Affordable area for my semi-retired parents near Canadian border? (Vancouver: real estate, to rent)

[jazzglow]

Any advice would be hugely appreciated...

My husband and I live/work in Vancouver BC, and because we are starting a family, my parents (US citizens, age 62) just took a huge leap & sold their house in Pennsylvania to move to WA. They are currently staying with us while they look for a place (under $250,000) to live relatively close to the Canadian border. So far we've looked in Point Roberts, Blaine/Birch Bay, Sudden Vally, Ferndale, and tomorrow they are going to Lynden.

They are getting overwhelmed - they have fears about tsunamis along the coast, flooding in Lyndon/Ferndale, plus housing is a lot less affordable here compared to where they were in Pennsylvania. The only thing I can find about Lyndon on this forum is bad smells and Trump rallies! - and they'd love Bellingham but it seems out of their price range. They will be looking for part time jobs (e.g. at a supermarket or something) so they don't want to be too rural.

They don't care about golfing, beaches, etc. - just want somewhere safe, affordable, clean, not too long of a drive from Canada.

Where would you recommend?

thank you in advance!!!!

[StealthRabbit]

I have retired friends very happily in Ferndale and Lynden.

Great communities, Lyden suffers a bad rap due to Dutch Reformed culture and strength in community leadership (not too 'popular' in NW usa to have any religious affiliation). My friends have had no problem, but horrors.... They regularly attend church

The potlucks are nice! I make it a point to visit then.

Tsunami is not gonna be too severe in the Sound, anywhere slightly inland on higher ground is pretty safe.

Be sure they shop for buying a home during winter to avoid getting a home in winter 'wetlands', especially if rural / well / septic. High is better in swampy areas. Very soggy during winter is bad, also Best advice I got when moving from Colorado... Do NOT buy a home nestled in a forest. Clear view to south and lots of south facing windows. I have found a view home is essential in retirement. You finally have the time to sit at home and enjoy your view.

I also like to be near a college (<20 min) and an international airport.(<1 hr)
Your chosen spots should be ideal. They may need to plan frequent trips to sun. I fly at least once per winter month to cheap sunny location.

$19 to San Diego
$25 to Denver or Salt Lake.
$80 to my San Antonio rural home.

I keep cheap homes in sunny climates. Homes are rented, and I have a seperate guest house. I keep a $100 car at each location.

[perigee]

I will second Stealth on a lot of points, especially holding off on buying, with an expected La Nina that should bring extra rain this fall/winter, it will provide a good test for roofs, basements and backyards. The price range is doable, especially if retirement means downsizing. As for county living, just explore the area and make sure you are not downwind (remember in the winter, the winds shift from coming from the SW to the NE) of any dairy farms or garbage transfer stations.

Point Roberts would only make sense if they can get health care coverage in Canada, I couldn't imagine having to cross the border four times just to see a doctor.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions and congrats on everything, your parents will probably love the mostly (this year excluded) snow free winters!

[jazzglow]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful responses - both make very useful points and I really appreciate the tips.

About waiting until the winter to buy - that's a great suggestion, but my parents have only owned one house their entire life and they are really itching to get established ASAP. I did see this Flood Hazard Area map which is useful - https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/coastala.../FloodMap.aspx. If you have any specific tips in particular about areas/neighborhoods in Ferndale or Lyndon to avoid that would be helpful. From this map it looks like significant sections of Ferndale and Lyndon are in the floodplain so I can only assume it gets quite soggy.

I personally love Point Roberts to visit - I can definitely see why so many Canadians see it as an affordable (& for most people maybe the ONLY) way to have a vacation home in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia - kind of feels like a southern gulf island but for 1/2 the price. I agree, however, that it could be challenging for an aging couple to live there year-round. However when we went to look the main issue was there really weren't that many decent houses to choose from - apparently there are serious issues with the septic in parts of Point Roberts so we were told "don't go anywhere NEAR that property" a few times.

[StealthRabbit]

Summer is a tough time of year to get a bargain / choice property. They would be best to rent / house (pet. / plant) sit for a season to determine where their interests / hobbies / drs, / shopping are most accessible, as well as most desireable area for them.

