Housing is Disappointing in Vancouver (Longview, Camas: real estate, buying a house, employment)
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Maybe your expectations are just too high. You sound like you feel you deserve the house, but you are only making $30,000/year. That isn't that much. Also, your statement that a townhouse or condo are not decent housing is rather elitist for someone making only $30,000. If you can't qualify on $30,000/year, find a way to earn more so you can afford what you want.
This may sound like a "let them eat cake" response, but it is true. You'll always be more content if you want what you can afford instead of wanting what you can't.
I have seasonal affective disorder...I can not stand anymore sunshine. I live in Phoenix and it is non stop sunshine everyday. Im not kidding. Want to talk about crappy weather, It was over 108 ever day for 3 months, and its still 100 plus. It started in may in the high 90s, and it ends its reign of terror in November. In Washington, at least I used to get a break from the clouds once a week or so. I got up the other day and it was only 80 degrees outside, at 7am. It was pure heaven.
That's funny because we've lived in Vancouver for the last 5 years and we're moving to the Phoenix area in 8 months. I grew up in Oregon so i'm very tired of the wet, dreary weather in the NW. I can't wait to move! My husband is also very excited and we can't wait to get out of here!
That's funny because we've lived in Vancouver for the last 5 years and we're moving to the Phoenix area in 8 months. I grew up in Oregon so i'm very tired of the wet, dreary weather in the NW. I can't wait to move! My husband is also very excited and we can't wait to get out of here!
well in 8 months it will be August, and you will still have 3 months of above 100 degree weather. You probably think I am exaggerating, but Im not. However. you do get 6 to 7 months of 60-79 degree weather. Its just too bad for every day I enjoy an 70 degree day, I am one day closer to 115 degrees in July.
In Oregon/Wa...I surely did not enjoy all the dampness, and cloud cover. It was a bummer, but the difference was I didn't dread it either. IM MEAN DREAD IT. After about 4 months of it, I started to notice that the clouds and wet were becoming a problem, but its kind of a slow induction every year. Here in Phoenix WHAM ITS EFFING HOT one day. Every day after that it will either be very hot, or unbearably hot day after day, week after week, month after month after month after month. aaaahhhhhhh
Not to mention that there is an island effect here, all the asphalt and cement they add here as the city expands further and further out to the desert, it is getting hotter for longer here. The local natives here, say it used to cool off in the summer. I was in a pool at 11pm because it was 109 degrees outside. 109 in the dark still feels hot man. AC bills are around 300-400 a month for at least 4 months. about 60-70 in the winter.
I think if you are looking for a place that looks a little like Oregon and Washington, yet you need that sun mix, you really should set your sites on New Mexico. The Enchanted state is beautiful, and offers fantastic weather nearly year round.
That's funny because we've lived in Vancouver for the last 5 years and we're moving to the Phoenix area in 8 months. I grew up in Oregon so i'm very tired of the wet, dreary weather in the NW. I can't wait to move! My husband is also very excited and we can't wait to get out of here!
After 25 years in the Portland/Vancouver area, I got tired of the damp, low gray winters and wanted to move. We're both self-employed and semi-retired so jobs weren't really an issue. I didn't want to trade PDX/Vancouver weather for the blast furnace that is much of the south west (I made a lot of business trips to Phoenix and have friends who live there - you have to carry oven mitts in your car to touch the steering wheel, even after you put up the sun shade). In monsoon season, it can be 110 degrees and raining, with the streets steaming. Ick.
I wanted to stay in the west and particularly the northwest, so we ended up in a rural area on the dry side of the Cascades - yes, cold and snowy in the 3-5 months of winter, but summer highs top out around 90, and there are a lot of sunny days. Chamber of Commerce claims 300 days of sun, but that's BS - more like 250 days of sun, so it isn't relentlessly sunny. Love the high desert and the Ponderosa pine forest, although I did have to get used to slathering moisturizer on and carrying sunglasses, even in the winter.
After 25 years in the Portland/Vancouver area, I got tired of the damp, low gray winters and wanted to move. We're both self-employed and semi-retired so jobs weren't really an issue. I didn't want to trade PDX/Vancouver weather for the blast furnace that is much of the south west (I made a lot of business trips to Phoenix and have friends who live there - you have to carry oven mitts in your car to touch the steering wheel, even after you put up the sun shade). In monsoon season, it can be 110 degrees and raining, with the streets steaming. Ick.
I wanted to stay in the west and particularly the northwest, so we ended up in a rural area on the dry side of the Cascades - yes, cold and snowy in the 3-5 months of winter, but summer highs top out around 90, and there are a lot of sunny days. Chamber of Commerce claims 300 days of sun, but that's BS - more like 250 days of sun, so it isn't relentlessly sunny. Love the high desert and the Ponderosa pine forest, although I did have to get used to slathering moisturizer on and carrying sunglasses, even in the winter.
Now that sounds cool.I need to go somewhere that has more sun in the winter and early spring.When april hits and you have had enough,it actually can get depressing when all it does is rain or totally gray for days on end.I moved to vancouver about 10 years ago from the socal coast and this area is some of the worst weather i have ever experienced from november through april.Beautiful summers though.I think there are only 155 days of sunshine here.
That's funny because we've lived in Vancouver for the last 5 years and we're moving to the Phoenix area in 8 months. I grew up in Oregon so i'm very tired of the wet, dreary weather in the NW. I can't wait to move! My husband is also very excited and we can't wait to get out of here!
Be careful for what you wish for...
Hardly nothing is green in Phoenix and a lot more crime and critters!
Be careful for what you wish for...
Hardly nothing is green in Phoenix and a lot more crime and critters!
Well, nothing is as lush as Wa/Or State, but there the valley does have green year round. Especially if you have traveled to the Midwest. Dead trees with 5-6 months of winter in most of the country makes for some brown ugly scenery. The valley has green palm treees, desert plants, and trees that are specific to the desert year round (with leaves). I think the best way to love phoenix (from Vancouver) is to move to some cold miserable state with little greenry for about 2 years (Kansas or Nebraska or instance), and then you are ready for Phoenix.
There are plenty of places for rent in the Vancouver area; I've lived here for years. East Vancouver is NOT low-income, by the way. I don't think those engineers at Wafer Tech (sp?) and Hewlett Packard are barely getting by. As for 3 bdrm houses under $1200 a month ... are you joking? Just last summer we rented out my grandmother's 3 bdrm house over by Van Mall/Westfield Town Center for $1000. Yes, you have to pay your own utilities. If you want the manager/owner to pay the utilities, try for an apartment where the cost of some utilities are amortized among 50-150 other tenants. Right now the market is very competitive because there are so many unsold homes going on the rental market.
Admittedly, people could charge less for rent if they weren't mortgaged out the wazoo ... most people these days are just trying to cover their bank note. That's not specific to Vancouver.
Yes, wages are lower here, but it's largely a bedroom community of Portland. That's to be expected. Apart from some of the high tech and medical jobs (and possibly teaching), Vancouver doesn't have a whole lot of high paying industry. But it's a town of less than 100K people ... is that a big surprise? How is that any different than 20 years ago?
.... But it's a town of less than 100K people ... is that a big surprise? How is that any different than 20 years ago?
Mmmm, I read on the Vancouver population page..."Population in July 2007: 161,436." http://www.city-data.com/city/Vancouver-Washington.html And that the population of Clark County was 418,070 as of July 2007. So I think we're closer to 200K by now.
Just sayin'
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