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Old 03-08-2016, 06:15 PM
 
Location: Mountains of Oregon
17,620 posts, read 22,575,993 times
Reputation: 14355

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Old 03-08-2016, 06:54 PM
 
Location: Salem, OR
15,539 posts, read 40,308,808 times
Reputation: 17422
You aren't going to live 10-15 minutes outside of a town on 1/4 acre lot. You are either in town or on acreage due to the zoning laws here. That said there are neighborhoods where large trees are part of the character of the neighborhood so you can get a nestled feeling while still being in town.

I bet you could get something in Sweet Home for $225 that is nestled, but you have to decide if you want to live in Sweet Home. Your price point is very restrictive for the valley. 1/4 acre lot, nestled in trees will likely be a pre-zoning law house so before 1975.

I strongly encourage you to rent before you buy anything. It is very common for people to think they want a remote area coming from CA while not appreciating that remote in Oregon is very different than CA.
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Old 03-08-2016, 07:19 PM
 
Location: Shelton, WA
329 posts, read 467,366 times
Reputation: 449
We don't need a 1/4 acre, but would love a large yard.. I do want that nestled feeling. A small house with lots of trees is all I need.. We could go to about 260K without taking all our retirement savings.
We are for sure going to rent through the winter..
I am sure that a quaint small town is what we need..
This post has really helped me a lot..
I have taken notes on all the places.. I will be excited to actually see these towns in person and not on my computer..♥
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Old 03-08-2016, 07:58 PM
 
Location: Sebastian, Florida
677 posts, read 872,645 times
Reputation: 2469
As someone recently in a similar position, I second what Hawk J said - Grants Pass or its environs. Just drive on up and start exploring. It's really the only way. Just drive up I-5, you will probably want to be in one of the valleys anyway. Lots of little towns just off the freeway. It's heavenly here. I'm not supposed to say that.

Also, haven't you asked your relatives who already live here? What do they suggest?
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Old 03-09-2016, 05:49 AM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,660 posts, read 57,778,624 times
Reputation: 46126
I would do a tax scenerio. OR is one of the 5 worse retiement states for taxes.

5 min north is a state with zero income tax.

I bought a nice small view home on 3 acres in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic area for $82k. Gardens, grapes, blueberries, 2 barns, 30x30 steel shop, 2 bedroom house. I am 5 min from Cape Horn, 7 min from Safeway, 10 min to library, 20 min to PDX (which I use several times / month in retirement (for $19 trips to Sun in San Diego, or $15 flights to DEN. For sun and snow.)

30 min to downtown Portland or any of 20 + college venues. (Also important in retirement).

Best advice I got when moving from Colorado 30+ yr ago... DO NOT buy a home in the trees. Clear south facing BIG windows and no trees within pine needle blowing distance ( or 150 ft minimum for 'defensible space' fire mitigation.). 300 ft tall trees blow over and can crush your home FLAT. Even a falling branch can kill you. Then there is the moss and mildew mitigation....
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Old 03-09-2016, 08:54 AM
 
958 posts, read 1,142,774 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StealthRabbit View Post

I bought a nice small view home on 3 acres in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic area for 82k ..
And what year was that?
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Old 03-09-2016, 12:01 PM
 
Location: Shelton, WA
329 posts, read 467,366 times
Reputation: 449
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tulippsy View Post
As someone recently in a similar position, I second what Hawk J said - Grants Pass or its environs. Just drive on up and start exploring. It's really the only way. Just drive up I-5, you will probably want to be in one of the valleys anyway. Lots of little towns just off the freeway. It's heavenly here. I'm not supposed to say that.

Also, haven't you asked your relatives who already live here? What do they suggest?
Our plan it to come up in June and explore all the small towns off the I-5. Our kids are in the 20's.. One is in Troutdale and other is Medford.. So of course they both want to have use nearer to them LOL

Last edited by therese marie; 03-09-2016 at 12:10 PM..
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Old 03-09-2016, 12:07 PM
 
Location: Shelton, WA
329 posts, read 467,366 times
Reputation: 449
Quote:
Originally Posted by StealthRabbit View Post
I would do a tax scenerio. OR is one of the 5 worse retiement states for taxes.

5 min north is a state with zero income tax.

I bought a nice small view home on 3 acres in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic area for $82k. Gardens, grapes, blueberries, 2 barns, 30x30 steel shop, 2 bedroom house. I am 5 min from Cape Horn, 7 min from Safeway, 10 min to library, 20 min to PDX (which I use several times / month in retirement (for $19 trips to Sun in San Diego, or $15 flights to DEN. For sun and snow.)

