Relocating in 9 months (Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro: sales, 2014, apartments)

[pierced]

I figure now is the time to prepare.

My husband is transferring to Vancouver, WA for a job in June 2014.

I am a hi-tech person (Database Administrator). I put my resume out on Monday on Dice to do a keyword search and had a call the next day and an offer to fly out for an interview, so it seems I will be able to find a job.

So, how hard will it be to rent for a couple, both professionals, both employed, good credit, who have owned their home for decades. (so no rental history). We have a 25lb and 50lb dog and a small cat and 4 caged parrots. We are looking for a home rental, not an apartment as parrots do not mix with apartments. (noise).

I know the easier thing would be to buy, but I want to learn the lay of the land until I buy something.

Any thoughts or advice?

[Steve Pickering]

Shouldn't be a problem unless one of the dogs is a pit-bull or bull bred.

[pierced]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

Shouldn't be a problem unless one of the dogs is a pit-bull or bull bred.

He is a black mutt. Looks like a lab/beagle mix. Though I worry people will assume he is a mix of pitt.

I honestly have worried more about what people might think about the parrots because people seems to be freaked out about exotic pets. 2 are macaws.

[Steve Pickering]

They are messy, and we had to evict a bird owner once. My mother had one also, and my brother said she could not stay in his place at Sun River with it anymore.

But.... I noticed he kept the bird for her when her reduced income senior place said no way with the bird.

Originally Posted by pierced

He is a black mutt. Looks like a lab/beagle mix. Though I worry people will assume he is a mix of pitt.

I honestly have worried more about what people might think about the parrots because people seems to be freaked out about exotic pets. 2 are macaws.

FWIW, my apartment building (managed by one of the larger companies) explicitly bans pet birds. Constant squawking is not very nice for neighbors.

There's also the quantity issue. A lot of places have a 2 pet limit.

[pierced]

Originally Posted by JasonF

FWIW, my apartment building (managed by one of the larger companies) explicitly bans pet birds. Constant squawking is not very nice for neighbors.

There's also the quantity issue. A lot of places have a 2 pet limit.

That is why I am not looking at apartments or condos.

I would never imagine trying to have birds in close quarters. My birds are well cared for, but they are birds and they do squawk at times. It would not be fair to the people nearby.

[urbanlife78]

I would aim for a place in Vancouver. It should be a bit easier to find a house for rent there. As for the pets, you have a lot of pets and it might cause some headaches trying to find a landlord that is fine with that.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by pierced

I figure now is the time to prepare.

My husband is transferring to Vancouver, WA for a job in June 2014.

You are aware of the tax issues between Oregon and Washington, right? If your salaries are disparate (ie: he, working in Vancouver, makes much more than you do) then you might want to live in Vancouver and likely commute to Portland for your job. If you, working in Portland, make much more, then you might as well live in Portland, where he will have the (opposite of traffic) commute.

If you live in Washington, Washington has no income tax (just a hefty sales tax). However, even if you live in Washington, if you work in Oregon you will likely have to pay Oregon income tax on YOUR income only.

The other thing to think about is commute - if your job ends up in Beaverton or Hillsborough or Tigard, you really DO NOT want to try to commute there from Vancouver and likely will need to split the distance so that both of you have somewhat of a commute. In his case, driving from Portland to Vancouver in the morning is going opposite the direction of traffic and shouldn't be too bad.

If you'd prefer mass transit, there are some express buses between parts of Vancouver and parts of Portland - check the TriMet and CTran sites for routes.

[pierced]

My husband is a mailman. So, his job will always be in Vancouver in one place.

I am hi-tech. So most of my job prospects are in Oregon.

My salary is higher than his.

All good points and things we need to consider.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I don't know how much trouble the parrots will cause you.

I wouldn't accept them. Noise, damage, and attracting rodents are the reasons. My rentals are on an acre or more and I still won't take parrots. I like the neighbors and don't want to make them mad at me. But I am one landlord; I don't speak for every landlord.

If the dog visibly looks like a pit mix, it might cause you problems. It's an insurance issue and has nothing to do with the dog being dangerous (except in the eyes of the insurance company).

I think you are just going to have to plan on spending more time finding a rental. Something out in the country a bit might be more receptive to the parrots. Maybe.