Never been to Bend but moving there in 2 months!! (Portland: section 8, best neighborhoods) - Oregon (OR) -Deschutes County - City-Data Forum

Sharp926 · 03-25-2014, 09:34 PM

Hi all,

I frequent the Bend forum quite a bit because I love to read all the information. My family of 5 is moving to Bend from Tempe, AZ at the end of May. We have never even visited Bend, but we are going to make it our permanent home. We are planning on renting short term to get a feel for the neighborhoods. My husband works for Coca Cola, I wish I could say I knew where that was but I don't!!

We are right now and probably will be still a one income family because we still have little ones at home all day. Can somebody give me an idea, any idea, of where to even look for a home in Bend??? What will be out of our price range, knowing we are a one income family, but still a good area for the kids. We will be buying a home there eventually, but we would like to rent for just a short time to get to know Bend.

Any info is appreciated,

Thanks!!!!

kapetrich · 03-25-2014, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sharp926

I frequent the Bend forum quite a bit because I love to read all the information. My family of 5 is moving to Bend from Tempe, AZ at the end of May. We have never even visited Bend, but we are going to make it our permanent home.We are planning on renting short term to get a feel for the neighborhoods. My husband works for Coca Cola, I wish I could say I knew where that was but I don't!!

First of all, Bend is a very Pepsi centric town. I know less than a handful of places that serve fountain Coke over Pepsi which I'd love to change. (for the nitpickers among us, yes there are restaurants that sell cans/bottled coke products, but that's different). Is there an expansion going on at the Coke facility?! HA Really though, my weak spot is Coke on tap so it's been a relief to all but have that temptation taken away from me since moving here....

How'd you stumble on Bend? Was it due to your husbands transfer?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sharp926

We are right now and probably will be still a one income family because we still have little ones at home all day. Can somebody give me an idea, any idea, of where to even look for a home in Bend??? What will be out of our price range, knowing we are a one income family, but still a good area for the kids. We will be buying a home there eventually, but we would like to rent for just a short time to get to know Bend.

It's hard to tell you what the best neighborhoods for you to look in without knowing what your family prefers and, most importantly, the price range you're in. This should narrow down the suggestions.

---
A few things....you're going to get less sun than you're use to. Maybe not so much once you first get here till winter sets in, but Bend will be less sunny than Tempe in the Fall, Winter and, most notably, Spring. Not trying to scare you, Bend is a fairly sunny place ....for the PNW, but it isn't sunny like AZ.

There aren't that many bad neighborhoods in Bend. There are a few listed in some recent posts about property, but by in large Bend is a very safe and kid friendly town.

Hope other posters can help you out with schools - I have no kids.

Good luck with the move.

VirtualErik · 03-26-2014, 06:35 AM

Most places here having waiting list that are pretty long for renting, apartments at least. If your looking to rent a house that may be a different situation.

I moved here from Georgia just over a year ago now, its a beautiful and charming town. Very scenic, I never get tired of staring at the cascade snow capped mountains in the distance. My favorite area here in Bend is the Old mill. Decent shops, restaurants, and movie theater.

That being said Bend is a challenging place to settle, high unemployment rates, high cost of living but if you manage to settle down here, you'll love it.

-coming from AZ you may have trouble getting used to the winters here, they get cold, last a long time and even right now its probably below zero out there even nearing April. We are the high desert after all. Summers can get hot but relief at night so its nice. so many hiking trails, rivers and forest to explore if your into the outdoor thing.

Wishing you great luck on getting out here.

Sharp926 · 03-26-2014, 09:30 AM

Thanks for the info!!!

My husband has already secured a position at the Coca Cola facility, we are aware of how small it is!! It will be an adjustment for him coming from a much larger plant.

We have been in Arizona most of our lives and we are ready for a change. We hope that we can adapt to less sun and colder winters.

As far as narrowing down our search...

We would like to be within 15 miles or so of the Coca-Cola plant if that is possible with our budget. We need, do need a 3 bedroom house as we have 3 kids. 2 of the kids will be sharing a room. 4 bedrooms would be better but we know that may not happen on our budget. We would prefer to rent a house over an apartment because we do have 2 dogs. Our rent needs to stay at or below $900 a month. I have noticed there are a few homes in the area for around this price range. We do not need to be close to shops or restaurants because that is no longer our lifestyle. Eating out and visiting bars doesn't happen that often with the kids!! So we are okay with not being in the center of town.

