From Baltimore to Portland - Is Portland for me?

[TheseGoTo11]

Originally Posted by Lee151

I go to Atlanta on business twice a year and spend that time in the downtown.

I go to Atlanta more frequently than that and can't believe how few people you see downtown after 5 pm. Basically no one from the north suburbs will go downtown other than to work, which is very different from Boston, DC, Chicago, etc.

Vancouver's weather is even worse than Portland's - it also gets four times as much snow being four degrees of latitude further north. Decent compared to the rest of Canada maybe, but anyone complaining about clouds and rain in Seattle and Portland isn't going to be happy in Vancouver.

Phoenix is poised to improve with the light rail coming, and the city and developers seem a lot more committed to improving downtown than in Atlanta, Dallas, or Houston. And if you look at how well San Diego's developed its downtown over the last 10 years, maybe there's hope.

[5starson23]

I think it was December 2005, January 2006.

I counted 31 days in a row where I never saw the sun.

The following winter we went 25 or 26 days without more than a few minutes of sunlight.

I also remember February of 2005 when it was 70 and sunny and I was drinking a beer outside in a t-shirt.

you may experience an oasis of sun here and there, but don't kid yourself, it gets rough during those long winter stretches.

[bliss60]

If you can, wait for two months.

Let the slumlords keep their vacant apartments, during this peak season and try to get this outrageous rental situation under control.

It's all about supply and demand. If you refuse to pay for sub-standard housing, the rent will go down.

IF YOU JUST WAIT FOR TWO MONTHS.. rentals will get back to normal.

What do I mean by that? I can rent a studio apartment, in a lovely beach community in S. California for $800. a month and I will. How does it compare? You tell me.

[oldtintype]

Why do you think prices will come down after two months? I think it will be a landlord's market for a long time, or at least until the mortgage crises is over. We've been looking to move and things have definitely gone up, but I'm still finding some great deals out there, and nice to boot. Of course, competition has gotten fierce for those great deals, so you have to be on the ball and ahead of the crowd to take advantage of any of them. I've showed up either 5 minutes early or right on time for open houses to find 5 or 6 people have already gotten there, so I've changed my tactics.

As for studios in So. CA for $800...you could certainly find nice studios for less here and the cost of living, especially related to driving, is less than So. CA. (insurance, registration, gas). It's all relative--people I know in So. CA spend a lot more on things we save on here and vice versa so it's inaccurate to judge cost of living on just rental prices.

[bliss60]

and appreciate most of your comments. You have posted some very insightful information.
The reason I believe rents will go down in two months, in a boycott, is landords will have vacancies they don't want..they will feel panic, instead of us and they will reduce rents to get tenants. By then, it will be mid summer and "getting greedy" season will be coming to an end.
I think the open house is an attempt by prop managers to generate a "come get it quick" panic/hysteria. We are too easily lead by these tactics, like lambs to the slaugherhouse and I think an attitutude change is appropriate. We need to get the smart consumer back in control.
We need to stop saying, "the landlords are in control." We give them control; we make their profits. I am talking gas and food, too. All of this is starting to look scary and us giving them so much power, makes it worse.
I am glad you found some decent places. In Beaverton..in town and in West Slope, I looked at 2-one bedrooms for $700. One was pretty run down, with a stove containing burned on black (perhaps a decorator feature). The other had noisy floor and 50'ish applicances. I thought those property owners were blatant extortionists.
Portland is the last affordable city on the West Coast, right? But the way things are going, it will not remain so and in reality the kinds of good paying jobs are not here...they really are not here. Economically speaking, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle have diversity...lots of choices....ports, banking, high tech, tourism, high end retirement.
I am speaking as a highly experienced financial entrepeneur who has worked in and been connected with successful people along the West Coast for many years. For example, Portland gets about 1/4 of the tourism that Seattle and San Francisco get. That's ok, if that is what people what but the cost of living needs to reflect that, or there are going to be a lot of lives ruined because of hype and greed.
Why not make Portland the model for "it stops here?" Why not become a rental activist, in the true Portland tradition? Why not fight for better tenant laws, rent controls, rent increases that don't exceed the cost of living?

Why would anyone just want to roll over? Because Portland is the land place to stop it!

I can leave. I have two good government pensions. I can go live in the sunshine and be fine but if you know of any organization that is fighting the extortion, I will stay and help lead the fight.