What's most affordable city near water in Western Wa?

[bmsea]

I just wanted to add my two cents. I'm always surprised that when "affordable near the ocean" comes up, no one thinks of Westport/Grayland areas.

I am a youngish professional (30's) and I recently moved to Westport with my husband and baby (who is now 1). Westport, is about 1/2 hour from Aberdeen, and is on a little peninsula, across the Harbor from Ocean Shores.

This is a fantastic community with a rich history and great infrastructure. I highly recommend it for all ages and all economic levels. You can still buy a home here for under $150,000 (less if you're handy), but there are areas that cater to the upper middle class as well as the mega wealthy (a new oceanfront subdivision just South of town is selling 1900 SF homes for $1.6M). It's extremely eclectic.

Shopping, there is a Red Apple grocery store that is, again, eclectic - carrying what you'd expect to find in a rural grocery as well as things that appeal to the tourists. Your nearest Safeway/WAlmart/Top Foods is 25 minutes away in Aberdeen. Nearest Costco is in Olympia or Astoria (equidistant, although the drive to Astoria is prettier).

Banking and services, there is an Anchor Bank branch and Bank of America branch here in town. We have one attorney. Anything else you will have to go out of town.

There is a strong sense of community service, with an active VFW, Senior Group, Maritime Museum, and Kiwanis.

Summer is amazing. We get 1/10 the number of visitors that Ocean Shores gets. Fishing is still king in this community, and 35 boats operate out of our Marina. There are 2 surf shops, which rent equipment reasonably and give lessons. Festivals and community events happen every weekend all summer long.

Clamming is usually open once or twice a month from September through May. Crabbing off of the fisherman's boardwalk is also popular in season (usually late winter to early spring, if I'm not mistaken). If you love fresh seafood, this is the place to be. Because so many people are related to the fishing industry, its not uncommon for your neighbors to drop off fresh (crab, halibut, salmon, ling cod) when they have extras.

The beaches are fantastic, even on a hot summer day (like today, Sunday, sunny and 75 degrees) you will not be crowded. Driving is not allowed on our beaches in the city, so its not nearly as dirty or polluted as other beaches in the state. Hiking here is a 2-1/2 mile concrete path along the beach, or 18 miles of sandy beaches. You're also less than an hour from the Olympic National Forest, which is a great day trip.

I have lived in Hawaii, in Los Angeles, and have traveled extensively, and there is no where in the world as beautiful as Westport in the Summertime.

Wintertime is your standard PNW gray, but the stormwatching is awe inspiring. We do lose power 3 - 4 times a winter, but the PUD is putting in some redundancies to mitigate that in the future.

From an investment standpoint, you can't choose a better place right now, because there is a master planned resort with an 18 hole golf course currently under construction, and it is expected to increase property values, but right now you can still buy in town for less than any other Pacific town along the West coast.

Give us a look!

You can check out my blog at Discovering Westport for more info from a personal perspective and photos.

[PencilMeIn]

I'm clueless...my husband and I will be moving to Washington because of a relocation and can live anywhere between Seattle and Portland. I love living by the water since I lived in South FL for 15 years. Why is the real estate less expensive by the water? And is that doable for my husband who will have to travel up and down the corridor between Seattle and Portland?

[bmsea]

Samsmom - in Washington, the Pacific Coast has been historically rural economies driven by fishing and timber. Those industries have been hard hit over the past 20 years, due to changes in environmental legislation as well as declining natural resources.

However, as the population grows, communities that are within 2 hours from the I-5 corridor will continue to grow, and the already desirable waterfront will become very expensive.

This is why I believe now is a great time to buy Pacific Oceanfront real estate. It's only a matter of time before it becomes scarce and expensive like Cannon Beach and Seaside Oregon.

[PencilMeIn]

bmsea- thanks for the history lesson....I have a lot to learn about the NW. I was raised in the east and have lived as far west as OK but that's it. I've had a short visit to Cali and Oregon only once....never been to WA. I understand it is beautiful. I have bought and sold houses in many places so I want to understand the real estate market out there to make a good decision....I always consider the resale value to be quite important in my decision.

[carsonctyman]

La Center, Washington may be a place we may want to relocate to due to work possibly early 09.
Does anyone know about the area real estate? I understand there is going to be a large Casino built 08-09 by the Cowitz Tribe and a Tribe from Connecticut. Taxes in Washington and Oregon. Which area offers lower taxes and affordable health insurance?

[ness]

I wouldn't avoid saying where you are from, but I wouldn't broadcast it either. I would do some property research on your own so that you have some property info you can bring to your agent and say "these are ones we are interested in seeing". As far as I can tell $350,000 is not unrealistic for a vacation place with water view. Check out zip realty and search in Gig Harbor (another area you might like) and see that there is a cottage on the water for about $400,000 (small but cute). If you're willing to look at something that's dated (70s era) looking then you can get more for your $$. It really is obnoxious that people assume you're loaded if you come from SoCal. Haven't people ever thought that Calif.s are moving to places like WA because they can't afford to live in So Cal.???

