to areas close to downtown with great schools in Seattle are really close in price...if anything they cost more and are on smaller lots in Seattle.

The homes on the Eastside might be bigger and newer, but use cheaper materials and finishes compared to a restored older home.

thats fine but u still cant compare 2500 sq ft to 4000 sq ft
realtors always count price per sq ft so the size needs to be close for homes to be considered comparables

[jjinla]

No I get that, but a 5000 sq ft home doesn't have twice the rooms of a 2500 sq ft one. You just have to walk twice as far to get to the bathroom, to the door, etc. I would definitely love a bigger kitchen but do I need a living room twice the size of what it is now? Not at all...I'd need twice the furniture or end up with a ton of empty space.

Once you get past a certain size, bigger isn't always better. You just have more to clean and heat.

[OleSchoolFool]

Originally Posted by jjinla

No I get that, but a 5000 sq ft home doesn't have twice the rooms of a 2500 sq ft one. You just have to walk twice as far to get to the bathroom, to the door, etc. I would definitely love a bigger kitchen but do I need a living room twice the size of what it is now? Not at all...I'd need twice the furniture or end up with a ton of empty space.

Once you get past a certain size, bigger isn't always better. You just have more to clean and heat.

it isnt always better, but it it depends, some people need space