Questions about commute and moving (Portland, Salem: 2015, apartment, renters)

[crystal.marie77]

Hello! I am preparing to move to Oregon from North Carolina in September. I already have a job lined up in Beaverton and looking to be close to the area. But I have a couple of problems and could use some guidance.

My biggest problem is my credit is not good. I have excellent work history, rental reference, and no criminal background. But my credit is in the ****ter. Neither my spouse nor i have good credit. His is in a little better shape, but both our scores are in the 500 range. No bankruptcy but several charge-offs that I am unable to pay/take care of right now (not medical related). Am I going to have a horrible time trying to find a place to rent anywhere? Being so far away trying to search online has truly proven to be a task. I can not afford to put in application after application and pay the $30-$60 fee per person and then be denied due to credit history. Are there any places in or near Salem that will work with bad credit if everything else checks out??

I lived in Portland last year on the SE side and the commute getting over the river to Beaverton was the pits. I thought I was lucky at the time, as I had found a private landlord to rent from, but he ended up being a horrible person and stiffed me on my $1500 security deposit. I do not want to go through that again. I am considering moving to Salem to avoid the hustle and bustle of Portland. How is the commute on I-5 from Salem? Should I try to look for something closer in the Aloha, Hillsboro area or will I have the same problem as commuting from Salem? What about renting with bad credit in these areas? They seem much more newer and more developed and I am thinking finding a place to rent who will work with our credit situation is going to be impossible in those areas. I do not mind a commute, but I don't want it to be over an hour one way (even with the traffic).

Any help you guys are able to provide is greatly appreciated. I am so anxious to get back out to the West coast.

[DKM]

Check Aloha. From Salem its smooth sailing until you get close to Wilsonville, then you have to line up to cross the bridge. If you are working at traditional hours its going to be very rough getting to beaverton even from Keizer. It would make an LA commute seem easy by comparison. I can tell you this first hand.

[Silverfall]

To commute from Salem to Beaverton during rush hour would likey be a 90-minute commute. You'd hit Wilsonville as stated by DKM and then it would be slow going from there.

There is a housing shortage in good chunks of Oregon and so I think your bad credit will cause you problems. I would ask (before you apply) if they accept low credit tenants with higher security deposits. Some places will just charge you an extra $1000 or so in your security deposit to make up for your low credit.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Two people, with scores in the 500 range are going to have a very difficult time finding a rental. Rentals are in very short supply and rents are high. If 50-60 people apply for an apartment, the landlord doesn't have to accept a couple with a history of not paying their bills.


For any vacancy in Bend, I would have about 150 families hoping to get that house. When I say the rental market is tight, I mean there are a lot of hopeful tenants trying to secure very very few available rentals. Landlords can be picky about who they let in.



Possibly, if you have excellent landlord references and really good solid high paying secure jobs, you might be able to find a landlord who will accept you with double or triple deposit.


Landlords in Oregon have rent control and relocation money hanging over their heads. All that does is to make them even pickier about who they let in, when they know that the law might possibly soon change so that they can't get a bad tenant out.

[leastprime]

Protect and improve your credit rating, Always. That is the 1st and nth rule of financials.

[leastprime]

Try to find a shared housing arrangement. Be upfront and ask upfront on credit criteria and avoid the fee.
Commute is miserable from Salem. It can be done depending on where your workplace, hours, and home are situated.
Do not own a pet or smoke. For us these are immediate disqualification and if we discover otherwise, that will get word around.

[leastprime]

Be nice to your landlord.
Take pictures of your new place with the landlord in the frame or a way to document the date of occupancy. Take pictures of the the condition of the place when you leave and a datestamp. We are very generous to good tenants but will try to get rid of bad tenants.

[FullArmor]

In 2015 I worked in Hillsboro and commuted from Salem. I had to be at work by 7:00 am so I left early and had no problems taking the I-5 to 217 to 26. Any later and it will be rough. When coming home I went the back way on 219 through Newberg all the way to Brooks. It adds about 15-20 minutes to a trip that generally takes about 50 minutes (on the highway) in good traffic. Taking 217 to I-5 home during rush hour can add an hour or more because of the heavy traffic.

Besides, who doesn't like a peaceful drive through the country?


Rent will be cheaper in Salem/Keizer, but it will still be difficult to find a place with poor credit. If you do find someone willing to rent to you the deposits will probably be hefty.

[lindseyoldani]

In my opinion that is too far to commute. That said, I know folks that do similar commutes. I however would not. We wanted to buy a house in Portland and struggled with finding something in our price range in a neighborhood that we would enjoy. We made the decision to commute from Rockaway Beach twice a week and then have a small studio in town for the work week. Hoping this works out. Good luck.

My suggestions are to think outside the box entirely, and to go rural. Try finding property to rent in Banks, North Plains, Timber, Elsie, Aloha, Helvetia, Mountaindale, etc... That would be a much better fit for commuting and likely fairly cheap, too. These are mostly closer to the coast range, but nearer to your work than Salem (which is completely opposite.)

While there is a housing shortage, don't let folks freak you out. People find rentals all the time. There are plenty of private landlords that will treat you right. Also, in Oregon, renters have rights. Take pictures, be kind for sure, but don't be too scared. Previous to improving my credit, which takes time, but could be done easily enough, I found plenty of places to live with or without housemates.

Go rural. Stay calm. Press on. There are lots of places to live here. Look at the map on google and get creative, we did and it's really working out.

Lindsey

[leastprime]

When I was commuting to Beaverton from WestSalem-1982-1999, I was always in the lookout for carpools. The state/city maintains a bulletin board. It's bare knuckle driving. It's a time killer. I missed a lot of my son's growing up years. Road noise takes 2 days to subside in your head. Not recommended for long term.