Looking to move to Portland area, advice on different neighborhoods please (Beaverton: sales, lease)

[bler144]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

Well, now I'm not a west side person, so what I know is probably apocryphal. But, my sense is that Hillsboro is an older community, while Beaverton's a bit newer, as regards to development. Hillsboro also borders on farmland, and has had a higher influx of Hispanic residents. So, it gets that reputation. I'm not so sure it's earned, though.

I'd say that's a pretty good assessment. Having lived in Hillsboro (sometimes referred to as 'Hillsburrito' affectionately or otherwise), drugs wouldn't have made my top 10 list of associations with the city. For one thing, it's pretty spread out - your experience of Hillsboro is going to be quite different downtown vs. Orenco vs. the farmland fringe. But all have their charms.

My top 10 associations with Hillsboro:
1) Intel
2) Intel
3) Intel
4) Traffic on 26 eastbound
5) Diverse- not just Mexicans, but lots of south and east Asians associated with Intel, moreso in Orenco/Tanasbourne areas
6) Good variety of restaurants in Orenco and Tanasbourne
7) Little-known but great Mexican restaurants downtown
8) Fantastic library (Brookwood) with a nice pond and trails to stroll on
9) Good parks in and nearby, lots of neighborhood parks, but also major parks like Henry Hagg Lake, and pretty good access to the coast via 26 westbound.
10) Lots of development

[bler144]

Originally Posted by NFURNO

Yea I am in the process of booking the trip out there to check out the places with my family. Trying to get an idea of places to check out rather than drive around mindlessly haha. As far as things to do and such, any towns stick out more than others? walkability?

Beaverton has some very walkable areas (particularly downtown), and some areas that aren't so much. Some of that's a function of the road design, but it's also that it's also a fairly broad swath of land. In some places you can walk for pleasure in neighborhoods, but walking for services just isn't practical b/c of distance.

Beaverton also has pretty good access to public transit - particularly the blue/red MAX lines but also some good bus service for getting downtown from East Beav.

Personally some of my favorite restaurants are in Beav/Hillsboro, but since i live on the eastside now I don't get over there much. The downtown is a nice area, but the road layout and mix of local/through traffic can make it a snarl to drive.

The downside of Sherwood is that it's just near in enough to have traffic, but not really close to a lot. That said, there is a variety of shopping, medical care, etc. within a short trip. So if you were working in the area, I'd totally live there. But if you have a commute into the city (or up 217/26 to the Nike/Intel) you're basically eating the worst of it in both directions.

I can't recall - do we know what sort of space you're looking to rent (#BR/BA), do you have pets, and what's your budget?

Oregon City is a little harder to summarize, despite being fairly compact. Might say it's largely a blue collar town (though I know a few white collar folk who live there to save money on housing and/or be able to afford land), it has very good access to 205 going north or south. Very easy to commute from there to West Linn/Lake Oswego (without being able to afford to live in either), or north to Clackamas/Milw/EastPdx. Would be less desirable to commute downtown from there - Milw or Beaverton would be much preferable. Also provides access to 99E southbound if you were farming or working industry in Canby. The major attraction is probably the river and the terrain it creates, but it's not a bad area. Pull up St. Johns the Apostle on Google Maps, switch to street view and spin a 360. That's a pretty good snapshot of O.C. in my opinion.

[NFURNO]

Prefer 3+ bedroom, 2+ bathroom, two levels and under 200k, nice size yard or close park nearby

[oldtintype]

That combo/price range isn't going to give you a lot of options.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

That combo/price range isn't going to give you a lot of options.

Possible, but that's right in the heart of where the speculators seem to be investing their $$. So I agree it's not going to be easy shopping, but you might end with a good result.

Mix of foreclosures, places that need work (16142 Southeast Oatfield Road, Milwaukie OR - Trulia), and maybe a handful actually worth their salt. I was looking at the 97006 zip in Beaverton for another thread, and I think there are some 3/2s there in that range.

Probably need to get a good realtor on your team.

[NFURNO]

18617 SW Cascade Dr Beaverton OR - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #13392697 - Realtor.com®

This looked interesting. No I may not have many options but there are options out there and just trying to get an idea

34470 Peak Ct, St. Helens, OR 97051 - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - realtor.com®

217 11th St Oregon City OR - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #13621043 - Realtor.com®

11182 Se Adamson Ct, Milwaukie, OR 97222 - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - realtor.com®

There are deff options, just finding the neighborhood would make it even easier. I'd rather have one good option than a handful of moderate ones

[sallyscarecrow]

Originally Posted by NFURNO

18617 SW Cascade Dr Beaverton OR - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #13392697 - Realtor.com®

This looked interesting. No I may not have many options but there are options out there and just trying to get an idea

34470 Peak Ct, St. Helens, OR 97051 - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - realtor.com®

217 11th St Oregon City OR - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #13621043 - Realtor.com®

11182 Se Adamson Ct, Milwaukie, OR 97222 - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - realtor.com®

There are deff options, just finding the neighborhood would make it even easier. I'd rather have one good option than a handful of moderate ones

Three out of those four properties are short sales. They are probably being sold well below the value of other houses in the area. So, while these prices look really good, make sure you are aware of some of the common pitfalls of purchasing a short sale that don't apply to a standard home sale -- delays and more delays, with extra hoops to jump though to satisfy the lender(s) who have a stake in the property. In some cases, short sale properties are priced low to bring in multiple offers and start a bidding war among buyers. Since the Portland area market has been heating up, I wouldn't be surprised to see these properties sell at a higher price than you are seeing in these listings.

A good real estate agent will be a great ally if you are thinking about pursuing short sales. I bet there are some CD regulars here who have suggestions on how to find one. Much luck to you! I hope you find a place that you can afford and fits the quality of life you are looking for for your family

[NFURNO]

Yea but in certain short sales you can snag a real winner. I passed my real estate stuff and my mom was an agent and broker for 10 years but deff would love to find someone in the area, but the move won't happen till April of 2015 just getting ideas for the trip in may, thanks for the advice and luck! I'm a firm believer of if its meant to be the opportunity will be there, just gotta dig for it haha

[sallyscarecrow]

Awesome, then I won't worry! I was concerned that if you didn't know what you were getting into, or if you thought that those prices were indicative of the Portland market, you could be in for some real heartache.

Check out downtown Milwaukie while you are here! I have a real thing for that town, even though I don't live there. It's still affordable, with easy access to the Willamette river and downtown Portland, and when the light rail project is finished and business picks up there a bit, I think it's going to be a really nice place.

[NFURNO]

awesome thanks for the reccomendation! I've heard that milwaukie is really growing into something, schools there good?