It looks like I'm going to sell my house and move to the Seattle area
My daughter has informed me that she and her family are going to move to the Seattle area this summer. My son and his family already live there. So, rather than stay in Texas by myself, I'm going to move there to be close to kids and grandkids. I'm now retired so that I don't have to worry about finding a job. And I love the outdoor life! All the hiking trails, rivers, lakes and parks to explore! The only downside is getting the house spruced up for sale. I need to clean up my act and do some minor repairs. Already my roommate's boyfriend has expressed an interest in buying the house, so I think it will sell quickly. The house was appraised (for a mortgage re-fi) in 2009 for $103,000. I plan to ask $97,500. The house is a two-story 2800 sq ft building, with the upstairs set up as a 965 sq ft rental, a 1 br/1bth apartment.
So, I've been to Seattle several times for a visit, and I think I would like it way more than Texas. The only reason I moved here was for my career, and now that that's over, I'm FREE! So, talk to me about moving to Washington State. Any help you all can give me would be much appreciated! 
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I would hate to leave my beautiful Ozarks. Most of my family is within 60 miles from me here, so that has a lot to do with my feelings, as well. I completely understand your desire to be closer to your family. I hope all works out well for you.
Selling the house...if the boyfriend wants to buy it, talk him about a price reduction for his doing the minor repairs.
DO hire someone to come in and clean the place after you have packed. Friend of mine did that when she moved, and her house sold very quickly, compared to others around her in this slow market.
Seattle....I was born and raised there, my brother and one son live there.
You have a huge range of areas to choose from in the city, and surrounding areas.
Prices are quite high, you might want to research on Zillow or other popular online real estate sites...your current house price is about 1/3 of what houses cost in Seattle now, which explains one of the reasons why I live in Alabama.
Within city proper, good bus service, good walking. Lots of parks, recreation areas IN the city, which is cool.
Lots of people do not keep cars, they rent one for leisure trips out of the city, use bicycles in the city ( the hills will kill ya, tho)
Excellent food, from all over.
Breath taking views every direction, I so took them for granted most of my life.
9 months of the year will be cloudy or rainy, if you have a tendency to depression, think about how to handle that.
One of my sons has Seasonal Affective D/O, finds meds necessary.
Also, if you are used to wide open spaces, vast horizons, Seattle and the entire Puget Sound area is just the opposite.
Lots of tall trees, tall buildings, tall mountains, everything is visually vertical.
I felt quite dizzy when I moved to flat Fla. years ago.
At one time, Seattle was rated the most literate city ( outranking even Boston) for the huge number of bookstores,
high education levels of citizens. Truth was, 9 months of clouds, drizzle, rain, damp DO make for a lot of indoor reading.
excellent health care, lots of hospitals around if you have insurance.
Best part, if you like to go places, you can see deserts, mountains, lakes, a real rainforest, gorgeous places to go visit.
Plus pot is legal, huge plus in my book.
Gonna be a lovely adventure for you!.....
I've never adjusted to living in the AZ desert.
I'd go back to Seattle in a heartbeat if I could afford it, but I can't.
Housing costs are outrageous.
You're going to love it here!
The blue politics, if nothing else.
But there's lot's more. The outdoor activities, which you are already looking forward to. The local microbrews, which put that horse-piss Lone Star in the shade. The quality and diversity of our local wines is staggering.
Washington is often called "The State Of The Arts". Seattle Opera, once a little recognized regional company, is now considered one of the finest in the world, in no small part because of fellow-transplanted Texan Speight Jenkins, who was General Director of the Opera for thirty years. Opera, theater, ballet, modern dance, popular music, underground bands, club musicians, painting, sculpting, glass-blowing, you name it, we've got it in exceptional quality.
The weather is certainly a lot better than in Texas. Yeah, it rains a lot, but not as much as people say (usually to keep outsiders from coming in and ruining things.) A stranger feature of our weather is the persistent overcast. In other parts of the country, when it gets grey and cloudy, it means it's going to rain, and you expect it to; here in Washington, it can get overcast, and stay that way for weeks, and then clear up, never once having rained.
The Seattle-Bellevue metro complex is one of the best-educated cities in the country, and Seattle is the fourth-wealthiest. We've got spectacular universities, lots of libraries, and hundreds and hundreds of small, independent bookstores where you can find just about any book you want, in or out of print.
The population is hugely diverse, located as we are on the West Coast. Every nationality and ethnicity from the continent of Asia is well-represented in Washington. We also have a very large Hispanic population; people who want to work hard and make a better life for their families, but located in a much more welcoming environment than the harsh, vindictive, and xenophobic states of Arizona and Texas.
Couple of things: learn to pronounce the name of my home of Puyallup. It's Pyoo-AL'-upp. Say it wrong, and we'll know you're not from around here. And you'll be coming to Puyallup for the State Fair, so start practicing your pronounciation.
Also, on any clear day when you can see Mount Rainier, remark about how "the mountain is out today!" Everyone knows what mountain you're referring to.
Portland, Oregon, The City Of Roses, prides itself on being weird and artsy. And that's fine; Portland's a great place. But we love our Emerald City.
Anything more you want to know, just ask me. We look forward to your arrival...
