Housing is Disappointing in Vancouver (fit in, rentals, insurance)

[aeroz]

Only two years ago, housing options in Vancouver were much more abundant. There were a lot of different options available, and many more of them could fit in your budget. New construction was exciting and abundant, but not yet to the point where tiny townhomes were being built 5 inches apart with 2 foot wide driveways and no street parking at all (its made illegal via firelanes). Rowhomes are also going up faster than ever.

And now, rent has gone up to the point where you have to pay $400-$500 if you live with roommates. If you lived with roommates 2 years ago in Vancouver your share of the rent was $300-ish.

Dumpy, crappy 2 bedroom duplexes are renting for $895 (thats over $400 per roommate), and tightly-cramped newer townhomes with 1 parking spot (and all other spots being illegal to park) are (for the moment) going at $995.

Decent 3 bedroom ranch homes are renting for over $1,200. That means each roommate would have to pay $400, and none of the utilities are included in the rent.

In addition to all the above, most people who even move into units like that don't get paid decent wages. Vancouver is not a good place for wages; they're pretty low here. Unless you work in the medical field--Vancouver is booming with medical opportunities, but you have to be the best to get in. Vancouver does not tolerate anything but the very best applicants. And Clark College is processing nurses through its nursing program factory like mad; not all of them are going to be employed, and Clark will make profits.

Vancouver sucks. If you're looking for decent wages and a nice family home, forget it. Stay away.

If you're looking for a decent house to share with roommates, in which your share of the rent is $300-ish, forget it. Not gonna happen. I'm talking about a non-dump, decent, 3 BDRM house in which 3 people live, and the square footage is at least 1,200, and there is street parking available. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IN VANCOUVER.

[st33lcas3]

Originally Posted by aeroz

Only two years ago, housing options in Vancouver were much more abundant. There were a lot of different options available, and many more of them could fit in your budget. New construction was exciting and abundant, but not yet to the point where tiny townhomes were being built 5 inches apart with 2 foot wide driveways and no street parking at all (its made illegal via firelanes). Rowhomes are also going up faster than ever.

And now, rent has gone up to the point where you have to pay $400-$500 if you live with roommates. If you lived with roommates 2 years ago in Vancouver your share of the rent was $300-ish.

Dumpy, crappy 2 bedroom duplexes are renting for $895 (thats over $400 per roommate), and tightly-cramped newer townhomes with 1 parking spot (and all other spots being illegal to park) are (for the moment) going at $995.

Decent 3 bedroom ranch homes are renting for over $1,200. That means each roommate would have to pay $400, and none of the utilities are included in the rent.

In addition to all the above, most people who even move into units like that don't get paid decent wages. Vancouver is not a good place for wages; they're pretty low here. Unless you work in the medical field--Vancouver is booming with medical opportunities, but you have to be the best to get in. Vancouver does not tolerate anything but the very best applicants. And Clark College is processing nurses through its nursing program factory like mad; not all of them are going to be employed, and Clark will make profits.

Vancouver sucks. If you're looking for decent wages and a nice family home, forget it. Stay away.

If you're looking for a decent house to share with roommates, in which your share of the rent is $300-ish, forget it. Not gonna happen. I'm talking about a non-dump, decent, 3 BDRM house in which 3 people live, and the square footage is at least 1,200, and there is street parking available. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IN VANCOUVER.

Nice troll, I'll bite.

Vancouver, like any city now, builds rowhouses in these small lot subdivisions. It's a way to have enough homes without contributing to sprawl. I don't like it, but it isn't unique to Vancouver. This has been going on for longer than two years as well.

The costs increasing are due to increase taxes, insurance, utilities yada, yada, yada. Look around, it's happening everywhere.

There are plenty of decent homes over 1200 sq ft which you can rent for a good price. Some have garages, some are in real neighborhoods with plenty of on street parking.

