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Old 09-01-2012, 08:04 PM
 
Location: Outside Seattle
66 posts, read 182,353 times
Reputation: 43

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Hi from Seattle,

I'm just cruising online. We live in a suburb of Seattle and are looking around at other places where the price of housing might be in our favor. We're retired, so we can live almost anywhere except crazy expensive places.

Last week, we drove out to Boise to see my husband's son who's going through a divorce. While there, I drove around the North End of Boise (the part with the old houses) and I liked it. I'm almost 60...ack...don't need too much in the way of nightlife. My husband, of course, liked Meridian which looked just like a dustier version of Orange County Cali (ick). Hate suburbs. I was living in Belltown (downtown) Seattle right before meeting current husband (Mr. Suburbia).

Anyway, I have been to Sunriver several times with former husband/father of my children during the 90's. Usually it was to rent a place with another family to go skiing. One time was during the summer and we went horseback riding along the river and my kids biked along the paved trails. The only thing I remember about Bend is that it had strip malls (maybe it was Fred Meyer or Walmart or something). I've lived in Cali, but I do my small amount of shopping online, so I don't care about shopping...however I'm not crazy about strip malls.

Several General Questions:

1. I see a lot of houses for sale in Sunriver. Does anyone really live there year round or is it just rowdy crazies with snowboards in winter?

2. The thing I like about Sunriver is the paved bike trails. I'm a novice cyclist with a (baby boomer-ish) cruiser bike. I would never ride in one of those bike lanes next to traffic because I'm afraid I'd fall over and/or be hit by a yahoo. (This is basically my first bike... ever. I got a little bell and will get a basket. It's a "girl's / woman's" bike.) Are there other places besides Sunriver that have paved trails? I could ride on dirt if necessary as long as it's flat, but I probably could not go very far.

3. What other areas would be good for retired ppl? We'd probably be looking in the $300-$400 range. Compared to Seattle, the prices are reasonable in your area. If we could find something in the $200s, that would be okay.

4. What's goin' on in the Bend/Sunriver area? There's so much for sale. Was Sunriver bought out by Cali house flippers? Most of the homes for sale look like rentals. We're looking for a year-round place, but I wonder if we could stash our "important" junk somewhere else (if we bought in Sunriver) and rent out our place for part of the winter... take a couple of cruises or something. (I have no valuable antiques...you know what I mean.)

5. Why are the property taxes so high?

6. It would be nice to be somewhere we could walk or bike (when it's not icy/snowy) to a restaurant or two. My husband has a car, but I sold mine. Any areas you would recommend if we stop by during a weekend. (We're not ready to look seriously. We still have to sell our house. We're just lookie-lou-ing neighborhoods.)

7. Why is unemployment so high? I know that you don't have Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon, or anything like that. But, has it always been difficult to find a job in Bend?

8. I guess I've run out of questions....haha...you don't have to answer everything, but I don't remember much about the area except for the houses we rented in Sunriver years ago.

9. Just thought of another question. Does the river flood? I see some houses for sale along the river, but they may be too remote for me.

10. And, another question: I'm from Seattle, so clouds don't bother me as much as they would other ppl, but I'm up against the Cascades (near Snoqualmie) on the wet side... how rainy/cloudy is it in Sunriver/Bend? Would it be comparable to Eastern WA or cloudier than that? (I know we have micro climates in W.WA...so even Snoqualmie/Redmond/Issaquah areas are rainier/cloudier than Seatown.)

Tina
ps I'm a writer. I should make this shorter and more concise, but don't have time.
Thanks in advance.

Last edited by tinaweha; 09-01-2012 at 08:21 PM..
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Old 09-01-2012, 08:28 PM
 
Location: Bend Oregon
480 posts, read 2,458,780 times
Reputation: 305
1. Yes people live in Sunriver but it was built as a destination resort and it will always be a place where people come for a holiday (year round - don't forget golf!)

