Small house, West Hills, under $450k - possible? (Portland: for sale, condos)

[simplesample]

I was wondering what the plot was up against since it seemed to be on the corner of an intersect. That makes much more sense now. Great eye on the crack in the garage! I didn't notice that one.

Anyhow, as I said before, this was simply an example. I'm also more than happy to do work on a fixer so long as it's not a rip-down.

[SETabor]

It's not hilly, but Ladd's Addition is very leafy. There are other leafy areas but not so much hilly unless you're hard up against Mt. Tabor. It's an isolated extinct volcano so most of the area is on a slope but not hilly in the sense of the West Hills. Much of the topography of the east side is the same - Powell Butte, Kelly Butte, Mt. Scott, etc. I suppose if you found a house on the Alameda ridge, you might be able to get the hilly feel but it would be a pretty small area of hilliness. There's also some houses along some of the buttes east of the river where your house may be on a hilly portion but go a block or two and it's flat again.

What kind of amenities/city life are you looking for? Usually, when I think of city amenities that I need a bigger place for, I think of museums and theater. I was just in Estacada this weekend and they have a brew pub, a couple of restaurants and coffee houses and galleries downtown. It's not much of a downtown as there's <3,000 people there and I wouldn't call it city living but if all you're looking for is a coffee house and restaurant, there's many more options for 'city living'.

John Scott is a realtor so I don't know why there website would be the best of the best. You can go to rmls.com which lists the mls for the area.

[simplesample]

Thank you kindly SETabor. Very detailed description on pockets on the east that I'll be sure to check out while there. I'm not sure about John Scott - the site was just recommended by a previous poster on here.

City amenities can be anything that offer up a variety and diversity of cultural experiences. Of course theater, arts, galleries, museums, libraries, education centers etc all qualify. We do love coffee but we mostly prepare good meals at home and aren't big drinkers so while a lot of smaller towns will have a handful of good restaurants and pubs, it's not quite for what we are looking. In my experience, Portland offered the right amount of cultural amenities without feeling too large and overwhelming. This is, of course, only judging by my visits though as I have no first-hand experience with living there. But, that's the best one can do - visit often and continue to build a sense of place.

[skiffrace]

Originally Posted by SETabor

..Usually, when I think of city amenities that I need a bigger place for, I think of museums and theater. I was just in Estacada this weekend and they have a brew pub, a couple of restaurants and coffee houses and galleries downtown. It's not much of a downtown as there's <3,000 people there and I wouldn't call it city living but if all you're looking for is a coffee house and restaurant, there's many more options for 'city living'.

This is a good point. Almost any locality (urban or suburban) in PDX metro area has a good concentration of all the necessities of life.
The alleged advantage of Portland in this respect is more of an NYT-induced delusion than reality.
Museums? Theater? In Portland? Sure. Of similar quality as "fresh seafood" in Saskatchewan.
I lived in true cities (ex. Rome, Berlin), and know what a city looks like and has to offer.
Portland is a small 2-bit, 1.7-horse town, barely registering on the map of anything.
However, the hipsters don't know that and venture on the wild-goose chase looking for "culture this" or "walkable that" here (and paying through the nose for the 'privilege')

John Scott is a realtor so I don't know why there website would be the best of the best. You can go to rmls.com which lists the mls for the area.

They have the same listings, but more convenient user interface compared with Zillow or Redfin.
As far as rmls.com, they are pathetic. That website is in a 10+ years time capsule.

[simplesample]

Hi skiffrace,

I'm not quite sure what the takeaway is here. I too have lived "real" cities like Berlin, NYC, and Paris. While there were many things to love about those places I'm not sure why this has to be an all or nothing situation. I've lived in Reykjavík for a long while. Most could also call it a 2-bit, 1.7 horse town and there are many people also pay for the privilege to live closer to downtown. Reykjavík also has hipsters that want to walk to things as well as families and people that general don't want to live in the suburbs. I'm still not quite sure what the point is. Just because it's not a world class city doesn't make it any less desirable. In fact, due to it's size and quality of life, I'd place it much higher on the desirability list than Paris or NYC That is, however, personal preference and completely subjective. While their city amenities may be no where near that of NYC or Paris that doesn't mean that Icelanders should have none or that people shouldn't want to live in the metro area.

