How's that for a title twist? Huh? Well it's true, most of the themes about 'Retire to Washington' are centered around the idea of someone coming to Washington State form another state for a better retirement opportunity. Though it is true, Washington is one of the best states in America for retirees, it is also great for locals.
There are a great many Washingtonians that may be looking for a place to retire. They just might be perusing information on those classic sun-belt locales, Like Florida, Arizona, or even Texas. But what about Washington? The same great attributes that make Washington a great place to retire for people current residing in other states, certainly still applies to locals.
This is particularly true for people living in King or Snohomish Counties when we consider the exchange of property concept. What do I mean by this exchange? Simply put people that live in very expensive parts of the country such as the 9 County Greater Bay Area in California, Southern California's Coastal Counties, New York City, or Metro Seattle, will have tremendous buying power when they leave those areas to settle in a less expensive market.
The median home price in King County is among the highest in the US. One can sell a modest 3 bedroom 1100 SF ranch home on a dinky little lot in King County for $800,000 and buy a spacious 2500 SF one level home on 5 acres with a view for that in Clark County, Washington. Yikes!
For some, selling that little ranch in Seattle and exchanging it for a similar ranch in SW Washington could lead to a massive surplus of cash as the equivalent home might be $350,000 in Vancouver, WA. That's a tidy $450,000 in cash to pad the retirement.
Retiring to Washington is not just about coming from another state to escape unfavorable retirement conditions, but also about staying in Washington State to continue in retirement what you have enjoyed all along.
