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Old 12-08-2020, 01:20 PM
 
Location: Bend
20 posts, read 54,243 times
Reputation: 16

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Hello!

My fiance and I are looking into different areas in Oregon and Washington to buy our first home!

We currently live in Bend, OR and we love it. However... the cost of housing may force us out. It's VERY expensive here! So we are considering-

Salem
Vancouver
Possibly a coastal town (would love any recommendations)

What I'd like to know about Vancouver though is this..

What is the weather really like?
How many sunny days do you get?
What is traffic like? (lots of accidents there?)
How are schools?
Crime?
Housing cost?

Thank you!
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Old 12-08-2020, 04:29 PM
 
Location: WA
5,286 posts, read 7,577,932 times
Reputation: 8225
Vancouver is essentially a suburb of Portland with the same general weather determined mostly be elevation and how close you are to the Gorge. The further east you go into Camas or Washougal the more winter winds and ice storms. And the higher up you go into the foothills to the east the more winter snow you get.

Traffic in Vancouver is probably the best and easiest of any place in the greater Portland metro area because the Columbia River separates it from the rest of the metro area. Other than the rush hour traffic back and forth on the I-5 and I-205 bridges, traffic is generally never much of an issue in Vancouver. I drive errands all over the city all the time and rarely ever encounter much traffic if I avoid the bridge approaches and Portland-bound commuter traffic. This is utterly different from say Clackamas, Tigard, or Beaverton which can get horrific traffic.

The top rated schools mostly follow the more affluent areas. So the neighborhoods of Camas, East Vancouver, Salmon Creek and Felida are going to have the highest rated schools, probably in that order. Generally speaking schools tend to be higher rated in WA than OR for similar neighborhoods because WA has more stable and generous state funding of education. So if you were to compare two similar neighborhoods on the OR and WA side of the river, chances are the WA schools will be newer and better funded.

Housing costs generally track with the overall Portland metro area. You'll have to use zillow to see for yourself. I doubt it is going to be less expensive than Bend, at least not dramatically so. Salem is your better bet if lower housing cost is your #1 priority.

Last edited by texasdiver; 12-08-2020 at 05:39 PM..
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Old 12-09-2020, 11:45 AM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,548 posts, read 57,460,499 times
Reputation: 45902
If buying that first home with the idea of staying for awhile, gain equity, moving on... Be very careful where you buy and extremely careful what you pay.

I have never considered my home to be an investment. My 3rd home (bought when first married) cost me a lot of dough when I had to move out of state, and could not sell it for 5 yrs. That place was in very desirable Colorado. It is now worth 6x what I had in it (40 yrs later), but financially, it would have been a very poor "investment". I advised my own kids to rent homes rather than buy (if in high housing cost areas). They didn't abide, so we'll see how it washed out. I plan on renting a home during retirement and putting my real estate money to work eslewhere.

What are your work / services / hobby / entertainment / recreation needs?

Live the highest quality of life in the best neighborhood you can find and easily afford. My kids bought lower prices homes only in very desirable areas. You can't change the neighborhood.

Life is short... Then it is over.
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Old 12-09-2020, 12:20 PM
 
220 posts, read 151,020 times
Reputation: 166
Go for south east vancouver
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Old 01-15-2021, 11:01 PM
 
Location: OC
12,734 posts, read 9,348,639 times
Reputation: 10524
gonna agree with Texas Diver, the mvp of this forum. Vancouver will not be substantially cheaper than bend
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Old 01-15-2021, 11:31 PM
 
Location: Vancouver, WA
8,174 posts, read 16,562,313 times
Reputation: 9397
The biggest question really depends on what you like in a town vs. simply price. Everyone has a wish list and different set of priorities, gotta haves, nice to haves, deal breakers, etc... So, it's hard to objectively compare Vancouver vs. Salem vs. the coast. They all have their benefits and potential downsides depending on your list.

Do you care to be close to PDX? Maybe, maybe not? If you like Bend, are looking for something with similarities? Well, Bend is pretty unique. So, not many places like that in the PNW. We love visiting Bend and can see why prices are rising. Do you care about the size of the town? What it has access to?

The coastal towns are pretty remote and a very different vibe from Bend. Most all small and sleepy with lots of tourists and retirees which is fine for some. I don't think any are growing very much and certainly not like Bend which some prefer. Do you need to be near somewhere with jobs? That's another factor.

Salem and all the little towns around that general area have a lot of great potential like McMinnville or even Corvallis to the south at bit. Corvallis is especially nice and probably the closest city of significance to the coast in the Willamette Valley. But Salem and McMinnville aren't too much further - a little over an hour to the coast depending on day and traffic.

Vancouver is great for its proximity to the Gorge, Mt. Hood, PDX, Mt. St. Helens, a number of lakes and you have a have a lot of new construction especially as you head north.

Derek

Last edited by MtnSurfer; 01-16-2021 at 12:37 AM..
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Old 01-17-2021, 08:35 AM
 
Location: Seattle
1,938 posts, read 3,898,965 times
Reputation: 4660
Instead of creating a separate post, thought I piggyback on this one. We’re looking at moving to Vancouver. We’ve visited several times and like the areas around McMenamins/Beaches and also near Esther Short Park. Being able to have quick walking access to the riverfront walk is important as well as walkable restaurants.

Opinions good or bad about these areas?
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Old 01-17-2021, 12:58 PM
 
Location: WA
5,286 posts, read 7,577,932 times
Reputation: 8225
Both nice spots. If you want walkable access to the river AND walkable access to restaurants and such, those are pretty much the options. You can find lots of other shoreline areas, but they are all residential. And you can find other walkable areas like uptown Vancouver and downtown Camas, but they don't really have shoreline access.

You can find lots of similar locations on the Portland side of the river like the south Waterfront area as well.
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Old 01-18-2021, 12:50 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,548 posts, read 57,460,499 times
Reputation: 45902
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chilkoot View Post
Instead of creating a separate post, thought I piggyback on this one. We’re looking at moving to Vancouver. We’ve visited several times and like the areas around McMenamins/Beaches and also near Esther Short Park. Being able to have quick walking access to the riverfront walk is important as well as walkable restaurants.

Opinions good or bad about these areas?
If quick access to a large park, and 10 min to waterfront is acceptable...
Consider the area on East Evergreen from Harney Elementary to Downtown, including near Crosley Bowl or leasing within Ft Vancouver Trust historic properties.

If you are looking for a truely urban location (apartment vs home), then the 2 areas you mentioned will be your best options. Either as specific +/-.

Waterfront is busier / commercial traffic.
Esther Short area has more homeless, but is the center for community events, and a closer walk to the Library and Central Park / Ft Vancouver events. . (and the newer food places / businesses on west waterfront. )

Visit each various times of the day / night or week. (As if you were living there and getting out and about).
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Old 01-18-2021, 07:02 PM
 
Location: Seattle
1,938 posts, read 3,898,965 times
Reputation: 4660
Thank you for the confirmation. We need to make another visit.
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