30 min to downtown Portland or any of 20 + college venues. (Also important in retirement).

Best advice I got when moving from Colorado 30+ yr ago... DO NOT buy a home in the trees. Clear south facing BIG windows and no trees within pine needle blowing distance ( or 150 ft minimum for 'defensible space' fire mitigation.). 300 ft tall trees blow over and can crush your home FLAT. Even a falling branch can kill you. Then there is the moss and mildew mitigation....
Are you in WA? What city did you buy in? that is something we need to consider to retirement is the taxes.. We did that drive from the Bridge of the Gods all the way back to Vancouver.. very nice.. ♥
Okay you just really opened my eyes about all the trees.. I did not really think about that.. Its sounds amazing to be surrounded by trees but I have seen many fallen trees and a flatten house would not be great..
Thanks for giving me something to think about ..
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Old 03-09-2016, 12:53 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,565 posts, read 47,729,085 times
Reputation: 78077
If you could put up with a little more snow, La Pine meets all your requirements. It's forest, but the sort of forest you can walk in, not all tangled up in blackberry vines. The snow is too much if you have to commute every day, but if you can stay at home for a week, then the snow should not be such an issue.

There are dozens of lakes suitable for canoeing nearby.

A very highly rated hospital in Bend nearby. That hospital is building a branch office in La Pine right now. Real estate is relatively low for the area. All lots are at least 1/2 acre. There are a couple of family style restaurants. Fancy restaurants in Sunriver a couple miles north, and lots of nice restaurants in Bend, which is about 30 mikes.

Sisters would suit you even better but I don't think you can afford it. Take a look at Sisters anyway. Maybe there is one of the older places for that price.
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Old 03-09-2016, 04:13 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,660 posts, read 57,778,624 times
Reputation: 46126
Quote:
Originally Posted by boulder2015 View Post
And what year was that?
2013, I missed 3 nearby props for under $100k last year, cuz I was working in Thailand, and I bought 3 rural props in Tex last yr. I have 3 more Columbia Gorge props on my radar, but doubt I will add too many more in PNW.

I have very specific criteria, and of 30+ properties I have used a realtor ONCE, due to a hopelessly insecure seller.

My $82k place was knee deep in beer cans and dirty diapers, so.... Elbow grease was required. I could sell it tomorrow for $182k, but I have no plans to sell any of my rural view props until I get beyond age 70, and then will sell to my excellent tenants on an ez real estate contract.

They call me the benevolet landlord, as they get great rents on very nice properties that I / they continuously improve to their satisfaction. They get annual rebates if they are never late, and handle all the repairs and maint on their own.
Win:win .... Thus I am enjoying another early retirement winter 11,000 miles away in 80 degree sunny OZ.

Btw... I bought 2 USA rural view props by owner, sight unseen from Thailand.... Closed in one week... No realtors involved. They needed significant work, but.... They are now clean as a whistle, and rented out to very happy and capable / responsible tenants.

Very ez to find bargain props in PNW (without even being there).... GIS, county assessor, and google street view is your friend.

MUST talk with assessor and county planning on ANY property purchase.

PNW, 1/4 acre lots are rare. Often 5 acre minimums since 1980s. 1 acre minimum for septic and well...

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Be SURE vacant lot is buildable. (Watch out for impact fees, can exceed $20k BEFORE permits)
Be sure existing homes had been permitted and legally placed

WATCH out for wetlands. Several coworkers moved from CO and CA and bought near Corvallis and Albany during summer (looked great)
Winter was high water table, flooded septics... They were stuck for many years. Could not sell, could not rent, could not repair.

Only ID and MT are still 'builder friendly' ... OR, CA, WA are not affordable / reasonable to build. Better to buy existing and fix it. If you bulldoze it (As I often do), be sure to contact building dept to assure you can rebuild.

Cheapest and fast, low taxes... Buy a trashed mobile home on a beautiful view lot, bulldoze it, build a shop, add a finely built apartment inside the shop, add RV hookups for your traveling friends.

Note I stress views... You r retired and finally have time to enjoy the view. View homes r ez to resell. Fast. ( if you need to escape USA for healthcare needs and such,,, join the retired crowd... Millions of Europeans and US take medi-vacations annually)

I LOVE LIVING IN CGNSA mtns

I do not LOVE the Friends of the GORGE, they make my 'paradise' very miserable and watch me daily from OR viewpoints. I can easily deal with the Federal Gov and Native American interests and rules... It is the non- resident greenies that really make you go postal. Thank goodness we can still carry!
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