Moving to Portland, need housing advice (Hillsboro, Medford: rent, condo, house prices)

[emathias]

Originally Posted by patches403

Look at areas around downtown Beaverton and Forest Grove as well, maybe even out into rural Washington County like around Gaston and Banks. Unfortunately, $200k won't get you far at all anywhere in the metro area, maybe a small fixer-upper or small condo. Be sure and look at the school ratings for any houses you are considering; Beaverton schools for example rank anywhere from a 2 to a 10 (scale of 10) so expect that there can be a wide range of school quality even within the same city.

I graduated from Gaston High School in 1992 but have lived in downtown Chicago most of the time since 1995. I liked Gaston growing up, but it's actually a pretty shaggy town and when I think about it, there were some pretty crazy things there. Fights between opposing crowds at football games, school board members shouting racial epitaphs at opposing players, a classmate who went to prison for armed robbery, another who went for murder, a drug house next door to my childhood home, a U.S. Marshals raid on the small apartment building 2 lots over from our place, kid bringing a rifle to school. All this in a town of 560 (at the time), and a school where my graduation class was 33 people.

[oldtintype]

Pretty much every area in oregon has changed after 22 years.

[Yankeemama]

You can find a condo for 200k in the Portland metro. Building a house in this area will be one of your expensive options. I have seen nice condos under 1500 square feet in Hillsboro BTW. Portland is not cheap compared to other parts of the country but it is more affordable compared to S.F, L.A., Seattle, San Diego...

[Barlea]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

You know... I was completely joking about the weather thing... I don't even know if there is such a thing as a weather assisted suicide index. But I seem to have hit a nerve. Oops. I just spent some time in Phoenix and I can't say I agree with your opinions on its livability. I do however know of people that have fled the politics. So you may have something there. Or do you... ... if you move to any of those areas that Bler recommended you will likely encounter many people whose politics resemble those of Arizona's. And? Places don't get much more hateful than NYC but we didn't flee NYC. We moved to Oregon. Do you see the difference? We were (are) drawn to Oregon's... Portland's take on things that were important to us. Things for which there were no equivalnent in NYC. You.... you're just running and you are going to find out that Portland is really no different from AZ deep down and worse you will have the rain and gloom to deal with. You won't be able to live where the schools are really first rate in Portland and our air isn't any cleaner, we just recycle more... well the city has recycling... I can't say that my neighbors show nearly as much enthusiasm for recycling as me and mine do! Yup. I'm serious this time. Do not be hasty and jump from the frying pan into the warp core containment field. Places are more alike than they are different and the differences are mostly in non-essentials.

H

Wow you are condescending. I'm sure the few weeks or even months of time you spent here gave you a much better perspective and analysis of what it's like to LIVE here than my 7 years of experience. 1 in 5 residents want to move out of this hellhole. And yeah the air quality is horrible here. Phoenix just got within EPA guidelines for the first time in over 13 years. The lack of rain allows dirt and bacteria and other filth to build up and when the dust storms hit it just spreads things like Valley Fever around and then it sits stagnant afterwards. When it does a rain, it's so hot and disgusting here, it smells like a sweaty armpit. Then there's the flies. I can clean up my dog's crap as soon as they drop it and we place fly traps in the trees, but we still have swarms of them from February through October. So gross. The schools here are way underfunded and the idiots here just elected a governor that said he will overturn $319 million that was court ordered for education. So yes, we are fleeing this armpit of a state. Everyone that moves by choice, especially out of state or country, is fleeing something. Politics, bad schools, exes, rude citizens, monotony, boring job... Something urges you to leave and you go somewhere that appeals to you. Portland appeals to us and we don't have to justify our decision to you or anyone else. And I did not come here asking "should we move." We've already decided; just tryin to work out the details. And two years of research and discussion is not hasty by any means. And I think it's really crappy of you to come on here presenting fake information, trying to be funny. We are trying to save our children from subpar living and education. It's not a freaking joke. Please do not write on my posts again.

[Barlea]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

You can find a condo for 200k in the Portland metro. Building a house in this area will be one of your expensive options. I have seen nice condos under 1500 square feet in Hillsboro BTW. Portland is not cheap compared to other parts of the country but it is more affordable compared to S.F, L.A., Seattle, San Diego...

Thanks for commenting. I have seen a few condos for sale that we could possibly afford, but I am concerned about HOA fees and we have 2 dogs, so a yard, even a small one, would be nice.

As far as building, we aren't planning on doing a fancy custom home, but a build-on-your-lot. Our top choice floor plan is 2777 square feet 4 bed 2.5 bath with a base price of $142k. We would have to buy the land and I came across a few lots for $30k-50k. Total would be around $200k which seems to give us more house for our money over just purchasing a house. I'm just worried about the quality of a build-on-your-lot home. Idk... so stressful and confusing lol!!

