Question Wanting to Relocating Immediately After BK13 - Looking At PNW ? Washington State?

[Barbisi]

I looked every where about relocation after BK13 and couldn't find a suitable title, so here goes!
I know many will say , just stay where you are, and if you must sell, rent until 2024 (when the Bk13 should fall of our report), but I am so unhappy here and physically, spiritually,mentally and emotionally need a permanent break from everything that is Colorado, that I don't think I can wait that long.
Pro to staying here : my husband has a secure job for the moment with a very good salary and we could build up funds since we would have no credit card debt.
Cons: I am not getting younger and my health problems are not going away. We are spending around $500-600 a month for maintenance (chiro +PT)
My husband is 50+ and jobs in his field will not increase if we wait until he's 55. There is no guarantee the good job will continue ; he was very nearly laid off by this new company in 2020 during the pandemic. He managed to find this different position last year ,but if this one is terminated, he might end up on severance. (six weeks worth of pay). There is no guarantee the booming real estate market will last until 2024, and should housing began to tank here, we could end up underwater and trapped here again. And if we can sell in 2022 (or worst case early 2023) we can avoid many upcoming repairs and updates that will become mandatory in the next couple of years, meaning no build up of savings at all.
And why sell and rent here until 2024, when we could be renting some where else where my health would improve and we could be happier? And buying another house here in 2024 just sounds like a new disaster in the making - three times will not be the charm.
So assuming we are able to relocate in 2022, what are reasonable cities in WA state in particular, with cultural amenities that CO lacks for renting?
We understand buying a house in WA is utter madness, but since we couldn't consider buying a house again until 2024, we'd have to rent anyway.
Home ownership turned out badly for us, and buying a home anywhere is no longer a dream for us -it turned into a BK13 nightmare and when we rented we were so much freer and better off financially!
Co only has two major grocery chains -the ubiquitous King Soupers (owned by Krogers) and Safeway (owned by Albertsons , who strangely vacated the state), and only one major outlet shopping center (Outlets of Castle Rock).
I have looked up groceries stores and there appears to be a lot of competition (like in the Dallas area).
And because travel by car is easier ( only a couple of hours (minus traffic) between Portland, Seattle and Canada (!) shopping should be more accessible, something unthinkable here - travel between states and major cities takes 6 plus hours one way!
I know gas,local sales tax ,etc. are more expensive,but what about medical care (we are hoping for a dramatic reduction in needed chiro care and pt visits once we are near sea level again), services (vet,salons,etc.), restaurant eating (with discounts like the 2 for 1 Entertainment Book,etc.)
I feel you WA or OR posters who have navigated BK13 would know the most about post -BK13 quality of life and the high COL in the NW?
We will be relocating with three beautiful cats, how much extra for pet rent in a roomy house?
Thanks to all for any insights or tips you can provide!

[shipo]

I don't see relocating immediately after a Chapter 13 discharge as being much of an impediment, regardless of whether you want to rent or buy (you'll just need to find a broker/mortgage company willing to do a manual underwrite for the mortgage). I've traveled a lot in my years and have covered pretty much the entire country (and much of the world) and I love the PNW, however, there is a big issue if you are sensitive to a lack of sunlight (like my wife). The fact is, the Portland and Seattle areas are frequently cloudy and heavily overcast for weeks on end; my wife actually turned down a hugely beneficial job offer in the Seattle area for just that reason.

While on the subject of moving from (or to) Colorado and job changing when one is older, I'll be 64 in a few weeks and because of the fact I ended up starting a new career while in the midst of my Chapter 13, I am now being heavily recruited to the point where I routinely turn down requests for interviews weekly, some times many times per week. Just today I was approached by a company wanting to interview me for a very choice position which punches a lot of items on my check list (international travel, technical architectural design, mentoring...), a very nice salary, and lots of challenging scenarios to work through, and whaddya know, they're located in Englewood, Colorado, not 15 miles from where our son lives.

I have no idea if that job will pan out (Wells Fargo is still courting me for a job in Charlotte, but that has been lingering for over a year now thanks to COVID), but it is nice to have lots of options, especially when one is in the 50+ age category.

[Barbisi]

Well shipo, the constant blazing sun here is a huge problem for me and I don't know how long we would want to stay in the PNW region - if my husband was lucky enough to land a job with European locations, we might want to move there! I speak three languages already, and would love to learn another and get to experience all the travel I've been denied for 11+years so far. Home ownership = prison, no travel + repeat BK13 LOL!
I just want the flexibility to move if it doesn't work out there -not another 12 year Colorado jail term!

