Is it all HOAs and CC&Rs? (Spokane, Vancouver: sales, real estate)

[deviantlore]

I'm still wading though home searches in WA, and having ruled out Spokane, I'm back in the Vancouver area (again). Is it all planned communities, HOAs, and CC&Rs??? Every time I think I've found a spot, those (largely useless) realtors inform me 'Oh yeah, there are the fees.' I'm a rural-loving gal. I like neighbors... just not within yellin' distance.

Aside from that, is it just impossible to find a real estate agent that doesn't insist I raise my budget and gets that I actually want a cheap, funky, odd little home that needs some lovin? I actually told one the other day I wasn't spending more than 125k, period. He sent me listings all the way up to 300k! WTH. >.< I even explained that I have that budget for a reason (I don't want to be in debt. I'm not now and I'm keeping it that way!) Surely, every single property from Kelso down to Vancouver isn't that high. Am I looking in the wrong places? Talking to the wrong folks? I hate doing this from across the country. Any help is OH SO appreciated!

[Ms_Christina]

You may be able to get a mobile home for that kind of money but mobile parks have regulations similar to HOAs. Have you tried looking at small condos?

[jaguar3030]

Best spot to look is Zillow. Other people may have had luck with other sites, but that has been GREAT for me.

[NCDavid]

[QUOTE Am I looking in the wrong places? Talking to the wrong folks?[/quote]

Probably. Western Washington/Oregon is a relatively expensive part of the country, especially anything in or near the larger cities. $125,00 won't buy you much in most parts of this region and there will be few houses of any kind under that price cap that are worth living in. It may buy a nice manufactured home or a tiny conventional home.
The housing market is pretty tight with low inventory in the Vancouver area. Best bet is to look at smaller cities like Longview (which has a depressed economy). I wouldn't blame realtors too much, as I don't think there is a whole lot they can find with such a low price cap.
Go on Zillow or a local realty web site like Windermere and put in a $125,000 cap and see what comes up.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by NCDavid

Am I looking in the wrong places? Talking to the wrong folks?

Probably. Western Washington/Oregon is a relatively expensive part of the country, ...
Go on Zillow or a local realty web site like Windermere and put in a $125,000 cap and see what comes up.

true, this is an expensive area that is in a boom cycle.

my rule "If it is "listed" by realtor FS, it is too late for a good deal"

You need to dig for your places. If a realtor has seen it, the price has just increased 10 - 30% to cover their fee / trouble / sales mindset pretense (more commission).

That said... I have bought and know of rural acreages in SWWA with small or mobile homes that have gone for under $100k in the last yr. (within 20 minutes of city)
A realtor will pass that kind of a deal off to a friend.

Gotta dig. (Tough to do from a distance, but I bought a USA rural place <$80k from Hong Kong last November). It needed LOTS of work... (but I knew that, just HOW much... I did not even imagine (cat odor,,,))

I have had over 20 props in PNW, only ONE was an HOA (very nice view lot). I didn't plan to build / live there, so just sold it a yr later.

[deviantlore]

I figured as much and I knew all this when I started looking. Luckily for me I want small and out of the way. 20 mins to town is nothing. No way I'd do condos or parks though! I just don't think most people get my drift when I say "rural". They seem to think that means big lot suburbs. I mean dirt road, 30 mins to "town" rural.

I'm in Florida now so I get expensive. The cost of living here is mind-boggling and it's not just in the cost of things we have to buy, it's in the upkeep. From what I've seen that area isn't much different. My 1 acre lot is worth 65k, no house. Taxes were $2,100 last year... and I'm zoned rural.

StealthRabbit, can you give me an idea where I should start my digging? Zillow has been a good get to know the area tool but I know it's far to limited for what I want... because what I want isn't what most people want. I'm trying to stay away from mobiles. I've done my time rehabing them and I'm over that. *lol*

[StealthRabbit]

There are many nice regions in SW WA.

to start your search...
Most important is your climate / soil desires and services you need access to.
Growing season is very different throughout the region due to elevation and air circulation and soils.
I would stay in Skamania or Cowlitz counties. I like the area near Carrolls (north of Kalama).

I prefer to buy a trashed mobile home on a view acreage and bulldoze the home and replace with a NICE (cheap) shop that has apartment / laundry and RV hookups. This way I get the utilities / driveway / well / septic (They take a LONG time to permit and are costly).

[cyberous]

I started out like you, my budget was $100k and I found lots of small properties in that price point, however I wanted to be in an area with a decent walk score. I used JohnLScott website, it seems to be the most accurate/up to date as far as listings. Zillow is good for community info but really slow for listing updates and extremely bad for expired listings (sold homes)

I had no idea of the various areas in PNW; I thought Longview and Kelso were doable until I went for a visit. Very depressed and far from PDX. If you’re looking for rural, and small/older I don't see why you can’t find something in your budget, although the PNW is filled with modular homes, I’ve never experienced anything like it.

With todays technology, realtors will not find your home. You will! I suggest you use the notifications feature on the John L Scott website. My realtor never provide homes, I told him what I wanted him to look at, take photos and send me video's (as i'm out of state.) That worked out really well.

BTW I ended up purchasing a small 630sqft +630sqft basement in down town Vancouver for $175 way over budget and love it.

Good luck!

[silibran]

Realtors--good ones--aren't useless. But I agree that you will probably find your home on Zillow or Redfin. That's what we did. We found it just listed on a Sunday, and made an offer by Tuesday. But we had been looking awhile and knew it was the one pretty quick.

I think you could probably find an older "funky" home in the older sections of Vancouver. But, if you must have rural, then I think you will end up looking at manufactured homes. I agree that there are many of these, more than I've ever seen anywhere else.

[deviantlore]

Thanks everyone. Looking today has been a bit more varied and so not quite as mind-numbing. Good call on land in the area you mentioned Stealth. Being outside Kelso itself makes that area seem a bit more desirable to live but still plenty convenient for us.

Congrats silibran! Glad you found your spot. I've known a good deal of nice, helpful, knowledgeable realtors - don't get me wrong - I just haven't been fortunate enough to find one in the areas I'm looking.