[ccjarider]

You seem to want taxpayers or others to fund your life.
Moving will not make you happy.
Better options:
Get rid of the dogs.
Look at smaller places to live.
Consider increasing skill sets that allow you to have possibly better paying positions where you are.
Invest in private school if you are not satisfied with public. This is a viable option. Cost of moving across country is NOT CHEAP.
These are all things within YOUR means of doing - should you choose.

Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don't.
Chasing phantom rainbows around America seems to be a pretty stressful option for you.

[Barlea]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

You seem to want taxpayers or others to fund your life.
Moving will not make you happy.
Better options:
Get rid of the dogs.
Look at smaller places to live.
Consider increasing skill sets that allow you to have possibly better paying positions where you are.
Invest in private school if you are not satisfied with public. This is a viable option. Cost of moving across country is NOT CHEAP.
These are all things within YOUR means of doing - should you choose.

Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don't.
Chasing phantom rainbows around America seems to be a pretty stressful option for you.

Wow. I am glad I came on here looking for help, just to be attacked. I want tax payers to help me? How did you infer that? That's you're own assumption and an idiotic one at that. Just because we are low income doesn't mean we are on assistance. We don't use ANY government programs. We can pay all our bills, buy our own groceries and put gas in our cars with our own money. We just don't have much left over, so we have to be budget conscious. You know RESPONSIBLE. I would love to send my kids to private school, but it's too expensive. I already stated we could get by in a smaller house, but it's not ideal. We are not getting rid of our dogs. They are our family and you don't abandon family just because of finances. I know how much it costs to move across the country. Did it once and we will have enough money to cover it with the sell of our current home. Really all of this is none of your business. I just wanted suggestions on cheaper housing and if you don't have anything to say about that, then you have no business commenting on my post.

[Nell Plotts]

The breed of those dogs, in all honesty, limits your housing options. You need to consider your priorities and if you could find another good home for the dogs do that.

[skiffrace]

Wow you are condescending. ...and I think it's really crappy of you to come on here presenting fake information, trying to be funny... please do not write on my posts again.

Actually, the Leisesturm's post was a) well meaning and b) factually accurate.
He spent considerable amount of time trying to convey from a different angle what multiple other people are telling you here. He deserved a "thank you", not a knee-jerk attack reaction.
Moving on...

We would have to buy the land and I came across a few lots for $30k-50k.

Really? If so, those lots are so cheap because nobody buys/builds on those lots for a reason. $50K lot in PDX metro area is virtually guaranteed to be in an area with schools no better than the ones you want to escape in AZ.
A buildable lot in a good school district will be 2 or 3x as much.

Our top choice floor plan is 2777 square feet 4 bed 2.5 bath with a base price of $142k.

Perhaps somebody else here can comment on the $142K for 3K^ft house figure, but it sounds highly unrealistic in this market.

and we also have a pit bull and a pit bull mix

Finding a rental with those dogs will be "difficult", to put it mildly. Again, the places that will rent out to you are not likely in an area/school district you'll like.

1 in 5 residents want to move out of this hellhole (Arizona)

1 in 5 ? That speaks volumes about the attractiveness of Arizona, and would rank it near the top nationwide.
Half of Illinois and Connecticut want to move elsewhere. 47% of Maryland, 43% of Nevada, 41% of New York and New Jersey...
Half in Illinois and Connecticut Want to Move Elsewhere

And I did not come here asking "should we move." We've already decided...

One may have decided to take a trip to Mars, all that's left is to "work out the details".
Actually, I can believe your desire to leave AZ is sincere and firm, but your choice of destination is unfortunate. Portland metro area is already expensive, and getting more so every year. A stock-room clerk salary may be enough for an apartment, or perhaps a small condo (if you have the $$ for down payment), but your housing/school district wish list is out of touch with your modest means. If you decide to push-through with your move here, it's not likely going to end well. However, there are many other places where you can actually be successful.

[Leisesturm]

Maybe if you had been attacked by tell it like it is residents of Arizona you wouldn't have moved to that armpit of a state to be in the predicament you are now. No, I take it back, you are not being attacked. You are being given sage wisdom by at least two people who can see the situation for what it is. You should spend at least a little time considering the essence of the negative things that have been said about your plan. I don't agree that you are looking for funding, but I do think you have become overly sensitized to Arizona's deficiencies. And you are not in a position to do that no matter what you believe. Your children can and will grow up to be productive citizens of the U.S. despite being educated in an Arizona public school if you expend some extra energy supervising their homework and finding extra-curricular activities for them to enroll in. If you move to Portland and wind up in West Hillsboro or North Plains or Aloha or Cornelius don't say I didn't warn you. You will hate it and then you will be looking for the next escape. And with that I am out of your life forever. Best to you.

H