[sophieanne]

Hi Barbisi... Well since I live in Washington state I’ll give you my opinion. We live just south of Seattle in the capital of Olympia. Anywhere considered to be the South sound, is more affordable, and gives you easy access to the big cities of Seattle Portland Vancouver Canada. I love it here. No it’s not sunny every day, but where we are is more sheltered and we don’t get as much rain as Seattle. We also have extremely mild winters… We’re lucky to have a day of snow which is usually gone within two days. The shopping is good… But again, you have the option of going to the larger cities if you choose for specialty or more variety. We have Walmart, Safeway, Fred Meyer, and variety of others for groceries and lots of other stores for the rest of your shopping needs. There are a number of restaurants including big names like outback Olive Garden and others… But again if you wanted to go to a huge fancy restaurant.. Seattle is not too far away. Having said that, there are a number of really nice restaurants that provide some of the best food I’ve ever eaten, in the downtown area and on the waterfront. There are cultural things to do here, but again the big cities aren’t far away for big events. I keep referring to the big cities, but the fact is That you can live in an affordable community… Right now the Median house Price is 350,000. You can live in a nice community or out further with more land. You can be as involved involved in your community as you choose. People here are really nice and respect one another. There are lots of medical facilities… we have great healthcare. We have no state tax, and I think the cost of living is very reasonable. So you can live in a smaller city than Seattle, but you’re close enough to take advantage of all it offers, in a very short time. You can live in an Affordable area and have access to so much more. You will never lack for coffee, I don’t know why, but the people in Washington state, love their coffee. I lived most of my life in Vancouver Canada then moved to Daytona beach now in Olympia for the past 15 years. I bought my house sight unseen, when The housing market was out of control. If I could change anything, from 15 years ago, it would be nothing. I truly love it here. Before I get knocked out again I’ll just close by saying you make the choice that’s best for you. Happy to answer any questions you have. Good luck with your decision making. One more thing, Washington state has given people major opportunity to work from home. I have been doing work from home jobs since March 2020. This Will not change, which to me is a major selling point. Not to get political, but I can honestly say, our governor has done a great job, looking after the people in Washington state during this pandemic. Nobody here has suffered without being taken care of. Please ask me any questions if you want. I have to sign off because I keep getting bumped off.
One more thing… A pet deposit is going to be at the discretion of anyone you rent from. Those deposits can vary or in some cases be nonexistent. There are a lot of great that’s in this area. And of course that’s a Lot a pet supply stores. Washington state loves your coffee and your pets… LOL. I have to retrievers myself. Had to mention about the pets.

[Zombie13]

Thank you sophieanne ! We say 'Seattle' since we aren't yet familiar with Washington in general, and 'Seattle area' is the first thing we think of, when we think of Washington. The info you provided is very reassuring. We enjoy going to the metro area(s), but we don't want want to live 'in' the metro area. For example, near the Denver downtown area is a place called Washington Park and Cherry Creek. It's kinda ritzy, upscale, close to downtown, and very expensive. That's not what we are interested in LOL! We are about 30 minutes from the Denver city area; nice and quiet. We prefer a house with a yard; I'm not a fan of our next door neighbor within arm's reach. Yes, cost of living - housing, food, sales tax, etc. have been a point of concern for us, thank you for clarifying. We have discussed taking a couple trips there if possible, before committing: once when the weather is 'dreary' so to speak (wintertime), and once when it's nice (spring/summertime). But, given our desired timeline, we may not be able to do that. We lived in NH for a few years and the wintertime sounds similar to Seattle weather when it is rainy. In NH of course it's pretty heavy snow. We weren't stressed by that, except for the cold wet wind that took the heat from our bones (we saw many scowls during those days LOL!) . NH and New England in general are beautiful places too BTW.
Also: I really like working from home. In the past, I was 100% against it; thinking, too many distractions. Now, that I didn't really have a choice, I realized I like it.

[sophieanne]

Zombie13 I think it’s automatic to think Seattle when you think Washington state… The big metro area… But it is so much more. Do some searching and look up living in Western Washington, Southsound Washington and Eastern Washington. Washington state was named the number 1 Great Pl. to live in the country based on cost of living, Healthcare, things to do. I sure it’s obvious, but I love this state. I’m excited for both of you doing your search and finding the right place going forward. What do you do for a living? Look up the article of the best to live in the country that came out in US News ..this month.

[Zombie13]

sophieanne will do, thank you! I work in aerospace engineering: software, systems integration, and test primarily.

[Carmella]

It's great Barbisi and Zombie13 can start planning and learning about other locations!

I don't blame you for wanting to rent at least initially and if you buy a property I am sure you'll be very very careful to avoid a full fledged money pit.

My daughter lives in a sort luxury apartment and it is really nice. If we were moving I would have no problem renting until I decided what to do. I say her apartment is sort of luxury since it has more amenities than most of the apartments nearby and is slightly more expensive, but it's not as high priced and hoity toity as some of the true luxury apartments in the city area which are usually repurposed buildings turned into living space.

How exciting to start planning your move.

That's it since I have never been West of Illinois nothing to add about Washington State!

And if sunlight is an issue there's the light lamps that can help avoid seasonal depression.

[Barbisi]

Thank you so very much sophieanne for your very caring, perky post -just the kind of positive info we need to hear about Olympia WA (which according to salary calculator is considered a little cheaper than our current CO location! ) Hopefully next year everything will fall into place - discharge, new job , selling the house, etc. If I can think of other questions, I'll post again on here.
Carmella, thank you for always being supportive and understanding -I think our BK 13 situation in some ways is quite similar except you are happy in your locale and I am glad for you -a huge move like this is daunting but just can't be avoided : too many bad and unpleasant memories and events have happened here to ever make Colorado a place I would want to continue living in when I no longer have to!
As for the light I look forward to days with little sun - It'll be a fantastic break from 300+ days of a truly blinding, blazing sun a mile high!

[Zombie13]

It's great Barbisi and Zombie13 can start planning and learning about other locations!

And if sunlight is an issue there's the light lamps that can help avoid seasonal depression.

Thanks Carmella, good to keep in mind!