Real Estate Sleuths & Mossy Backed Locals: I need help finding slums downtown. (Portland: real estate market)

[brubaker]

You guys (and girls) seem knowledgable about the area...care to help a kid putting himself through college?





Okay for those of you still reading...

SHORT VER.
I'm looking for a small, cheap, "slummy" type house (not apartment) to rent....but am having trouble narrowing my search to any specific neighborhood.

I lived up there about 5 years ago but didn't ever leave my small little area (basically all of Burnside and Sandy)because I was working my booty off.

IS there an area (that has tons of these run down houses) that is close to Downtown?

Isn't there a warehouse district that rents cheap spaces?
I hear the 'SE' is like that but 'SE' is pretty vague, right?

Anyone got something more specific for ol' brubaker?

I promise to improve the place when I move in!!
I'm harmless, trust me.

Thanks for any light you can shed on my humble search.

I'm just looking for a cheap place to keep my head out of the rain and work while going to college.
Running water would be nice too. Any names of neighborhoods greatly appreciated. THANKS!

[HiggsBoson]

How close is close to downtown? The area in the SE that is pretty run down is called "fellony flats", not really that close to downtown at all.

I'm almost afraid to ask, why do you want to live in a "slummy" place? Lower rent, like high crime, want to fix a place up?

Probably you could find some "fixer uper" type house for cheap in North/NE Portland that is still somewhat close to downtown, maybe try looking for these neighborhoods: King, Piedmont, Kenton, Sabin, Humboldt, Concordia, maybe even in the Alberta Arts or Mississippi area.

[brubaker]

Originally Posted by HiggsBoson

How close is close to downtown? The area in the SE that is pretty run down is called "fellony flats", not really that close to downtown at all.

As close as possible.

I'm almost afraid to ask, why do you want to live in a "slummy" place? Lower rent, like high crime, want to fix a place up?

Price...and convenience.

I live in North Austin and it's exhausting dealing with 'pretentious' people.
(Calling out to rallying mob of Austinites ready to tell me to move: Don't get offended North Austin people, unless you consider yourselves pretentious. Also, I'm already moving, so please....don't waste your Carpal Tunnel on me.)


EXAMPLE: If I walk around my front yard with bare feet I freak the neighbors out. Seriously.
And everyone hides behind their well watered and weekly cut lawns or walks on these
little loopy streets that take you nowhere but around the ant maze subdivision.

Not waving or even looking at each other. Definitely not smiling at each other.

And yet they pay so much attention to their *front* yards you know they're 'keeping up appearances' for these people they won't ever even get to know. It's beyond me why anyone would live their life like this. The whole fishbowl syndrome. Curb appeal. Etc.

Yuck.

(Aren't you glad you asked?)

I had no idea how crappy owning a house in a 'nice' neighborhood was.

(It gets better doesn't it?)

And it's sad how repressed (and repressive) middle class people can be when they're putting on airs and acting upper class.

Or something, I dunno, anyways I'd rather just deal with the familiar, hard working criminal.
At least I know what game he or she is playing and what to look out for.

But as I said, I'm harmless, I would never hurt someone else if I could possibly avoid it. Honest.


Edit: Thanks for the pointers.

[HiggsBoson]

I would take a look at the interactive neighborhood map here: Portland Neighborhood Map
gives you a great info on the location of different neighborhoods and a basic description. Cross reference with Craigslist rental listings and I'm sure you can find a place pretty easy, depending on what you consider close and cheap.

FYI, just cause your harmless doesn't mean criminals will leave you alone

[brubaker]

Awesome, thanks!

FYI...you'd be amazed the places you can go when you don't look like you're worth messing with.

[Steve97415]

You have to remember that in a desirable real estate market like Portland, house flipping is a profession for many people during boom years. So most of the fixer-uppers have long since been up-scaled out of the market. That isn't to say that you won't be able to find anything, but it isn't like areas of the Midwest and southeastern U.S. where there are a lot of fixer-uppers because those markets aren't active enough to make house flipping pay. Most Oregon communities also have blight control ordinances that limit how run-down a property is allowed to become...makes for slim pickings.

[brubaker]

Hmmm....I hadn't considered that.