2. There are casual bike trails here and there around Bend but not like they have in Sunriver. Many of the streets are quite safe to ride on (and your skills will improve)

3. $200 will be tough in Bend but you could look at Redmond or Prineville. $300-$400 quite do-able in much of Bend especially east side

4.Yes there was a lot of outside investment/flipping. Buying and renting out during some of the year should be do-able. There are many people looking at the same thing (also from outside the area)

5. Property taxes in Oregon are based upon a special complicated scheme that I won't go into here. We need property taxes because we have no sales tax

6. Look in the south of downtown Bend area. You can get to downtown and the Old Mill District biking or walking

7. Unemployment is high because we are a low-salary tourist-based town. We need more industry to move in to change that

8. The river does not flood in Bend because of a reservoir

9. More like eastern Washington against the east side of the Cascades (not far eastern WA)

Yes Bend has a few strip malls but it also has donwtown, the Old Mill District and a couple of shopping centers
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Old 09-01-2012, 10:55 PM
 
Location: Outside Seattle
66 posts, read 182,353 times
Reputation: 43
Bendite,

Thank you for your fabulous answers. I didn't think anyone would be able to give me all that info. So, I will check out the Old Mill District to see what's around there. I'm sure we will be going over $200k...I just threw that out there for the heck of it. I'm trying to get my husband interested in seeing what there is in Bend/Sunriver.

So, about how much would a house in Sunriver cost? I can look around online, but it's difficult to tell if prices are going up or going down or standing still.

I know there are fabulous mansions around Bend, but they are out of my price range. I like older areas....I'd probably be happy living IN the Old Mill...I'm a former hippie chick, but my husband likes a suburban-ish type of area. So, I don't know what I want. (Okay, that's not true. I want a house in Laurelhurst (Seattle) and a condo at the Whaler's at Kaanapali Beach...joke.)

What I mean is that I don't know how I'm going to talk my husband into liking the kind of neighborhood that I like. He likes new developments. I have a feeling that there is some place in the Bend/Sunriver area that will be a good compromise, but I have to drive around the area. Thank God I'm not trying to move there and get a job. It sounds like Bend is similar to Sun Valley or Waikiki - a great place to live but really expensive compared to the wages.

I hope I can get to Bend for a few days and get a feel for the place. It's been so long since I've been there.

(Other people: Don't be shy about adding your two cents even though Bendite answered my questions. Almost everyone in the state of Oregon probably knows more about Bend/Sunriver than I do.)
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Old 09-01-2012, 11:34 PM
 
Location: Bend Oregon
480 posts, read 2,458,780 times
Reputation: 305
Many of Bend's homes, even the new ones, are built in the Craftsman style so you and your husband may be able to get what you both want. There is a site called gobend.com - I think it is a real estate site but it has lots of information on it. It does list homes for sale and I saw a townhome in The Bluffs River Bend for $400,000 that overlooks the Deschutes River and is very close to the Old Mill District that can give you an idea of what old meets new might feel like. You should also check out a neigborhood on the west side called Northwest Crossing. It is an award winning planned community and nearly all the homes, though no older than 10 years, are in Craftsman style. Interestingly, it is one of the few areas of Bend where real estate prices really never collapsed.

Bend isn't really a resort town (like Sunriver is), though lots of people do come here to vacation. It has a real community feeling that you don't find in towns that are pretty exclusively built for tourism, even though one of our main industries is tourism
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Old 09-02-2012, 12:35 PM
 
Location: Bend, OR
1,337 posts, read 3,263,816 times
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I don't know much about Sunriver other than that it is all but a resort town. That said, there are people who live there full time and love it, but I wouldn't think it'd be a place to throw down roots as the town is literally developed with the resort in mind.

I think you could easily find a home in the 200's in Bend on the eastside. Heck, you may even be able to find a home with some land for that price if you're interested in a fixer. The westside, near Old Mill as it has been mentioned, will be much more difficult or, rather, nearly impossible below 275-300. Your location in Bend really depends on the type of lifestyle you want, though. The eastside might be a good compromise between you and your husband as it isn't far away from a more urban feel as you seem to like, yet will give your husband a more suburban setting. If you're an X-hippie (what's that mean, exactly - ha), I don't think you'd like the Old Mill area all that much to live. It's a beautiful development, no doubt, but it has many of our corporate stores - closer to Newport/Galveston will give you more of the locally owned shops, restaurants, etc.