Also, in regards to Berlin, as that's where my previous residence has been for over three years - since you have lived there you know as well as I do that their economy is in the toilet, there are no jobs, and so forth (Berlin, not Germany as a whole). Apparently the same things being said about Portland. With all of the negativity around Berlin, people are still flocking there. I had an amazing job offer before I even hand my visa in hand, lived in the center of the city and had a great life. This was apparently impossible according to everyone on another forum before moving there.

I also do not put any stock in the articles you mention as I don't read them. I'm going by my experience of having family in the area (WA near Seattle) and my numerous trips and times spent in and around the Portland area. I am under no impression that Portland is NYC or even wanting to be NYC. Why should it? It has plenty to offer without the title. I still see nothing wrong with wanting to live closer to those Saskatchewan-seafood-quality amenities, as lacking as they may be.

I'd like to attempt to not derail the original topic at hand which was - can I find a house in the West Hills for under 450? If it's completely impossible, I'd like to stick near to the city with similar topography as the West Hills. House desire is small. I don't want to live far out in the suburbs and I'm currently not considering smaller towns as beautiful as they may be.

[bler144]

I think it can be done, though I'm not sure I fully understand your parameters. 'Close' to downtown is somewhat in the eye of the beholder, and there are pockets of services all around the metro. Do you want to be close to the MAX, or somewhere that's easily bikeable/walkable? etc. Even some of the properties closer in on the west side aren't going to be bikeable to the average bear because of the topography.

I share the concerns with that first property, and actually had a few others I'd at least want to check out in person before committing to 420k despite the location.

Personally in your case I'd recommend getting an actual realtor and talking through it with them. You seem to have very specific ideas that you probably need to talk through with someone. My suggestion would be that 'close' in Portland is very much a function of when you're traveling and by what mode.

Somewhere like https://www.redfin.com/OR/Portland/6.../home/26628855 isn't as close as the other property, and farther off the MAX line, but by car it's only 15 minutes to downtown off-peak.

[skiffrace]

Originally Posted by bler144

Somewhere like https://www.redfin.com/OR/Portland/6.../home/26628855 isn't as close as the other property, and farther off the MAX line, but by car it's only 15 minutes to downtown off-peak.

Actually, make it '10 to 12 minutes by car off-peak', and perhaps 15 or 18 during rush hour.
I live about 1 mile SW of this location, and those numbers are based on actual observations.

[simplesample]

Thank you both for the responses. Those drive numbers are pretty reasonable. I guess when the itch comes to jump out of the house, it'd be nice to hop on a bike and go. Many years ago I would commute 24 miles round trip by bike and it wasn't too bad. The closer and easier that is, the better however being able to access downtown that quickly by car is pretty reasonable and quick.

And yes, we certainly do need to sit down with an agent at some point. I just wanted to start the process and get opinions from those who live here awhile. Our next step is an entire week booked out of driving, biking and walking around areas in order to get a better sense of distance. During that time it's probably wise to speak with a few realtors.

Thank you for the help thus far. I'll continue looking outward a bit as to not limit my query strictly to west hills.

[simplesample]

This one is perhaps of interest. Close to bus transit. Says the street noise isn't apparent within in the house or backyard though I guess I'd have to see for myself in person. Are there restrictions to interior house work with HOA homes in Oregon?

https://www.redfin.com/OR/Portland/2.../home/26531078

Edit* After reading the history of the house (to my untrained eye) it seems that offers came in, went pending, and then my guess would be home inspection came back with some not so nice results so it went back to market.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by skiffrace

Actually, make it '10 to 12 minutes by car off-peak', and perhaps 15 or 18 during rush hour.
I live about 1 mile SW of this location, and those numbers are based on actual observations.

I was being general and adding a few min for parking But yeah, 10-12 to get to PSU/Schnitz seems about right.

"I just wanted to start the process and get opinions from those who live here awhile. Our next step is an entire week booked out of driving, biking and walking around areas in order to get a better sense of distance."

You'll want to do that for certain - like I said the issue on the west side isn't distance so much as climb. That first address you listed is about a 9-10% grade on average (some stretches will be steeper) on a road with shared auto traffic. If you're in great shape, or want to get in great shape, that could be swell. Make sure you have good breaks and high visibility for heading down the hill!

Fat Cyclist » Blog Archive » A Handy Guide to Climbing Grades

That last place is probably worth a look - particularly if the deck faces north (away from 10). IIRC the ride in/out of town on Barbour is relatively flatter, though the trade-off is the denser vehicle traffic. But in terms of physical fitness it's likely an easier ride than properties that are due west of downtown but shorter miles.