As far as decent wages in Vancouver, they are everywhere. If your unable to find a job with a decent wage, stop whining on a forum and go back to school. Get a better education and you will land a job with better wages.

[aeroz]

I'm not a troll, I live in Vancouver. And upon contemplating a move and exploring my options, I became disillusioned with Vancouver. I've driven all over Vancouver looking for something within my budget. I make 30K currently but that apparently wasn't enough to get me into a 3 BDRM newer house that was $895/mo. That would have been 1/3 of my income, but I would have had 1 or 2 roommates sharing and even then it wasn't enough because they denied my application.

And there will not be another opportunity like that in Vancouver because a newer 3 BDRM home (not rowhome, not condo) will rent out for AT LEAST $1,200/mo.

Sad when you make $30-40K and you can't get a decent place to live in Vancouver (boyfriend makes 40K and got denied on the basis of income as well).

I consider 30K to be a decent wage. I am self employed. I could not get a job paying what I deserve working for someone else in Vancouver because everyone around here wants to pay between $8-12/hr with sucky benefits. Beyond $12/hr, you must have at least 3 years of experience (self employment doesn't count).

[OrygunBorn]

Well, in Eugene, the wages are lower and the rentals are more expensive. Portland is more expensive, and OREGON has income tax! Which sucks. Better to live and work in WA and shop in OR, than the oppisite.

As for expensive, I moved here to central Oregon from California, and I was paying $2,100 a month for a 3/2 dumpy house in rent!!!!!! Talk about a rip off. They did not care. Houses there sell for half a million or more, even after falling in price with the recent house crunch.

Cost of living sux. Inflation sux. Cost of food lately sux. As is renting, paying taxes and social security, and watching your 401-k go down the toilet with the stock market, and all the rest. Bills bills and more bills to pay. Eveyone is having a hard time just to break even. Feel fortunate that you do not own a home, and it is not going down in price, and worth less than you paid for it, like a lot of other people there around Portland and Vancouver! And they predict that house prices will fall for another year at least!

So feel fortunate that you are renting and not exposed to loosing your shirt in the housing market.

[whatever]

Originally Posted by st33lcas3

<snipped>
As far as decent wages in Vancouver, they are everywhere. If your unable to find a job with a decent wage, stop whining on a forum and go back to school. Get a better education and you will land a job with better wages.

Just passing through this forum but wanted to respond...
A better education does not mean that you "will land a job with better wages". Not in this economy.

You may now continue with your regular posting...

[peakbagger]

Originally Posted by OrygunBorn

Feel fortunate that you do not own a home, and it is not going down in price, and worth less than you paid for it, like a lot of other people there around Portland and Vancouver! And they predict that house prices will fall for another year at least!

So feel fortunate that you are renting and not exposed to loosing your shirt in the housing market.

Actually, if you are buying a house to live in for a few years, and the PITI is not much more than your current rent, then it is probably a good time to buy one, as prices have/are falling and you can ride out the possible downturn and benefit from the rebound. If you are buying to flip a house, like so many others have, then forget it! You are gonna lose your shirt!

Anyways, if you are waiting for the market to hit rock bottom, how will you know it hit the bottom? When the prices go up? Wouldn't it be too late by then since the prices are going up?

[jamesandveybe]

Originally Posted by whatever

Just passing through this forum but wanted to respond...
A better education does not mean that you "will land a job with better wages". Not in this economy.

I second your summation on education in troubled times. Nevertheless, hoards will be going back to school in lieu of continuing a failed job search. Those federal student loans are great to live on in an emergency.

[RioVonWulf]

Education? not for those with bs degrees that are obsolete and need more modern certificate. Good luck I just got rescinded only a couple of weeks befor that school starts.
Now to try for a different school and hope that i get approval for the class i originally asked for!

