New job in Hillsboro (Portland, Salem: how much, houses, neighborhoods)

[fayewolf]

DH got a new job in Hillsboro (I work from home, but eventually if COVID is over, i will be need to be close to PDX). We are moving from a very nice suburb in the bay area. We are in our late 40s, no kids, love to eat out on weekends and enjoy nature.

Where we are now, we are very close to stores (HD, few Trader joes, supermarket, target etc) all within 2-3 miles, 15 min. While we don't have kids, we feel like that important school district is important for resale.

We understand we can't have everything, but would love to hear what areas can meet most of our wish list. I LOVE how Lake Oswego looks (online and from friend who just purchased there), and years ago i visited West Linn and really love that area). Also love their reputation of being an affluent upscale neighborhood.
That said, i am not sure if it's worth the crazy commute for my DH. Right now, his commute is ~1hr and if we can limit that to 30-45 min, it's acceptable. Ideal? No, but something has to give, right? I felt like my colleague that is now living in LO is a little umm snobby? So i can't completely rely on her, they just bought a close to 2million dollar house there in first addition (yeah without me asking for how much, who offers this kind of number), and they kind of turned their nose up on Beaverton and Hillsboro. Maybe there are certain areas of Beaverton and Hillsboro that are nice? Ideally we can hit pearl district a couple times week at the climbing gym (not a must, we can deal with going on weekends), and i am also an avid equestrian, though i'm not sure i will be riding, my guess is willsonville area. 30 min commute okay for that.

Other areas i am inclined to consider is West Hills? Raleigh Hills?


We don't like cookie cutter houses, but would love to have some space (the house doesn't need to be huge, but would like to have a yard, and a little bit of space between neighbors wouldbe great, but not 100% necessary. Need to have garage though (probs not an issue outside of Portland Metro)

Hoping to stay around 700-800K.

I'm open to any suggestions, and really appreciates everything

[texasdiver]

In your shoes, I'd look first at the West Haven/Sylvan or Cedar Mill part of the Portland west hills area. It is basically the area north of Highway 26 that is technically within the city of Portland but within the Beaverton School District. I don't remember all the subdivision names. But there are a lot of nice areas in the hills north of 26. You will have quick access to Hillsboro via MAX train or car. And central Portland is also close via 26 or smaller roads across the hills like Burnside.

Wilsonville and West Linn will give you a painful commute to Hillsboro without really being that much closer to the airport or anyplace else. Wilsonville has some of the worst traffic in the entire Portland metro because it is at a pinch point with the only crossing of the Willamette River for many miles in either direction.

If you are looking at schools then generally speaking Beaverton schools are more favored over Hillsboro and the parts of Beaverton that are in the hills north of 26 are the most affluent with the poshest schools. The boundary line between Beaverton and Portland is pretty convoluted there but most of the area is zoned to Beaverton schools. Sunset HS and Westview HS which are the two Beaverton schools that cover the area north of 26 are two of the top rated schools in the state, so no need to worry about school ratings.

Lake Oswego has the snottiest and most posh schools in all of Oregon and most of Washington too, outside a few Seattle enclaves like Mercer Island. That's a big reason why people move there and you'll pay for it.

If you don't mind a bit longer commute, frankly any part of Portland west of the river, or Beaverton will be fine. There are lots of nice older areas in the west hills between Beaverton and Portland. You can google map the commutes on a work day to see what you are looking at.

[Benzito]

Lake Oswego to Hillsboro is typically 30 to 45 minutes, depending on when you leave and which part of town you're headed to. 90% of the drivers take 217 and Highway 26 for the commute, but there are some back roads that would also work if the worksite on on the southern side of Hillsboro.

Yes, Lake Oswego is the snottiest area, but it has always and will always maintain its superior market prices because of the good schools, proximity to Portland, on two rivers for recreation, and loads of community support and networking.

From my clientele list over 20 years, for the Hillsboro high-tech work force, probably 15% live in Hillsboro, 50% live in Beaverton / Tigard, and the other 35% are spread mostly between Portland (west side), Lake Oswego / Tualatin / West Linn. There are, of course, the odd folks that drive in from Clark County or Salem.

[fayewolf]

I don’t think I will be considering Wilsonville at all, even west linn due to the commute.

I feel like the housing prices in west hills is somewhat comparable to LO, but the inside (at the moment when I am browsing ) is super outdated and I will have to spend a lot of time and money to upgrade

LO other than the commute seems like a nice area , wonder if anyone from the Bay Area, is it sort of like comparable to Palo Alto?

