Does Vancouver seem like a transient culture to you?

[Farmer15]

Good luck with the move, Derek. Always exhausting, but exciting at the same time! Congrats!

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by elkotronics

Mtn Surfer - I'm sure you will add to the community you're moving in to. You're smart and experienced enough to add to the community in southwest Washington you're moving in to. Welcome to Washington state!

I appreciate the welcome, elkotronics!

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by silibran

My sense is that more people come here than leave. Of course there are some who live here because of a job transfer, then move on for another job. In my neighborhood, there is a steady trickle of move outs and move ins from spring through summer. Several neighbors have left, to be replaced. But the biggest change I sense is how the Great Recession caused homes to become rental properties. Some of the instability here is caused by that.

I do know that our traffic is different than it was when we moved here in 2012. And it continues to grow in volume.

I get that same sense. It just makes me wonder when I see so many homes for sale. Maybe some are simply moving to a different neighborhood vs. another area entirely.

Derek

[notnamed]

I imagine part of it is that the older housing stock here isn’t that great. Lots of 3bed/1 bath bungalows in need of major rehabs. 1 bath houses aren’t something most families want anymore. So they’re cashing out equity due to all this growth and rolling it into a nicer place.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by notnamed

I imagine part of it is that the older housing stock here isn’t that great. Lots of 3bed/1 bath bungalows in need of major rehabs. 1 bath houses aren’t something most families want anymore. So they’re cashing out equity due to all this growth and rolling it into a nicer place.

Yeah, that's the kind of post WW-II house I grew up in down in Eugene.

I'm kind of curious to see what happens here in Clark County with all the older suburban sprawl that is closer in to the bridges and downtown area. Whether younger Portlanders start buying up those dated mid-century ranch places and renovating them as has happened in many closer-in suburbs in California. Or if it just tails off into decline.

If light rail ever gets pushed across the I-5 bridge and C-Tran develops a good BRT feeder system it would open up a lot of the older parts of Vancouver to reliable transit commutes to downtown Portland which would make those properties more attractive.

[PNW-type-gal]

Well, the current population of Clark County is about 474,000 (easier to use the county than the city because of a bunch of annexations). But in 1990 it was less than half that, so a lot of the population is "recent" - that can give an area the feel of being somewhat transient, especially if people still identify with wherever they came from: be it Portland, Seattle or wherever.

Plus most of the news sources are based in Oregon and hit the Oregon-based stories a lot harder than Washington-related news, particularly politics.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

I get that same sense. It just makes me wonder when I see so many homes for sale. Maybe some are simply moving to a different neighborhood vs. another area entirely.

Derek

or... as often the case.
1) Displaced property owners due to high property taxes, due to unreasonable property valuations (i.e. Californication / and continued 'promotion' that high RE valuations are in some way important or valuable )
2) Reap and escape (take the money and run)
3) Upward (?) mobility, again the concept that a more expensive property is 'better'
4) Cashing in on what is likely a high priced time to sell. (10 yrs into a RE cycle that is usually 7-8 yrs in duration)
5) Job / location changes (I have had friends who have moved AWAY from Vancouver / Camas (to other WA locations) for better schools for their kids, then returned when kids are out of school.)

Vancouver, WA has emerged as somewhat desirable housing location and a likely a continual monthly inflow of imports from OR and CA (Meaning... if a RE recession occurs / correction hits... Vancouver, WA should be short and less duration than other overpriced markets)

[notnamed]

Increasing property values are a good thing, right up until retirement. Then you want to ‘reap and escape’ to somewhere more retirement friendly than WA.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

I get that same sense. It just makes me wonder when I see so many homes for sale. Maybe some are simply moving to a different neighborhood vs. another area entirely.

Derek

I honestly don't think there are that many houses for sale. At least not more than would be normal for a market this size. I'm too lazy to look up the actual statistics which are out there. But I don't see a sea of for sale signs around Vancouver and I don't think it's currently any sort of buyers market with an over supply of inventory.

[TheOrca]

I've been here almost my whole life