[bmsea]

Originally Posted by ness

I wouldn't avoid saying where you are from, but I wouldn't broadcast it either. I would do some property research on your own so that you have some property info you can bring to your agent and say "these are ones we are interested in seeing". As far as I can tell $350,000 is not unrealistic for a vacation place with water view. Check out zip realty and search in Gig Harbor (another area you might like) and see that there is a cottage on the water for about $400,000 (small but cute). If you're willing to look at something that's dated (70s era) looking then you can get more for your $$. It really is obnoxious that people assume you're loaded if you come from SoCal. Haven't people ever thought that Calif.s are moving to places like WA because they can't afford to live in So Cal.???

I agree with Ness that you will do yourself a huge favor by doing some preliminary research and approaching the Realtor with examples of what you're looking for. Do this by going online (windermere, john l scott both have great mls searches on their website) and search for properties that meet your criteria (view, size, price, location, etc).

Also, don't just approach the first real estate office and talk to just anyone. Ask around for referrals. It is pretty easy to get a Real Estate License, and there are some excellent professionals out there and some total deadbeats (just like any profession, I guess). So you want to make sure you are dealing with someone that knows what they're talking about and can help you find what you need. The Realtor should be engaged with you, ask a lot of questions about your must-haves and would-likes, and be very knowledgable about the area. I have worked with Realtors in the past where they were overlooking some desirable stuff because they were just limited in knowledge. So anyway, doing your homework makes sense when you are making such a large purchase.

Good luck!


Discovering Westport

[RENandthepack]

Thank you, LaJo! I had just about given up on recieving a reply.

[WASailorGirl]

Originally Posted by nicolette

Hi,
I'm new and must say that this forum has been extremely helpful to my husband and I!! It's fantastic to get so many views and opinions from both sides of the fence. My husband and I plan on buying a vacation home in the Pacific Northwest and will be flying to Seattle in 3 weeks to look around at all the above mentioned areas. We have contacted several realtors who have told us our $350K budget (we want some water view) is completely unrealistic. We said we didn't even care if it was run down because we have the resources to fix it up. Do you think it's because we told these agents (do I dare even say it..)...that we are from San Diego?? We have equity but we are not equity RICH by any means and my husband is convinced we are going to be taken advantage of if I insist on telling these agents where we are from. We want to look at Camano Island, Whidbey, Port Townsend etc...we want quaint and artsy. From what I've been reading, Port Townsend sounds like it would be our cup of tea....or for us our "glass of wine". Any thoughts??

Definitely check out Port Townsend. I moved to P.T. from Arizona almost three years ago. I miss the warm sun sometimes in the winter, but it was a good move.

There are approximately 55 homes in P.T. under 350K (not including manufactured homes). 11 of them have a partial water view. If you are looking for a full 180 degree water view, that won't happen for under 350K. Port Townsend is surrounded by water on three sides and has about 10 miles of beaches. At low tide, you could walk the whole peninsula if you wanted to.

Even if the home you select doesn't have a water view, water truly is everywhere. All the businesses downtown are either on the water side or just across the street from the water. There are a multitude of restaurants and shops right on the water. I remember when I first moved here, I was getting my hair colored and looking out the beautiful large picture window from the salon thinking, "this is the life!"

If you need further information or would just like some ideas of areas to look in around P.T. I would be happy to help. Some Realtors are nice, helpful, good listeners and honor their fudiciary responsibility to their clients!

P.S. (Sounds like your husband must have had a past bad experience. There are a lot of nice people here. Tell him - no worries!)

[bmsea]

Originally Posted by professorB

What about Tsunami danger issues?

We plan to move further north, from Central Oregon coast, where the tsunami danger scare has resulted in warning and evac signs. The Long Beach, etc. peninsula is so flat a big wave could zip right across the land there. Do they have areas posted for evac routes here too? Are there any tsunami danger zone maps available?

Tsunami preparedness is important, no matter where you live on the coast, including the Seattle/Puget Sound metro areas.

Here in Westport, we have an evacuation map, as well as color coded map of the city, which shows what areas are "safest" in an event. We have tsunami sirens, which if you hear, you're supposed to head to high ground.

The last time a tsunami hit here was in the 60's, and it hit Alaska very hard, but brought a 6" wave onto the shores of Grays Harbor. Most of us realize that in a very big wave, it would be hard to truly evacuate. (mostly because most people probably won't evacuate until its too late). The school has a very good plan in place for events that occur during school hours.

Our family has an evacuation plan that puts us on the highest dune, which we can walk to from our home. We don't feel that its is likely that we'd be able to get into the car and get out of the city (which would require getting through 2 bottlenecks) in the event of a truly life threatening emergency. The highest dune takes us over 40' above sea level, and if the tsunami is higher than that, its in God's hands.

We believe, although the risk is there, its worth the trade off for living in such beautiful surroundings.