Thanks for the tips of the cedar mill and surrounding area, I will keep looking !

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by fayewolf

I don’t think I will be considering Wilsonville at all, even west linn due to the commute.

I feel like the housing prices in west hills is somewhat comparable to LO, but the inside (at the moment when I am browsing ) is super outdated and I will have to spend a lot of time and money to upgrade

LO other than the commute seems like a nice area , wonder if anyone from the Bay Area, is it sort of like comparable to Palo Alto?

Thanks for the tips of the cedar mill and surrounding area, I will keep looking !

Lake Oswego is not like Palo Alto at all There are practically no businesses in Lake Oswego aside from a tiny boutique downtown area. A more comparable Bay Area comparison would be the smaller exclusive residential commuter towns above the silicon valley like Los Altos Hills or Saratoga or Portola Valley.

As for the west hills having older dated houses? Yes, probably. What you will find is that older areas also tend to have larger lots and more secluded streets. Newer subdivisions tend to have larger houses packed closer together as the economics of residential construction have greatly changed since the 1950s and 1960s when much of that area was built out. Also, many of the prettiest and most convenient areas were built out first so older areas often have better views and access to amenities. Newer areas tend to be further out. If you want newer west hills construction, look north of 26 to places like Bethany.

[Nell Plotts]

My daughter lives in Los Altos, her employer is on Sand Hill Road, so I think I know what you are looking for. If the commute to Hillsboro were not an issue then the Council Crest neighborhood should be on your short list. Most homes are older and large but you may find something that has been upgraded. The next neighborhood worth a look is Forest Heights. The homes are newer and I expect you would find current amenities. The route to Hillsboro from Forest Heights could be on Cornell, Thompson or Laidlaw Roads. Forest Heights has a neighborhood bus to the Sunset Transit Center where you can catch the light rail to PDX. https://www.fhhoa.com/page/40965~844...le-Information. https://www.fhhoa.com/

PM me if you have any questions.

[fayewolf]

You all, this is so helpful! I currently live in redwood shores, I love it so much in terms of the ambience, lots of trees. We don't go out to downtown SF or even SF all that much, but we do get out to Palo Alto a lot. I LOVE Los Altos!

We want to get away from packed track homes, i saw some new developments that has super nice and modern interior, move in ready, but it's basically arms length from your neighbor. Since we have this opportunity to move, we wouldn't mind having larger lots but if the interior is too dated, it will be tough.

I am looking around and council crest looks like an amazing neighborhood! I love the nice views!! All this is much appreciated! As much as i love Lake Oswego, i don't want my poor husband to have to take a super long commute to work once COVID is over, so all these options are super helpful

Would you all say the housing prices at West Hills area is similar to LO?

[SlideRules99]

If you want to replicate the PA / MP type charm for eateries, shops and such...you need to have good access to Portland for that (NW and Pearl in particular). LO is nice, but the downtown feels a bit concocted to me. As do Tanasbourne and the other more “engineered” modern Main Street type scenes in the suburbs. You may or may not see it the same way.

SW Hills is your ticket. There are beautiful homes with nice lots, and forested settings, and charming 60+ year old homes, many of which have period-specific upgrades and interior remodeling. You want trees/nature? Walk out your door and you are on the Marquam Trail or similar, with direct link to miles and miles of gorgeous forested trails.

Commute to H’boro is 20-25 mins in the a.m. I did it for many years. It makes a Bay Area commute look like peanuts (I also did that for many years). You can also drop down the hill to NW PDX / Pearl in minutes, depending on your street location. So your city amenities are easily accessible.

Good luck!

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by fayewolf

Would you all say the housing prices at West Hills area is similar to LO?

Yes, if you are comparing apples to apples (similar homes on similar lots/neighborhoods with similar views etc)

Lake Oswego, especially the western edges away from the lake and closer to I-5 has a lot of more modest ordinary suburban housing with no special amenities like views, parks, trails, etc. You can't really compare a modest older ranch home in one of those Lake Oswego neighborhoods to some spectacular view lot in the West Hills.

Just my guess, but if you did an exact apples to apples comparison of homes in the West Hills and Lake Oswego, I doubt you would find more than about 5% price premium for Lake Oswego. You'll be able to find homes that you can afford in both areas, as well as PLENTY of homes that you can't afford.

[fayewolf]

Thank you !

I haven’t been looking for houses so it may be true for everywhere, I feel like most houses I look at (not the 1.3 or above ones) have super traditional or outdated interior. I don’t think the Bay Area is like that, but I could be wrong