New job in downtown Portland looking to relocate to nice family area. (Beaverton: apartments, rentals)

[casteel]

Like the title states...I recently got a good job offer for a company in Portland. My wife and I have been looking online for houses to rent (we plan on renting for the 1st year) in a nice area that is somewhat of an easy commute to downtown, but we are becoming overwhelmed with our searches so I figured I would ask the pro's on here. We're not too picky, just would like an area that is: nice, low crime, good schools, close to parks, and not too far from shopping, dining, etc.

We've seen a few places in Portland, but most of the houses we've found are in Hillsboro and Beaverton areas. We'd like to stay under $2000/mth for rent and prefer closer to the $1500/mth number if we can. If you all could suggest some areas we could check out, and/or some sites to search locally that would be awesome. We've basically been finding what we can on zillow.

Any other info/advice would be helpful as well.

Thanks,

casteel

[casteel]

Forgot to mention that my shift will be 5:30 to 5:30 both am to pm and pm to am. So I would imagine half of my commute should never suck. Also, I think we decided on being in Oregon and not Vancouver, WA.

Thanks

[Nell Plotts]

I think you should start your search based on schools (assuming you have children of school age). Crime is not a major issue, you can find links to crime stats in other threads.

Assuming your downtown employment opportunity is on the west side look to the west of the Willamette River and plan on taking the MAX.

Distance to shopping, restaurants should be lower on your priority list as few neighborhoods are far from those resources.

As you doubtless have read, rental housing availability is tight. You may want to broaden your search from single family dwelling to townhouse.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

As you doubtless have read, rental housing availability is tight. You may want to broaden your search from single family dwelling to townhouse.

Agree, though it somewhat depends on the area. You can find a SFH for $2k in a lot of areas. They didn't mention a BA/BR preference, however.

The market is a bit looser north of $1800 just b/c so few people can swing it. It's true there aren't a ton of posts, but my perception is they aren't moving as quickly as properties in the $1000-1500 range.

A 5:30 am commute will be fine, other than potential weather issues if coming down the 26 hill. Curious what the OP thinks a desirable commuting range is.

I've used zillow, but I tend to look at Padmapper.com more.

[turquoise1]

John's Landing... Lots of town houses and close to downtown.

[SETabor]

Where is the job? You mention Portland but don't clarify if it's downtown or by the airport. Neighborhood recommendations will vary based on that. Based solely on the hours, my guess is a medical facility which will likely be on the west side or a manufacturing facility which will either be in Hillsboro or the east side. I would give different recommendations for those three locations.

[casteel]

Thanks for the replies...

I'll answer a few of the questions:

We prefer a single family home, but not against a townhouse. (3br/2ba if possible)
I'll work right in downtown just on the west side of the river.
I'm fine with any commute really, but obviously I'd like to try to make it as easy as possible.

We'd like to rent for a year and use that time to get a feel for the area, as a whole, and then decide on a place to buy.

Thanks again,

John

[Nell Plotts]

You could look in close in East side or west of the Willamette River. If you go over the hill (the Tualatin Hills, technically) I strongly recommend using the MAX vs commuting by car. Keep in mind the fact that you are competing with INTEL engineers.

[SETabor]

A few areas to consider:

John's Landing - generally newer construction of townhomes, condos and apartments. South of downtown along the waterfront. Construction in the area is still going on so more and more amenities including restaurants, cafes, etc. keep being added. This area is more for people without kids or small children. See also Pearl District.

Hillsdale/ Multnomah Village - southwest of downtown. Nice family area with lots of single family homes although ones in your price range may be harder to find. Commuting to downtown shouldn't be too bad although the bus routes can be hit or miss.

Goose Hollow and neighboring areas - in the city with easiest commute options (walk, tram, etc.). Urban area with lots of amenities including shops, bars, etc. Tends to skew younger but there are plenty of families in the houses around Chapman School.

West Hills and Council Crest - higher end homes. Not many rentals. They're up in the hills. I tend to consider Council Crest south of 26 and the West Hills neighborhood north of it.

Since you're planning on renting for a year and haven't mentioned wanting continuity of schools, I would stick with the west side. There are lots of great neighborhoods on the east side as well as suburbs depending on your price range but you can explore them at your leisure during your rental year. You'll also get a better feel for commutes and what works/doesn't work.

[casteel]

Thanks for the awesome info...

I'm curious about who the main cable/Internet providers in the area are.

Thanks