Moving to Pacific Northwest: Vancouver vs Portland (Seattle, Tacoma: sales, hair salon)

[kikazzi]

Hello! My wife and I are planning on moving to the Vancouver/Beaverton/Portland area in the spring. We have been looking at houses in Beaverton, Hillsboro, eastern Portland, and Vancouver. My wife is a cosmotologist and I am currently working tech support (from home), living in Orem, Utah. We are looking to buy a home but are really up in the air as to where to live, so I was hoping someone here would be of some help.
For housing, we are hoping to spend $215k or less. Getting a fixer-upper is something we are particularly interested in, in the hopes of turning it around to sell in a couple of years.

Vancouver seems significantly cheaper housing-wise, but what area is the best investment for realestate in this type of price range? I know it's a buyers market, but are there significant advantages to buying in any particular area? What housing markets are growing the fastest?

We are also concerned with the business environment as my wife is looking to get into her own hair salon (ideally in an area where people are serious about their hair, and willing to pay top dollar for it) and I would like to start a martial arts school in the next few years.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
(I'll post this in both the WA and OR forums)

[Negotiator75]

Originally Posted by kikazzi

Hello! My wife and I are planning on moving to the Vancouver/Beaverton/Portland area in the spring. We have been looking at houses in Beaverton, Hillsboro, eastern Portland, and Vancouver. My wife is a cosmotologist and I am currently working tech support (from home), living in Orem, Utah. We are looking to buy a home but are really up in the air as to where to live, so I was hoping someone here would be of some help.
For housing, we are hoping to spend $215k or less. Getting a fixer-upper is something we are particularly interested in, in the hopes of turning it around to sell in a couple of years.

Vancouver seems significantly cheaper housing-wise, but what area is the best investment for realestate in this type of price range? I know it's a buyers market, but are there significant advantages to buying in any particular area? What housing markets are growing the fastest?

We are also concerned with the business environment as my wife is looking to get into her own hair salon (ideally in an area where people are serious about their hair, and willing to pay top dollar for it) and I would like to start a martial arts school in the next few years.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
(I'll post this in both the WA and OR forums)

Funny you mention Vancouver, WA they just had an F2 tornado! Widespread damage as tornado hits southwest WA | Top Stories | KING5.com | News for Seattle, Washington (http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_011007WAB_tornado_vancouver_LJ.c5fd76b.html - broken link) Very rare there though.

Vancouver seems like a smart choice. Whatever you do, dont go further north than that. Meaning stay away from Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle etc. You are on the right track. You are close to the Columbia river, lots of beautiful things to see not too far from Vancouver.

[hml1976]

Well you'll save a lot in income taxes if you live in WA if you work from home.

[thirtysomething]

Yesterday's tornado was not an F-2. It was either an F-0, or "maybe" an F-1.

[FunTimes]

The housing market in the NW is better than most believe given all of the negative National news. In Portland almost every area as of the November figures appreciated. Beaverton as you asked about appreciated 3.5% so far for the year. Many other areas did as well or slightly better.

In Vancouver it is the same. There are many areas that saw a 3-6% apreeciation for the year.

Now here are some differences though. Living in Oregon or working in Oregon you will have to pay the State Income Tax. If you reside and are employed in Washington there is no State Income Tax. There is though a State Sales Tax. This can be avoided on most major purchases except for automobiles.

There are great advantages of living and owing your own business in Washington. It is amazing the tax advantages to own your business in Washington.

Both sides of the river will move together hand in hand in the market place, but living in Washington has its advantages, while still being able to enjoy what the Portland area has to offer.

Moderator cut: soliciting cut

Good luck with your future move.

[HokeyGassaway]

I don't know if you have any kids, but OR schools were rated last week as the worst in the country by Education Weekly. (Wa. was 34). Especially if you have gifted children, Oregon's gifted program stops after 6th grade because of lack of funding. (My sister who lives in Bend, OR discovered this when her son entered 7th grade.)

Vancouver has much lower housing prices. I don't know if you could find much in your price range in Portland. I've seen some fixers going for under $200K. Homes around downtown, Ft. Vancouver High School, and Hudson's Bay HS don't seem to appreciate as well. (Some parts of Hazel Dell can be scary too.) Good areas are Cascade Park, Salmon Creek, Camas, Felida.