[Envirocelt]

Originally Posted by aeroz

Only two years ago, housing options in Vancouver were much more abundant. There were a lot of different options available, and many more of them could fit in your budget. New construction was exciting and abundant, but not yet to the point where tiny townhomes were being built 5 inches apart with 2 foot wide driveways and no street parking at all (its made illegal via firelanes). Rowhomes are also going up faster than ever.

And now, rent has gone up to the point where you have to pay $400-$500 if you live with roommates. If you lived with roommates 2 years ago in Vancouver your share of the rent was $300-ish.

Dumpy, crappy 2 bedroom duplexes are renting for $895 (thats over $400 per roommate), and tightly-cramped newer townhomes with 1 parking spot (and all other spots being illegal to park) are (for the moment) going at $995.

Decent 3 bedroom ranch homes are renting for over $1,200. That means each roommate would have to pay $400, and none of the utilities are included in the rent.

In addition to all the above, most people who even move into units like that don't get paid decent wages. Vancouver is not a good place for wages; they're pretty low here. Unless you work in the medical field--Vancouver is booming with medical opportunities, but you have to be the best to get in. Vancouver does not tolerate anything but the very best applicants. And Clark College is processing nurses through its nursing program factory like mad; not all of them are going to be employed, and Clark will make profits.

Vancouver sucks. If you're looking for decent wages and a nice family home, forget it. Stay away.

If you're looking for a decent house to share with roommates, in which your share of the rent is $300-ish, forget it. Not gonna happen. I'm talking about a non-dump, decent, 3 BDRM house in which 3 people live, and the square footage is at least 1,200, and there is street parking available. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IN VANCOUVER.

Wow - this is too bad, and comes as a surprise. Vancouver was recently rated as one of the most livable cities in the world in one survey. Wonder what their criteria were?

Some of your evaluation is actually encouraging to me, in a strange sort of way. I've heard many times about how expensive Vancouver is. But the average prices you cite aren't really too different from Austin, or even Marble Falls, TX, which is presently my home area. Either Vancouver isn't as expensive as I thought, or it is even worse around here than I figured! The overall employment situation and wages sound very similar too.

Nice, newer (but not luxury) 3 BR, 2BATH 2-CAR GARAGE houses, rent here for about the same amount - $1,000 - $1,300 a month. Newer, but small 3/2/1 duplexes rent from $800 - $1,000. 2BR, 1BA apts. here are $550 - $700/ month. Somewhat cheaper, yes, but keep in mind that this community is TINY in comparison with Vancouver with nowhere near the amenities.

There aren't any jobs to speak of here either, unless you're in the medical field. If you come here with money you'll be OK, but trying to make it here starting out without much is a monumental task. Few do it, and many younger people still move away after high school. There are plenty of low-paid service jobs available, but few affordable places to live. Upscale retirees, investors and country clubbers from Dallas, Houston and even Calif. set the housing rates here, and price working people out of the market. There are propotionately fewer middle class families here, it's typically the relatively well-off or the poorer laboring segments of the population.

It just strikes me how similar our complaints are, given the 2 very different places we live. I'm older now and nearing retirement age. This is my wife's home area, and we've struggled to make ends meet for 16 years. It's a nice area in many ways, but I'm not retiring here, and hope to find an even nicer, less expensive community.

[1BevY1]

If I were you, I definitely would NOT move to the Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA area!! Cost of living does NOT match wages whatsoever. There are so many people moving into the Portland / Vancouver area that the housing market is uneasonable OVERPRICED, jobs are scarce - wages lower than a lot of other areas. The economy around here is on a CONSTANT turmoil about every 2-4 years, no matter what he rest of the country is like. We do not get a lot of snow - ice, but do get a LOT of cloudy - rainy - drizzling weather for weeks on end from late Oct. through mid June. The damp - wet climate makes some people sick with flu like symptoms, lung problems. The area long ago was known as "vally of sickness" (meaning for Willamette Valley) I was born & raised in this area, & was a fool to return a few years ago.....AND I am leaving here forever, never to return very soon before I am even worse off financially!