Salem to McMinnville area (Dallas, Silverton: real estate, how much, homes)

[dogdorks]

I am relocating to Oregon from Colorado, though I grew up in the Willamette Valley. My husband and I are considering trying to find some property in the area between Salem and McMinnville, possible on Hihgway 221. Does anyone know much about this area? We just want to find some nice space for us and our dogs

[dachmom]

That's a pretty big area (it's a 30 mile drive). It might help if you narrowed down your area. For example are you looking at areas closer to Salem like Dallas, or are you looking for a place closer to McMinnville in Yamhill County? I love the drive to McMinnville in the summer, it's a beautiful drive. I would suggest going to Willamette Valley Multiple Listing service (wvmls.com) and look for properties in Polk County (West Salem, Dallas, etc.) or Yamhill County (McMinnville, etc.) Good Luck on your move, I hope you find a great place for you and your dogs.

[dogdorks]

Thanks for the advice on that website. I'll be working in Salem, and want to find something between West Salem and McMinnville (but not all the way to McMinnville to make for a reasonable commute). Any idea about the property value in that area?

[rtg143]

Also try www.trulia.com. There are a lot of places shown there and arial views too.

[Silverfall]

Property values depend on how much land you are looking for. The area out West off of 221 is called Bethel Heights. It's wine country as is a good chuck of Yamhill county. The biggest challenge you will have finding something in that area, is that it is all farmland which is large chucks of land. You will also find several manufactured homes on smaller lots, if that works for you.

The area you picked is BEAUTIFUL hills. Really gorgeous, but you will pay a lot to live there. I would bet it would be tough to find anything in that area for less than $275,000. If you do it will be a manufactured home, or a home that needs a lot of work.

The local mls site is www.wvmls.com as mentioned in another post, but McMinnville and Yamhill county belongs to another MLS, so you will want to go to www.RMLS.com to look for properties in Yamhill county. West Salem is zip code 97304 if that helps in your searching!

[dogdorks]

Thanks for your great advice - it definitely helps talking to a real estate agent! We're looking for 2-5 acres and we are finding mostly manufactured homes, which is not ideal. Luckily my husband does remodeling for a living, so fixing something up is not an issue. Do you know any good areas where you can find homes (not manufactured) on that size property? We're looking in the 275-325 price range. Thanks for all the help!

[seven of nine]

Originally Posted by dogdorks

Thanks for your great advice - it definitely helps talking to a real estate agent! We're looking for 2-5 acres and we are finding mostly manufactured homes, which is not ideal. Luckily my husband does remodeling for a living, so fixing something up is not an issue. Do you know any good areas where you can find homes (not manufactured) on that size property? We're looking in the 275-325 price range. Thanks for all the help!

I think you will find that the land alone will be higher priced than your budget.

[dogdorks]

Not really. Land isn't as expensive outside of the city limits as you might think. I mean, we're not going to buy a vineyard or anything

[Silverfall]

For nice topography with rolling hills like Bethel Heights and more affordable, I would look at the hills in Turner and Jefferson which is South Salem area.

Now Jefferson and Turner themselves are dumpy (No offense to Turnerites or Jeffersonians) BUT they have stunning land surrounding them. Some of the views on Summit Hill area in Turner are breathtaking.

Since your hubby can remodel that would open up some possibilities for you.

Silverton also has some homes on land in that range, as do Aumsville and Stayton.

In Yamhill county, you could try Amity and Dayton, but I think you will get priced out. Hope this helps!

[Johncdc]

DOGDORKS: Take a look at Dayton. South of Dayton, off of 221 and off west into the eola hills is still quite undervalued compared to some other areas. Dayton, for sure is a good investment right now...as are areas around Amity. Go to rmls.com and plug in the criteria for Dayton and amity. You will find plenty to look at. Also, check out our new community website in dayton, www.daytonoregon.org Good luck. Also my realtor Mod cut knows this area quite well too.
Good luck.
John C.