Are they any areas to avoid buying a home in Camas? (for sale, apartment)

[Jujurus1]

We are getting ready to buy in Camas soon. Are there any areas to avoid besides Oak Park? What about he area West/southwest of the high school?

We will be relocating there early next year. Thank you.

[StealthRabbit]

Budget? (Now is not the best time to buy... bidding wars = PEAK of market)
You like old or NEW(er) homes?
City or country?

West of the NEW High school?

There is a small subdivision on the same side of road. I kept my eye on a delightful little home on 2 acres there (estate sale) It sold VERY cheap last summer. Everyone else prefers the 'California Specials' 3 car garage and multiple steps / $3000k+ taxes.

I prefer to buy a trashed mobile home on a nice view acreage and bulldoze the home and build a BIG shop with a nice apartment (away from the eyes of the assessor). The next 'dreamer' can buy my property & build their Dream house and pay the taxes! A shop is VERY handy to have when you build your dream house (I get a lot of my supplies off freecycle and from Habitat / PDX rebuilding center). And... a SHOP can make a great playground (roller hockey and wally ball).

Camas is one place you DO NOT want to buy a bare lot and build!!! Very high impact fees. Best to buy existing place.

[Jane917]

Others may disagree, but we found that a good realtor who understood our parameters was very helpful in answering all our questions about different areas. We were downsizing and not interested in acreage, but a one level home was high on priorities. It was not an easy find.

[hml1976]

West of the current high school should be fine, just be aware that there are extensive development plans on that side of the lake so your neighborhood will change quickly. The only areas I would probably avoid are just south of downtown and right across from the mill. Not that those areas are dangerous or anything, they just may be more renters and poorer upkeep of homes.

[Jujurus1]

We have ours eyes on a few places. I am flying up in two weeks to look at them. New McMansion is not what I am after. I already have that. I want a view and some land and a house to spend the next few years redoing. I have kids, dogs, cats. We need space. I am too disorganized to build our own and we need to move next summer, no time to build.

Is there a better time to buy because it just seems the prices keep going up. I am from the Bay Area and have been traumatized by housing prices for years :0(

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Jujurus1

We have ours eyes on a few places. ... I want a view and some land and a house to spend the next few years redoing. ...

Is there a better time to buy because it just seems the prices keep going up. ...

View is essential for enjoyment and resale.

'fixers' are hard to find, as everyone is now a 'craftsman remodeler' Repo / tax sales are harder yet, as 2 commercial businesses / partners buy most of them.

I prefer to dig up something that is not on the market. Nice view property is what I find, the worse the house the better.

I do my shopping all yr, but submit my offers from Dec to April (slow market / tax time)

[hml1976]

For a decent sized lot with some land and probably an older home, I'd look around the Camas airport in the area called Fern Prairie. You could even go a little ways up Livingston mountain and not be too far from town. Search rmls.com by lacamas elementary and you should be able to find what you're looking for assuming your budget is ok. Best of luck!

[Jujurus1]

Thanks all!

[Jujurus1]

How does one did up a property not yet for sale from 600 miles away?

[StealthRabbit]

ez from only 600 miles... I bought three rural places in USA last yr while I was living in Thailand. You need to DIG, know precisely where / what you want, be secure enough to pull the trigger, and have adequate cash access to close the deals FAST. (I just use a HELOC or a stock 'margin' acct, then repay myself when I refi... I am very far from rich... single earner hourly income for 40+ yrs)). Title company does all the paperwork and closing for no extra fee, you just email them a Purchase agreement, arrange wire transfers, and sign via docuSign or similar. No need to be here or even in the USA. I have never met the seller or allowed a realtor to accompany me to closing. They are of no value to that exercise. A lawyer is MUCH less expensive (about 1/10th the cost of a realtor). Lawyer is of value on occasion (commercial properties with hazardous waste potential or boundary disputes / multiple entity ownership / tax or lien sales.) Residential is pretty simple, but you need to be diligent to recognize land mines!

BTW... a $59 flight and one hr flight solves your 600 mile fear, you could be here tomorrow (driving or flying). I have driven 1,000 miles in the last 5 days looking at properties and stuff, next week I fly twice. Don't burn any daylight, deals don't wait for YOUR timing. You can drive here from bay area overnight, take one day off work and drive back the next night and be there for work in the morning. BTDT many times. Flying is MUCH cheaper and ezr for $59!

BTW(2): don't tell a realtor you are from CA, I watched how hundreds of coworkers transferring from from Bay area CA got treated by Clark realtors, it was pretty distasteful.

Unless you are of an 'investor mindset', and very comfortable inking and handling your own deals, your best bet is to come and rent and scope out the areas that suit you best. Unfortunately that is a very slow, expensive, and painful process (multiple moves / deposits / delays). It is really very simple, I have a 'real job'..., 'property transactions' is just a passive interest and in no way related to any training / schooling profession I have pursued. I bought my first place at age 19 and thought I had sunk the big one... $128.84 payments on a $1.45 / hr income while supporting a disabled parent, and running their farm in my free time.