BendLocal · 03-26-2014, 09:42 AM

We were able to adapt to the cold quickly but the long gray winters without a nice spring has been a drag. We recently received some early warm and sunny days which was a wonderful break.

grassfeeder · 03-26-2014, 10:36 AM

$900/month budget is not going to get you very far in Bend. You may have to look in Redmond maybe?? Real Estate up here is vastly different than in AZ.

kapetrich · 03-26-2014, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sharp926

Thanks for the info!!!

My husband has already secured a position at the Coca Cola facility, we are aware of how small it is!! It will be an adjustment for him coming from a much larger plant.

We have been in Arizona most of our lives and we are ready for a change. We hope that we can adapt to less sun and colder winters.

As far as narrowing down our search...

We would like to be within 15 miles or so of the Coca-Cola plant if that is possible with our budget. We need, do need a 3 bedroom house as we have 3 kids. 2 of the kids will be sharing a room. 4 bedrooms would be better but we know that may not happen on our budget. We would prefer to rent a house over an apartment because we do have 2 dogs. Our rent needs to stay at or below $900 a month. I have noticed there are a few homes in the area for around this price range. We do not need to be close to shops or restaurants because that is no longer our lifestyle. Eating out and visiting bars doesn't happen that often with the kids!! So we are okay with not being in the center of town.

Luckily Bend is compact so you can, all but, live anywhere in town and still be within 15miles of the Coca-Cola plant which is convenient.

Sharp926 is right, $900 is a low ceiling for a full house rental in Bend now-a-days. 3 years ago it wasn't, but things have changed drastically. If I were you I'd check out anything east of 97 especially SE.

Sorry Bend is so expensive!!!

Steve Pickering · 03-26-2014, 12:01 PM

You may want to rethink the move. It isn't just colder it gets snow. Deep snow at times. And two dogs, you have a problem unless they are small.

Rents are much higher here. The view of the mountains will be different, but you will find Bend terrain and plants to be much the same as what you have now.

And as for Coke v/s Pepsi. The bars and restaurants that serve Pepsi do so because they cheap out. Coke is a superior product and costs more in bulk.

delta07 · 03-26-2014, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sharp926

Thanks for the info!!!

My husband has already secured a position at the Coca Cola facility, we are aware of how small it is!! It will be an adjustment for him coming from a much larger plant.

We have been in Arizona most of our lives and we are ready for a change. We hope that we can adapt to less sun and colder winters.

As far as narrowing down our search...

We would like to be within 15 miles or so of the Coca-Cola plant if that is possible with our budget. We need, do need a 3 bedroom house as we have 3 kids. 2 of the kids will be sharing a room. 4 bedrooms would be better but we know that may not happen on our budget. We would prefer to rent a house over an apartment because we do have 2 dogs. Our rent needs to stay at or below $900 a month. I have noticed there are a few homes in the area for around this price range. We do not need to be close to shops or restaurants because that is no longer our lifestyle. Eating out and visiting bars doesn't happen that often with the kids!! So we are okay with not being in the center of town.

Bend is a great place to live and raise kids. Securing a job is certainly a huge advantage to you. Looking at your budget, you are going to be hard pressed to find a 3+ bed home for rent, especially one that will rent to you with 2 dogs. I just did a quick craigslist search with those parameters and only 1 duplex in Bend came up. The other 3 places were outside of your 15 mile commute (1 in LaPine at 32 miles, 1 in Prineville at 33 miles and 1 in Lakeview at 178 miles). You're going to have to increase your housing budget by at least $100 and probably more, if you want to find a rental with your parameters.

Redmond is a good suggestion, as housing tends to be less expensive there than Bend.

Steve Pickering · 03-26-2014, 01:16 PM

If $900 is your limit you really need to rethink the move. Bend is a great place for kids. Much safer than Tempe. Having a job is the only way to move to someplace like Bend. It is not like the Welfare State of Eugene or Liberal Portland. La Pine could be an option. Three bedrooms in your price range tend to be Section 8 type housing and not in any area you want to live in.