Thinking of moving to Bend, OR? (Portland, Newport: appointed, sales, real estate)

[kndmcd4304]

Hello Everyone.

My family (husband,three children) and I are really considering moving to Bend. I found it online and have been reviewing all the data and it sounds wonderful. We live in Lakeland,FL now so it is a really big move. I'm hoping a friendly person or two will give some advice before I uproot my family and move across country. My husband and I will both need jobs? How is the market, I do clerical/medical billing, my husband has a ton of experience in warehousing/forklift? We will rent before we buy just to make sure we really like it there? any apartments to stay away from? Last we are used to florida weather hot, hot, hot, but so sick of it.......Are the winters absolutely unbarable?

Thank you

[Bendite]

The most important of your questions is about employment. If you've been reading the entries about Central Oregon, you know that we have one of the highest unemployment rates you can find. There are almost no clerical jobs, though you might find something in medical coding as we have a couple of health care insurance companies here, hospitals, and lots of doctors. Bend is not an industrial city so warehouse/forklift operator jobs are not going to be easy to find. I sure wouldn't move a family here without jobs lined up unless I could live for a year without a salary.

The weather would be very different from Florida. We live in the high desert, so the air is dry, not humid (with some exceptions - today feels pretty humid to me). We've had an unusually cool and wet spring this year though winter moisture arrived late and we didn't have much snow in town this past season. We have four seasons here normally, with brief springtimes and usually beautiful falls. Growing season is pretty short when compared to the Oregon Willamette Valley, but people still manage to grow fruits and veggies.

It would be a good idea to rent before buying - you might just want to turn around and return to Florida. First and foremost, though, is that there just aren't many jobs and those that are available often pay poorly. It is beautiful here, but it is not paradise.

[Silverfall]

Can you visit before you move? What is it about Bend that sounds wonderful to you?

Bend is a beautiful city, but it is really hard to find a job there.

[delta07]

I would agree with Bendite and Silverfall. Bend is beautiful, but it will be hard to enjoy that beauty if you can't find a job. I think our unemployment rate is hovering around 14%. There are just no jobs. You might find a few on CL or in the paper, but competition is fierce. I think there were over 1000 applicants when Kohl's opened up here this winter. I certainly wouldn't uproot my family without at least one of you securing employment. You will also find the cost of living to be pretty high compared to the salaries around here. People are willing to take a very mediocre pay because they either have been unemployed for a long time and a desperate, or they don't mind living close to poverty to enjoy the outdoor lifestyle.

Do a search here on the Oregon forum for Bend and see what else has been said about the economy, weather, etc. Like Bendite said, it's not all paradise.

[kndmcd4304]

Thank you all for your comments and advice, it certainly helps to hear from people who live there. Thank you!

[sidhesadie]

They call Bend "poverty with a view" for a reason
I wouldn't move here without jobs lined up, the unemployment is astronomical.

When the Olive Garden started hiring, there were people lined up around the building for HOURS before the appointed time for the bring in your application day, something like 750 people in a few hours...for jobs as busboys and servers.
Home prices are still falling and foreclosure rates are still going UP.

[oregonn8v]

I thought I would jump onto the thread not to respond to the OP but to ask some follow up questions. My family currently lives in Portland and I am heading over to Bend in about a month for a job interview. I cannot say with any certainty whether or not I will get the job but I do need to begin the process of looking for a home as we will want to move during the summer so the kids (13, 11 & 7) can get enrolled before the fall.

I am familiar with central Oregon and we have visited many times. My aunt and uncle have a cabin south of Three Rivers that we get over to a couple of times a year. My questions are about Bend itself.

1. We would be looking for a 4-5 BR home, 3000+ sq.ft., with at least 7,500 sq.ft. lot. Our price range will be around $500K. Is this doable within Bend? What areas should we be looking? Schools and family friendly neighborhoods are going to be our priority.
2. Is it worth it to look in the Sunriver area? Are there people who commute from Sunriver to Bend? Are there many people who live in Sunriver full time or are the homes primarily second vacation homes/rentals?
3. Can anyone recommend a good real estate agent?
4. Is there a good public library system in Bend?
5. What company should I use for High Speed Internet at my home (if we should move)?
6. Must you have cable/dish to get TV in Bend or can one get by with an HD converter box? We have not had cable for over ten years and we like saving the $500+ per year.
7. Any other thoughts or recommendations for an active family with three children would be appreciated.

Cheers!

[minorbrew]

oregonn8v, First, good luck on your job interview. Second, you've asked several interesting questions ,many of which others could give better answers than I can. But I will take a stab at a couple.
I think your search for the home you describe, at your price, can certainly be successful, judging from the current state of real estate sales and greatly reduced prices, not to mention some of the best interest rates seen in many years. There are a lot of nice homes on the market now at bargain prices.
You'll find Sun River is a lovely area with a variety of housing choices, part timers, full time residents, and many who commute to Bend.
My best advice would be to contact a good, knowledgable realtor who can answer many of your questions and a lot more you may have.
I have a very good friend who is an outstanding realtor in Bend and I would be happy to give you his contact information. If you are interested, please send me a direct message on this forum.
Best wishes in your possible move to Bend.
minorbrew

[Bendite]

We would be looking for a 4-5 BR home, 3000+ sq.ft., with at least 7,500 sq.ft. lot. Our price range will be around $500K. Is this doable within Bend? What areas should we be looking? Schools and family friendly neighborhoods are going to be our priority.

You can certainly find what you are looking for in today's housing market. Try looking ito Northwest Crossing for a family friendly neighborhood with some of Bend's best schools. You may have an issue with lot size (some are smaller than what you want)

Is it worth it to look in the Sunriver area? Are there people who commute from Sunriver to Bend? Are there many people who live in Sunriver full time or are the homes primarily second vacation homes/rentals?

We lived in Sunriver while our house was being built in Bend. It's nice, mostly vacation-oriented. I wouldn't say it is particularly oriented towards family and long term living when compared to other places. It is after all primarily a resort.

Is there a good public library system in Bend?

I think it's a good library, for the size of the town. It has a lot of activities year round

What company should I use for High Speed Internet at my home (if we should move)?

We use Bendbroadband. I think it's expensive but their service is very responsive when there are questions and issues. There are other options

Must you have cable/dish to get TV in Bend or can one get by with an HD converter box? We have not had cable for over ten years and we like saving the $500+ per year.

I think that depends on where you live. There might be better reception in the flatter areas on the east side than on the hillier west side

Any other thoughts or recommendations for an active family with three children would be appreciated.

Bend is a great place for kids. There is so much to do here and our Parks & Rec offers many activities year round for kids

[Richard in Seattle]

The answers posted here are most interesting. Our needs are rather different from those in the most recent postings. I know that retirees are considered by some in Bend as a bane and the source of raising prices in some areas. That may be confusing the symptom with the cause.

In any event, I am a retiree, living in Seattle, and my wife and I are planning to downsize and move to a small(er) town, especially one with less rain and traffic congestion! Cold weather isn't such an issue, since we both lived in Newport, Rhode Island before coming to Seattle and can deal with snow and cold. We are still young enough to want to contribute our energies to community activities. Especially important to us is the art and cultural climate of the community, since we both have been active professionally in both music and the visual arts.

We also have questions about neighborhoods. We prefer an older house, in an established neighborhood, fairly close to downtown (we like to walk a lot). When we visited Bend last year, we drove through neighborhoods that matched this description, but don't know anything about them. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We now have put our home in Seattle on the market, so we will be making some decisions pretty soon.

Thanks.