Portland Gloom (Bend: transplants, mcmansion, travel)

[tangerinepuddle]

obviously aawest is not happy here - period. there is no use arguing about the pros and cons of an area with people who already hate it for their own reasons. EVERY PLACE in this country, or this world, for that matter, is different.....I have lived on the east coast, in the southwest, and now in PDX - and they are ALL completely different. I don't love everything about the NE (snow, cost of living, etc.) but I miss my family, I don't love the southwest (no green no water, etc.) but I LOVED the sunshine. I don't LOVE everything about PDX, (grey skies, cold ocean) but I LOVE the city, the mountains, the max....and thinking about going back east maybe, this time florida.

Its all different for every single person....everywhere.

anyway, just my five cents (longer post than two cents) LOL....and supernova, I have seen you posting on this and many other threads for a long time now and enjoy reading your threads, but I have to ask

- why haven't you taken the plunge yet, or at least visited any of the places you are considering? I know it takes time and some money - but you'll never get a real feel till you see.....

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by Kathleenh54

Okay, so would my husband and I be making a huge mistake to leave Ashland in a year or two and relocate to Portland? He's retired, we like Ashland but it's too quiet for me (native NY'r).

I'm moving south and east of the Cascades primarily because the winter weather and increased population and traffic in the Portland metro area have finally gotten to me (after almost 25 years). I struggled with the idea for quite a bit, because I really do like a lot of things about the metro area and have friends here, but then realized - hey, the train runs from near my new home to Portland. Every couple of months, I can come up for a long weekend, stay downtown, hit all the great restaurants, lectures, movies and then go home to peace and quiet and sun. As it is, I don't get out to eat (or enjoy a lot of what the city has to offer) that often anyway.

So, the question is - what is it you miss, and is it something you need 24/7?

[GucciLittlePiggie]

Originally Posted by chrisruns2far

Thanks for taking the time to gather the above data. According to many conversations I've had with friends of ours who still live in Portland, the $225,900 median house figure you found is at least 6-7 years old. Unless you want to settle for marginal or very bad areas or an hour long trip to work, you can not touch anything within Portland city limits for under $325,000, anything less will be for either a very small two bedroom or a major fixer upper. When we sold our three bedroom house there in 2001 for $285,000, it was priced just above the median home price for the location in which we lived. A friend of mine just paid $210,000 for a little 850 square foot house in a marginal area. He was priced out of all the good or decent areas with his teacher's salary, and he has been a teacher for 12 years. It has been my experience that most median housing figures for all the Western States are most likely 5-7 years behind the present reality, just something to keep in mind for anyone considering relocation.

i hear you, for sure. the stats are apparently from 2005, and while you have several anecdotal experiences, that doesn't necessarily invalidate the broader statistics. that being said, the thought of having a house inside a city for less than 400000 is incredible to me. it's more a matter of what kind of house can i get for 600k.... a tiny 2 bedroom here, or apparently something a decent amount nicer in portland. i'm not looking to buy for a few years after i move, anyways, so if it doesn't work, it doesn't work...

[PNW-type-gal]

It's also just a median price, meaning that half the homes IN THE METRO AREA are below that amount and half are above. It doesn't say "in every neighborhood, there will be houses at this price." You aren't going to get a house in Laurelhurst, or up in the West Hills above the trendy NW area, for less than $500k, no matter how tiny the house. On the other hand, there will be neighborhoods where there are a lot of houses going for that price.

Although, having said that, I'd agree that the current median price is somewhere just over $300k at this point.

[GucciLittlePiggie]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

It's also just a median price, meaning that half the homes IN THE METRO AREA are below that amount and half are above. It doesn't say "in every neighborhood, there will be houses at this price." You aren't going to get a house in Laurelhurst, or up in the West Hills above the trendy NW area, for less than $500k, no matter how tiny the house. On the other hand, there will be neighborhoods where there are a lot of houses going for that price.

Although, having said that, I'd agree that the current median price is somewhere just over $300k at this point.

area where i live:

Westborough MA: Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $512,700 (it was $262,200 in 2000)

Newton MA: Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $680,700 (it was $438,400 in 2000)

I just really think it's funny that coming from a place like this, and with you guys right near california, that 500k seems like a lot for a house. obviously if you're not rich, don't go live in an overpriced area because your house will suck and you will be house-poor. but if you're making a normal 90k household income, a 500k house in a more reasonably priced area seems like it would be a nice house, and completely affordable. no?

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by GucciLittlePiggie

area where i live:

Westborough MA: Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $512,700 (it was $262,200 in 2000)

Newton MA: Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $680,700 (it was $438,400 in 2000)

I just really think it's funny that coming from a place like this, and with you guys right near california, that 500k seems like a lot for a house. obviously if you're not rich, don't go live in an overpriced area because your house will suck and you will be house-poor. but if you're making a normal 90k household income, a 500k house in a more reasonably priced area seems like it would be a nice house, and completely affordable. no?

That's certainly why I think the real estate bubble won't be quite as bad here in Portland as it might be in other places - prices here, compared to the REST of the west coast, were low and edged up closer to the other areas. I've been watching the markets, since I'l be putting my house here for sale in mid-Nomveber, and prices haven't really come down - yet - although time on market has increased quite a bit. Portland isn't one of the high-foreclosure areas, although there will be some.

If you're coming from a higher cost area, that's still good, but if you FROM here, it just means you pay more in property taxes on the home you've owned all along, or that first home you were eyeing might have increased out of your budget range, or the house you wanted to "upgrade" to (in a nicer area, bigger house, more land, whatever) just got more expensive. Certainly the problem has been the the increase in individual income hasn't increased anywhere NEAR what housing has done. Saying "but it's much worse in other areas" really doesn't help the locals.

I'm not sure where $90k as a normal income comes from - a 2000 Census survey of the city of Portland breaks down the HOUSEHOLD income quintiles as:
Under $18k
$18k - $34k
$34k - $52k
$52k - $81k
Above $81k

so that $90k income is the richest 20% of the area population. That pretty much mirrors the national numbers.

[GucciLittlePiggie]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

I'm not sure where $90k as a normal income comes from - a 2000 Census survey of the city of Portland breaks down the HOUSEHOLD income quintiles as:
Under $18k
$18k - $34k
$34k - $52k
$52k - $81k
Above $81k

so that $90k income is the richest 20% of the area population. That pretty much mirrors the national numbers.

well inasmuch as i make over 40 and my gf makes over 30 and we just started out, and are both at a place that is very low salary-wise for this area

[nancy thereader]

well inasmuch as i make over 40 and my gf makes over 30 and we just started out, and are both at a place that is very low salary-wise for this area

No, together you make over $70 K & that is not so bad.

[GucciLittlePiggie]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

well inasmuch as i make over 40 and my gf makes over 30 and we just started out, and are both at a place that is very low salary-wise for this area

No, together you make over $70 K & that is not so bad.

well i know how to add it's basically at 80, but it should be 90+ by the time we'd be looking to move
though now i'm getting scared there's going to be no jobs in biotech for me in portland and i'm going to wind up taking some crappy 25k job at a university :-(

[tangerinepuddle]

"i'm getting scared there's going to be no jobs in biotech for me in portland "

Have you checked into OHSU? Also, I believe they just broke ground on a facility for GeneTech in Hillsboro (suburb about 20 min outside of PDX).

I just keep up on these things because I'm going back to school for genetic engineering....