planning on moving to Washington from Florida but have few concerns (Seattle: lease, insurance)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What do you Guys think about Redmond or Sammamish for a used car/truck dealership ? Both cities look very nice, not much crime , good school as far as i did our research looks really nice. Properties aren`t that expensive comparing to Bellevue .
Thank you for all the help
I used to live in Sammamish, and basically, I can't think of anywhere in that city that might have land zoned and available for a used car dealership.
In fact, anywhere on the eastside is going to be extremely difficult to find land available and zoned for a used car dealership. If you do find some, it's going to cost an arm and a leg, and you're probably going to want to sell used Ferrari's just to barely break even.
Seattle is not like Florida with tons of cheap available land. You'll probably be better off going north to Snohomish County or south to south King County or even Pierce County. And even then it's not going to be easy, and in those places there are already lot of used car dealerships.
I used to live in Sammamish, and basically, I can't think of anywhere in that city that might have land zoned and available for a used car dealership.
In fact, anywhere on the eastside is going to be extremely difficult to find land available and zoned for a used car dealership. If you do find some, it's going to cost an arm and a leg, and you're probably going to want to sell used Ferrari's just to barely break even.
Seattle is not like Florida with tons of cheap available land. You'll probably be better off going north to Snohomish County or south to south King County or even Pierce County. And even then it's not going to be easy, and in those places there are already lot of used car dealerships.
Iam planning to open used car lot, not new car store with 600 units for sale.
I know properties are not cheap there but i am sure there are some small lots for lease.
Still doing my research on which city to pick. We have some time to decide. My lot doesnt have to be on the main road, indoor wear house might work as well , since it rains there a lot
I have many ideas in my mind
There is one facet here that I am just not getting. I have 2 kids who are MDS. One works Urgent Care and can live anywhere he wants due the nature of shift schedules. The other has a practice within Kaiser and has a call schedule. She is not on call often, but there is a requirement that she lives within a certain distance from the hospital. Doesn't it make more sense for your wife to decide where she wants to work, and then plan the rest from there?
There is one facet here that I am just not getting. I have 2 kids who are MDS. One works Urgent Care and can live anywhere he wants due the nature of shift schedules. The other has a practice within Kaiser and has a call schedule. She is not on call often, but there is a requirement that she lives within a certain distance from the hospital. Doesn't it make more sense for your wife to decide where she wants to work, and then plan the rest from there?
It may be easier to decide about her job first , but please understand that for the last 6 years, sales are bringing way more income than my Wife`s job.
I am sure we will figure something out , we are leaning towards Redmond and Sammamish , more towards Redmond
OP, we have tried to be gentle about this, but it might be time for some cold hard facts, your wife's job is probably going to be the primary bread winner. You need land for you career, but you want to move to the hottest real estate market in the entire country, would you try to open a used car dealership in NYC, SFO or LA?
Your overhead is going to greatly increase.
Florida land (including Miami) is cheap, the traffic is easy (yes I have a lot of experience traveling throughout your state), people don't mind traveling to see things, but come up here and try a normal commute. We have a dense metro area that has to deal with mountains, the Sound, lakes and people flooding in with six figure incomes demanding housing, why would someone lease land for a used car dealership when they can sell and/or build housing with the demand being so damn high? Yeah, you might find land available, but except to pay a premium and don't expect the city or the county to help with zoning, expect to pay through the nose for that.
Are you okay with paying taxes to Washington state even though you have losing money month after month? Too many people have a pretty good setup in their states and expect to move to this state and find the same situation.
Seattle is booming, which means housing, COL, and the expense of opening a business is also booming. Sure you can take on a lot of debit to make the move, but what happens when the market correction happens? Seattle is working very hard to make sure more and more people don't need a car.
Finally, in today's economy, why use a dealership? Google will tell you what a car is worth, Craigslist will list it for free. You want to use an outdated business model in one of the most tech savvy cities, you sure you want to sink tens of thousands of dollars into that idea?
OP, we have tried to be gentle about this, but it might be time for some cold hard facts, your wife's job is probably going to be the primary bread winner. You need land for you career, but you want to move to the hottest real estate market in the entire country, would you try to open a used car dealership in NYC, SFO or LA?
Your overhead is going to greatly increase.
Florida land (including Miami) is cheap, the traffic is easy (yes I have a lot of experience traveling throughout your state), people don't mind traveling to see things, but come up here and try a normal commute. We have a dense metro area that has to deal with mountains, the Sound, lakes and people flooding in with six figure incomes demanding housing, why would someone lease land for a used car dealership when they can sell and/or build housing with the demand being so damn high? Yeah, you might find land available, but except to pay a premium and don't expect the city or the county to help with zoning, expect to pay through the nose for that.
Are you okay with paying taxes to Washington state even though you have losing money month after month? Too many people have a pretty good setup in their states and expect to move to this state and find the same situation.
Seattle is booming, which means housing, COL, and the expense of opening a business is also booming. Sure you can take on a lot of debit to make the move, but what happens when the market correction happens? Seattle is working very hard to make sure more and more people don't need a car.
