Moving from Pacific Northwest to East Texas - need advice

[Mitchell Garnett]

Given the scarcity of used tools makes me wonder if selling them after I got there might result in a higher price... but I don't want to take that risk. If I decide to sell it will before I go.

Different topic: while I mentioned Longview, one of the reasons we're moving without having an address to move to is we want to be very selective and prefer a rural property, ideally under 2 acres but whatever size, something that isn't too much trouble to maintain. We have about 1.5 acres in rural Snohomish county but it is highly landscaped and is a maintenance nightmare. When I was professionally employed I could afford someone to help a couple of days a month but as a working-retired person, I can't afford it anymore. (I hate to admit it but at almost 69, some of the work is harder than I'm up to most of the time. )

[Mitchell Garnett]

Thank you to everyone who has replied even if I didn't specifically reply to your message - all your contributions are really appreciated. Since there seems to be some interest, I'll update periodically when there's something new to contribute.

[David Helm]

30	Texas	11.12%	$6034
31	Massachusetts	11.52%	$6,253
32	Minnesota	11.59%	$6,291
33	Maine	11.63%	$6,316
34	Washington	11.72%	$6,363

State tax rates by rank. You are getting a slight tax break 0.6%

[Mitchell Garnett]

Thanks. Sales tax I take as pretty much equal. At least in Longview, TX, property taxes are a lot lower plus things like gasoline are lower by 70 cents a gallon or so. A bigger impact on me is I have a mortgage up here (bought more house/land than I should have as a older person but that is another story) and I'll be able to pay cash for a house and have money left over.

Here is an except from bankrate.com showing Seattle/Everett vs Longview differences. I'm not sure of the date or accuracy so take it with a big grain of salt:

Screen Shot 2018-01-17 at 5.00.31 PM.png

One thing the data above miss is that total electric bill with air conditioning is going to be much higher in Texas. Using a/c here in Snohomish makes my annual electric bill with SnoPUD work out to be about $2000. When I last lived in Houston 25 years ago, my June through September electric bill was over $2K.

[Scott Kuykendall]

I have moved twice in the last ten years from CA to SC and then back to CA. I used PODS both times and they are the way to go. Only being 4 inches off the ground and using a shop built ramp I moved almost everything by myself by just rolling the machine right into the POD. Another great thing is you can take all the time you need to load and unload, they include one month time to load, transit time and unload but can pay for extra time if needed. By having time you can bring all your scrap and full-size lumber using it to fill in all the open areas in and around your things.
Scott

[David Helm]

Wow! Where did you find such a complete breakdown?

[lowell holmes]

I live in Dickinson Texas, Galveston County, 25 miles from the coast. IIRC, my electric bill has never been over $300. Most months it is under $100.
My house is well insulated and has no air leaks. Also the yard has numerous shade trees. Look for a house with trees in the yard.

[Mitchell Garnett]

www dot bankrate dot com/calculators/savings/moving-cost-of-living-calculator.aspx (hopefully this format won't violate the links rule on the forum).

[Mitchell Garnett]

I doubt anyone is following this thread but just in case: Our move to Texas finally happens on the 28th. By taking the 'scenic' route, we expect to get to Longview about the July 7th to start looking for a house. Judging from the inventory of houses I expect it won't take long to find one that suits us. I won't know until then whether my shop will be the garage or a purpose built one.

In the end I chose to get 3 PODs for the move; one was for heavy tools, etc., another holds outdoor tools and yard furniture. and the last holds our household goods. I originally wanted to use a professional mover for the but household stuff but it just cost more than I wanted to pay, especially after I learned the State of Washington and the county I live in are taking a 1.78% excise tax off the top of my sale. (One more reason to flee the great NW).

My wife and I both grew up in Texas and we're looking forward to going home.

[Scott Kuykendall]

How did you like using the PODS. Can't beat the ease of loading with them. Good luck house hunting.

[Marc Jeske]

Mitch - Marc, S of Hemphill here.

We PM'd some time ago.

100 mile from Longview, but as I said before, let me know If I can help in any way.

Marc

[Carl Beckett]

Moving like that is both a curse and an opportunity when it comes to your shop, not just for the downsizing of the house aspect!

What I'll suggest to you is that on the opportunity side, you need to ponder if "reinventing" your shop is better than just moving it the way it is now. Finances obviously come into play with that, but setting up new with, perhaps, things you've often wanted, but didn't have the space or means at the time should be on the table. You'll be starting with a brand new space anyway. So if you've contemplated a Euro combo machine or some other different setup but never did it, this is a great time to consider. Ask yourself what you want to focus on with your woodworking going forward and how best to do that since you have to make changes anyway. If you decide to "reinvent", then sell off stuff you would be replacing before you move and just take cherished things as well as hand tools and the things you need to actually setup at the other end.

+1 on this. I have moved my shop... 8 times minimum. Both short (across town) and long (Ohio to Washington state, then Washington to Puerto Rico, then Puerto Rico to Boston).

Sometimes I kept everything. Sometimes I sold all the big stuff and stuff I dont use often and moved the smaller stuff. Sometimes it went into storage for as long as a year while things settled on the other end.

One time I had one of those food vacuum packing machines, and I put all my hand tools in a bag with a spritz of oil and vacuum packed everything. NO RUST, no corrosion of any type, and they ended up in storage much longer than originally anticipated so I was pretty satisfied to have done it (I did get some good natured teasing about vacuum packing my tools!)

My experience has been that the bigger tools are the easiest to replace. And most times (not always) I upgraded or switched setup/working style as a result. Then each new shop space came with new workbench/storage projects (always take time), so dont necessarily expect to be up and going immediately in the new space.

Also with a new house I tend to end up doing more house projects at first, then the furniture making comes later once the house is established (different type of equipment and tools needed)

Dont be afraid to let go of stuff you havent used much. Good luck, moving is a PITA!

[lowell holmes]

And oh, by the way, you may experience a bit of a cultural shock.

[Wade Holloway]

Good luck with the move. Will be interested to see how it goes. Best of luck to you. By the way Longview is a nice little town, we lived there several years ago. One interesting thing about Longview is that you could only by alcohol inside the loop that goes around Longview, outside of the loop was dry. Never did get that one figured out.

[Dave Cav]

Try to find a place as high as possible. My mom lives in Tyler (practically next door) and has a terrible time with high water due to thunderstorms. Having a drainage ditch in the back yard doesn't help, either.

Most houses in that region are slab on grade. Slab and foundation cracking is a big deal and very common. Take a close look at walls, ceilings and door openings for signs of settling.

The heat and humidity this time of year are going to be brutal coming from Snohomish county. Good luck.