Hey, Seattleites—fed up with your rent going through the roof? Sick of your hour-long rush hour commute to travel a whole 2 miles?
If even ONE of the following things is true for you, it just *might* be a sign that it’s time to move to Tacoma.
1. Your rent is going up.
And up… and up… And by “going up” we mean $6,400 for a one-bedroom apartment in South Lake Union. ‘Nuf said.
2. Your “10-minute commute” is a joke.
Trying to get from Queen Anne to Capitol Hill during rush hour? Godspeed. Are hours of your precious life wasting away in traffic as you try to get from one end of the city to the other? “Yesterday morning, it took me one hour to go 6.4 miles.” Ouch.
3. You’re not really taking advantage of the city.
Do you love being walking distance from the live music scene? Love going to lectures, art exhibits, plays, fancy restaurants, and museums? A lot of the time, these are the reasons people list for why they love Seattle. But how often do you actually DO these things? Is it worth your rising rent? AND, more importantly, is it something you can’t get in Tacoma? (Just spend a minute on our blog, or the Tacoma Weekly events calendar if you need to be convinced, as a start.)
4. You have a 50k down payment and your real estate agent laughed you out of her office.
Ok, while down payments can vary a great deal depending on your situation, the real estate market in Seattle in SUPER competitive. According to The Seattle Times, in December of 2015 in King County, “The median single-family home price set a new high, $508,000,” while Pierce County’s current median price for a single-family home is $250,000. In Tacoma, you have a much higher chance of being able to afford a home—and also get your offer accepted in the first place.
5. You’re a first-time homebuyer.
With crazy high rents and a higher cost of living in general, it can be hard for first-time homebuyers to save up the cash they’ll need to make a competitive offer in Seattle. Things aren’t as cut-throat in Tacoma, and you have a much higher chance of being able to afford something AND win the home you want (and, need we mention, you’ll certainly get more bang for your buck).
6. You work from home.
There are more telecommuters than ever in this day and age, and if you work from the comfort of home or a cafe and don’t need to be super-close to your workplace in Seattle, you can significantly cut your cost of living expenses! Plus, Tacoma’s home to tons of shared workspaces and awesome coffeeshops to work in. (Check out Spaceworks Tacoma for an awesome example!)
7. Your income is well above the national average and you still can’t make ends meet or save money for an emergency fund (or, ya know, retirement).
If you’re working your butt off and still can’t put away money in savings, it’s probably time to seriously reconsider your choice of location. According to the Council on Economic and Community Relations, “Seattle is about 24% more expensive than the typical U.S. city. That means someone earning an annual income of $50,000 in the rest of the U.S. would need to earn about $62,000 in Seattle to maintain the same standard of living.”
8. You’re ready to start a family.
In June of 2015, The Seattle Times shared that “…as any working parent of a newborn will tell you, infant care in Seattle — if you can find it — can run as much as $21,600 a year, nearly twice the annual tuition and fees at the University of Washington.” It’s not easy to raise kids in the city for a multitude of reasons, but the rising costs of childcare alone is reason enough to take a second look at housing options elsewhere.