Finally, in today's economy, why use a dealership? Google will tell you what a car is worth, Craigslist will list it for free. You want to use an outdated business model in one of the most tech savvy cities, you sure you want to sink tens of thousands of dollars into that idea?
Totally understand, there is always car demand, it does not matter if its in Seattle, Tampa, Denver etc.
Google is not selling you a car,yet :-) you purchase advertising package from them and pay monthly fees. If you are loosing money month after month i think you should close your business and start doing something else :-)
I am planning to open a car lot with 80-140 vehicles, prices in WA and OR are higher than Florida, i can always buy cars in Florida and sell them in WA as a rust free cars :-)
Regarding Taxes, you have to pay them regardless if its in WA or Fl as well.
My Wife`s income will support us so i will have plenty of time to get used to WA State business ideas :-)
Totally understand, there is always car demand, it does not matter if its in Seattle, Tampa, Denver etc.
Google is not selling you a car,yet :-) you purchase advertising package from them and pay monthly fees. If you are loosing money month after month i think you should close your business and start doing something else :-)
I am planning to open a car lot with 80-140 vehicles, prices in WA and OR are higher than Florida, i can always buy cars in Florida and sell them in WA as a rust free cars :-)
Regarding Taxes, you have to pay them regardless if its in WA or Fl as well.
My Wife`s income will support us so i will have plenty of time to get used to WA State business ideas :-)
Thank you for all the help.
Ha. I've seen more rusty cars in FL than in WA.
To me, it's pretty clear you haven't really visited the area. Especially when you say you're now focusing on Sammamish and Redmond. The area is really built out. There isn't a whole lot of lots to be had, and you're going to be competing with the big monied developers for what few buildable areas that are left. Redmond has several used car lots, and they've been there a loooooooooong time. If they ever decide to sell their lots, I can pretty much guarantee that they're not going to sell to another car salesman. The land they're sitting on are prime locations and can easily fetch millions.
I get why you're looking into those areas. The demography supports the idea. But you're totally underscoring the land competition factor. I also think you're not factoring enough the Internet in relation to the demography. People are willing to go very far for a good deal. I grew up in the area, so I've heard enough "Cars are cheaper in Puyallup"-- I can believe it will be cheaper than anywhere in the Eastside, due to overhead costs. I know people who will go that far south (even to Centralia), and up towards Marysville. The Internet is showing them the good deals.
Personally, I think it'll be easier to accomplish what you want in areas that are building but not as fully built out as say the Seattle area/Eastside. I would point to the Vancouver area, maybe even the Kitsap area and Bremerton. I am intrigued by your dilemma, I don't ever hear of anyone wanting to come up and open a car lot. I hope you do update us if you ever do find that lot.
To me, it's pretty clear you haven't really visited the area. Especially when you say you're now focusing on Sammamish and Redmond. The area is really built out. There isn't a whole lot of lots to be had, and you're going to be competing with the big monied developers for what few buildable areas that are left. Redmond has several used car lots, and they've been there a loooooooooong time. If they ever decide to sell their lots, I can pretty much guarantee that they're not going to sell to another car salesman. The land they're sitting on are prime locations and can easily fetch millions.
I get why you're looking into those areas. The demography supports the idea. But you're totally underscoring the land competition factor. I also think you're not factoring enough the Internet in relation to the demography. People are willing to go very far for a good deal. I grew up in the area, so I've heard enough "Cars are cheaper in Puyallup"-- I can believe it will be cheaper than anywhere in the Eastside, due to overhead costs. I know people who will go that far south (even to Centralia), and up towards Marysville. The Internet is showing them the good deals.
Personally, I think it'll be easier to accomplish what you want in areas that are building but not as fully built out as say the Seattle area/Eastside. I would point to the Vancouver area, maybe even the Kitsap area and Bremerton. I am intrigued by your dilemma, I don't ever hear of anyone wanting to come up and open a car lot. I hope you do update us if you ever do find that lot.
Of course i will , THANK YOU for the information, i really appreciate that !
Totally understand, there is always car demand, it does not matter if its in Seattle, Tampa, Denver etc.
Google is not selling you a car,yet :-) you purchase advertising package from them and pay monthly fees. If you are loosing money month after month i think you should close your business and start doing something else :-)
I am planning to open a car lot with 80-140 vehicles, prices in WA and OR are higher than Florida, i can always buy cars in Florida and sell them in WA as a rust free cars :-)
Regarding Taxes, you have to pay them regardless if its in WA or Fl as well.
My Wife`s income will support us so i will have plenty of time to get used to WA State business ideas :-)
Thank you for all the help.
Rust free cars? I don't see rusty cars in Washington. I don't think I've ever seen a rusty car in Washington. I would hesitate to buy cars brought in from other states because I would think they were cast offs from floods in other parts of the country. I say hesitate but I would not buy them at all from another state.
If you want to sell cars in WA, you had better get acquainted with one of your biggest competitors, Dave Smith Motors, in Kellog ID. I see so many Dave Smith plates around here I wonder how the big ca lots compete. My husband has sold cars in Montana and Washington. He says they are the biggest competitors.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