We lived in Provo for 4 years. Sometimes I miss the snow!
HokeyGassaway

[FlintRocks]

I will agree with everything written here so far. Taxes and schools are better in Washington.

The best reason to move to the Oregon side is that if you work in Oregon and live in Washington you have to pay Oregon state income tax and Washington sales tax. If you live in Oregon and work in Washington you still have to pay Oregon state income tax but you are exempt from Washington sales tax.

[lfryer]

Originally Posted by kikazzi

Hello! My wife and I are planning on moving to the Vancouver/Beaverton/Portland area in the spring. We have been looking at houses in Beaverton, Hillsboro, eastern Portland, and Vancouver. My wife is a cosmotologist and I am currently working tech support (from home), living in Orem, Utah. We are looking to buy a home but are really up in the air as to where to live, so I was hoping someone here would be of some help.
For housing, we are hoping to spend $215k or less. Getting a fixer-upper is something we are particularly interested in, in the hopes of turning it around to sell in a couple of years.

Vancouver seems significantly cheaper housing-wise, but what area is the best investment for realestate in this type of price range? I know it's a buyers market, but are there significant advantages to buying in any particular area? What housing markets are growing the fastest?

We are also concerned with the business environment as my wife is looking to get into her own hair salon (ideally in an area where people are serious about their hair, and willing to pay top dollar for it) and I would like to start a martial arts school in the next few years.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
(I'll post this in both the WA and OR forums)

Hi,

My wife and I have recently had a business in WA for over 10 years. Don't be fooled by the about the business environment in Washington. Over all, it is one of the highest taxed states for Businesses in the US. B & O tax is 1.5% of your gross just for the privilege of doing business in WA. We lived in the Portland area for over 5 years and we saw many businesses migrate to Portland from Vancouver over the years. So look very closely before you choose where to set up your business.

Best of luck

[tinyfairypeople]

Judging on the price you want to spend on a home, looking in the Vancouver/Battle Ground are is really your only option. Specifically, you will probably have to buy in the Hazel Dell, Vancouver Mall, South Salmon Creek, or Battle Ground areas. Fisher's Landing, Camas, and Washougal tend to have houses that are incredibly expensive. Property taxes are significantly less in Battle Ground than in the Vancouver area. We are in the same price range and have been searching the market for 2 months now. Avoid the downtown/Lakeshore and "the Heights" areas of Vancouver. They have an extremely high rate for crime and sex offenders. Looking at anything east of Portland is also a huge mistake. The city of Gresham has the nickname Greshamphedamine and for good reason. Portland is way too expensive for any area expect the high crime/drug areas and the traffic in Portland during the day is horrible. We lived in the seedy NE 84th Ave area and my husband's work was about 20 minutes away at the airport. It would take him over an hour to get home on both freeways and 82nd ave. Beaverton and the good parts of Hillsboro are expensive due to all of the high wage earners living there and the afforable part of Hillsboro is very dirty and high crime as well. We moved to the Washington side of the river because it literally is like night and day from the Oregon side but find that unless you make $60,000 or more a year, you can't afford to live in the nice part of Vancouver unless you rent and then rent averages $1,200 a month for a 3 bedroom. As far as the business aspect, it sounds like it pans out better to work in Portland but I would advise living in Washington and commuting into Portland if you have to or for your wife just to get into a small salon where you live in Washington.

[tinyfairypeople]

Originally Posted by FlintRocks

I will agree with everything written here so far. Taxes and schools are better in Washington.

The best reason to move to the Oregon side is that if you work in Oregon and live in Washington you have to pay Oregon state income tax and Washington sales tax. If you live in Oregon and work in Washington you still have to pay Oregon state income tax but you are exempt from Washington sales tax.

That is not true. We live in Washington (as do the other 10 people in my husband's office) and work in Oregon and do not pay Oregon Income Tax. It is based on where you live, not where you work. It is true however that you don't have to pay Washington state tax at stores in Washington if you show your id. You do have to pay at places like Olive Garden in Vancouver, reguardless. They claim that they don't do the deduction for some reason.