Relocating to Portland, OR (Beaverton, Hillsboro: real estate market, apartments, condos)

[Mother]

I am considering relocating to Portland when I retire in a few years to be near my daughter but I'm not sure what areas to look at. I would like to purchase a condo and there seem to be affordable ones in the Beaverton/Hillsboro areas. Child-friendly neighborhoods aren't important and I'm not an avid outdoor person. What does matter are the arts (theater, concerts, museums), convenient shopping areas and a more liberal-thinking community. Living near the MAX might be useful, I would think. Is the Perl District affordable for a retiree? If not, what other areas should I look at? Should I consider settling in Vancouver?

[John Shaft]

It sounds like from the standpoint of easy access to the "arts" you might look closer in to central Portland proper than Beaverton/Hillsboro. There are defintely condos near the Max line in Beaverton/Hillsboro but the ride in to Portland will likely be 30-40 minutes. Also from my experience, Beaverton/Hillsb. and Vancouver are among the least liberal-thinking parts of the metro area (although that's relative as they certainly lean more left than other parts of the country). On the other hand, Portland condos are more expensive, especially the newer ones near downtown...BUT prices are nearly in free fall in the high-end condo market, so you'd have some room to negotiate.

If your income is below a certain level, there's Pearl district housing available. If not, it's very spendy.

I'm not terribly familiar with the Portland neighborhoods to give you any specific areas to look at within Portland (hopefully others will chime in); just wanted to share my thoughts about Beaverton/Hillsboro in light of your desired qualities.

Edit: Oh, yeah, the light rail doesn't run from Vancouver yet (and maybe won't). And crossing the bridges at rush hour is a pretty horrible experience.

[checar]

Pearl District is pricey but I don't know your budget, you may find something. I agree with John Shaft re: Hillsboro, Beaverton, and Vancouver. If the Pearl is too expensive, or if you want to be less urban, you can try SE Portland. They have condos tucked in all over the place and there are some great walkable neighborhoods. Maybe NE, too, though I'm not as familiar. This site has great descriptions of the neighborhoods and you can search for condos there as well. (I have nothing to do with the site; I just found it very handy when I was learning about PDX neighborhoods.) Good luck!

[oldtintype]

There are also various units in NW, Goose Hollow, Kings Hill, and downtown as well that are less expensive than the Pearl but still walking distance to the Pearl, the museum, great restaurants, etc.

[Mother]

Thank you all for your comments. I will keep the areas you recommended in mind. I'm open to any further input.

[milancole]

Depending on your definition of affordable, downtown Portland/the Pearl district are going to be areas with the most immediate access to cultural outings. So if you want a more urban feeling, then the downtown area is where you should look, but if you want to live more in the suburbs then Beaverton is a nice area.

Commuting/visiting via the max line is a nice option, especially since parking availability is not great downtown, though parking isn't terrible either and it's better than many other urban metros.

For reference, the median condo price is around $275,000 in Portland. For the most part, the further you go from downtown, the cheaper real estate prices get with a few exceptions such as Lake Oswego.

[kander63]

Lots of condos in the newly developed South Waterfront area. They've overbuilt, if anything, and with the real estate market the way it is, there are bargains to be had.

NE Portland might also be an option - I live in the Hollywood/Grant Park area, and some new condos have gone up or are being built in the area - close to a max station and 10 minutes to downtown by car when traffic is light.

[suncat]

You might take a look at Lair Hill. It's a quiet little neighborhood just south of downtown. Lots of older homes that have been divided up into condos or apartments.

[Mubid]

I don't know how much a condo goes for but I live in the Hawthorne district, as long as you stay South of the 40th street it's pretty nice. Belmont I have been told is nice as well. Plus in Belmont new housing is going in as I am writing this. It's not super close to some of the places you were talking about, though the people are nice. Well as long as you claim to be at least left to far left. I also just wanted to say welcome to the neighbor hood.