That said, and I think you'd agree moving from Seattle, almost anywhere in Bend has a suburban feel save for right down town. You could live anywhere on the westside in the 200-400's right next to the epicenter of all our restaurants, breweries, bakeries, coffee roasters, etc. and still feel like you're in the middle of nowhere (I'm from Baltimore originally to give you perspective).
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Old 09-03-2012, 08:31 PM
 
Location: Bend Or.
1,126 posts, read 2,914,910 times
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We are moving to the Sunriver area when we retire in about 2.5 years. We bought our property to build on a few months ago. From our trips there I can tell you this:

Sunriver does have nice bike trails, and newer homes. it is not a sterile type neighborhood as it is laid out well in the trees. It definitely has a resort feel. Personally I didn't care for it to live in, we bought a few miles south in the Woods. To live there you will definitly need to plan on travelling to Bend or LaPine for some things, services are a little limited in Sunriver.

Plan on substantial HOA fees. I am not sure what they are, but with the Amenities they offer they have to be significant.

I don't believe the river floods but to own along the river you may be in a flood plain, with insurance to match, and Mosquitos that carry off small horses.

For other areas it just depends on what you want as far as neighborhoods, climate to some extent, and amenities. There is a lot of diversity.
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Old 09-03-2012, 09:35 PM
 
Location: The beautiful Rogue Valley, Oregon
7,785 posts, read 18,736,661 times
Reputation: 10783
There used to be part of Sunriver (one of the new areas that opened) in which rentals were not allowed. It was definitely one of the more expensive parts.

I haven't rented there in probably 10+ years, but my memory was, even then, a lot of the homes were VERY dated (think early 70s ski chalet) and close together.

For some of the same feeling, you might try Northwest Crossings, even though those all those homes are newer and fairly high in $/sf, although you do seem to get a lot for your money.
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Old 09-04-2012, 09:19 PM
 
Location: Bend Or.
1,126 posts, read 2,914,910 times
Reputation: 958
Quote:
Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal View Post
There used to be part of Sunriver (one of the new areas that opened) in which rentals were not allowed. It was definitely one of the more expensive parts.

I haven't rented there in probably 10+ years, but my memory was, even then, a lot of the homes were VERY dated (think early 70s ski chalet) and close together.

For some of the same feeling, you might try Northwest Crossings, even though those all those homes are newer and fairly high in $/sf, although you do seem to get a lot for your money.
This advice is spot on. Lots of biking, several restaurants close, designed as a sustainable community. Newer Craftsman style homes. from what you say your needs are I would definitely check this out.
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Old 09-06-2012, 01:05 AM
 
Location: seattle
98 posts, read 441,160 times
Reputation: 49
I was going to suggest at the price range you are looking for to look at Eaglecrest in redmond.

Real Estate Redmond OR, Eagle Crest Real Estate Central Oregon

It has bike trails and resort pools and a restaurant you can ride too. The other perk is redmond is warmer than sunriver and less snow based on the trips I have taken there. They have a age 55 or greater community called the Falls and condos and detached townhomes in the 200k range. Larger homes on larger lots in the 300k plus range. Another benefit is its close to the Redmond Airport for quick getaways, closer by 35 miles to Portland and is a easy drive to downtown bend and sisters. Speaking of Sisters you should take a look at that town also.
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Old 09-07-2012, 08:47 PM
 
Location: Outside Seattle
66 posts, read 182,353 times
Reputation: 43
I don't know anything about Redmond, but it sounds a bit too far from Bend. When we go I will check it out.

Well, I am trying to get away from the 55+ communities. I live in one now and I'm going nuts. I feel like I'm back in high school. Half the people are from New Jersey and they all walk around like sheep waiting for the nuns to slap their hands. It's like living on a cruise ship...aaack. Of course, I ignore most of their silly rules and walk up near the front of the line and wave my clubhouse card at the young office girl to go around them. I mean, I only do it when it's appropriate. I don't do anything that would endanger anyone and, as long as it MAKES SENSE, I follow the rules, but most of the time their rules are ridiculous. And, the people in my development are tediously fastidious about RULES that shouldn't even be rules... I wonder what these people would do if they went to the UK and people walked on the left side of the hallway rather than the right side. Sheesh.

What is Sisters? I've never been there.

I still think that I might like Sunriver or someplace near Sunriver. Whirnot, you are going to build a place in the woods or in a development called the Woods? Is it walking distance to Sunriver or would you have to drive? I have a feeling that it might be expensive to build out in "the middle of nowhere-ish" like it would be in the San Juan Islands. Everything has to be shipped in, right?

I haven't thought about building. And, I'm sure we will be going above the $200s. I just threw that out there for fun.

Last edited by tinaweha; 09-07-2012 at 09:01 PM..
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