Are parents members of a hospitality guest home network? If they stay with local people of their age and interest, they can get a head start on finding the best spot for themselves. I have used guesthomes in the region with all three of my networks, and they were fantastic and very helpful. One elderly host had just lost a spouse to cancer, and needed to sell in Ferndale and move to Lynden. We stayed an extra week helping to pack, move, and paint. A precious and lasting friendship resulted.

I go not live in or near Whatcom, and am currently 8,000 miles away, so I cannot be of much help on the ground.

1) always get a septic inspection report, including drainfield.
2) have water tested for presence of bacteria
3) talk to septic and well persons who have serviced that property
4) spend an hour with county planning dept ( and of course the assessor...)
5) talk with neighbors about your subject property
6) look diligently for plants that indicate wetlands (they are obvious... Talk to environmental planning and county extension agent)
7) visit properties at all times of the day and night and on weekends. Barking dogs, gunfire, motorcycle offroad tracks, livestock (burros and peacocks), blasting boom boxes, all make disruptive neighbors.

Be wise, don't get stuck with a lemon of a home.
Do advise them to consider WA temperate weather and their age and interest in gardening / maintenance.

@ age 78 my FIL sold his burdensome 7 acres in Colorado, and bought 16 acre place on Oregon. (flowers, fruit trees, grapes, berries, mossy roof, mowing, mowing, mowing...) It liked to kill him before we finally got it sold when he was 93. He lost his sight and driving curvy and cliff roads daily to the Dr was pretty dangerous for him.

Another couple @ age 73 cleared 20 acres and built an airstrip, hangar, and house. That did kill them (then I had to sell it for them, cuz their son died too). Lots of (dangerous) work to live rural in PNW.

But... Can be very nice in the right spot. (Lease the land to a nearby farmer!, or share farm it with immigrants to USA who are hard workers and trying to learn language / attending classes to get their degrees certified in USA). I have some connections in Whatcom for this type of arrangement.

[bartonizer]

I would agree that it's generally a good idea to rent for at least a year before buying, but I understand they're itching to settle down. Since they're open to Bellingham, why not Sudden Valley? It doesn't work for everyone and there's a $80 HOA, but $200-250k can go a long way and get you a recently built or even new house in a pretty area. People complain about the lack of sunshine because it's in a forest on the east slope of a mountain, but there are some relatively sunny lots and water views, and IMHO people from any other parts of the country would consider it to be pretty vacation property. It's only five or six miles from town and there's even bus service to the subdivision. Oh, and did I mention that the prices are ridiculously low compared to town? My wife and I bought in the middle of Bellingham and love it, but if I was retired or semi-retired, it would be very difficult to pass up the deals on houses over there....

[sll3454]

Originally Posted by bartonizer

Since they're open to Bellingham, why not Sudden Valley?

I don't live there, but I don't think it would be convenient if they hope to find part-time jobs in town.

[PS90]

Originally Posted by jazzglow

Any advice would be hugely appreciated...

My husband and I live/work in Vancouver BC, and because we are starting a family, my parents (US citizens, age 62) just took a huge leap & sold their house in Pennsylvania to move to WA. They are currently staying with us while they look for a place (under $250,000) to live relatively close to the Canadian border. So far we've looked in Point Roberts, Blaine/Birch Bay, Sudden Vally, Ferndale, and tomorrow they are going to Lynden.

They are getting overwhelmed - they have fears about tsunamis along the coast, flooding in Lyndon/Ferndale, plus housing is a lot less affordable here compared to where they were in Pennsylvania. The only thing I can find about Lyndon on this forum is bad smells and Trump rallies! - and they'd love Bellingham but it seems out of their price range. They will be looking for part time jobs (e.g. at a supermarket or something) so they don't want to be too rural.

They don't care about golfing, beaches, etc. - just want somewhere safe, affordable, clean, not too long of a drive from Canada.

Where would you recommend?

thank you in advance!!!!

Do you mean "not too long of a drive from Canada?" or "not too long of a drive from Vancouver?"

If they want affordable, right on the border, no tsunami warnings, much cheaper real estate, and just need a non-skilled job (but is much further from Vancouver), then you could look at Oroville or Northport or Metaline.

They are all pretty rural (Oroville being the largest at about 2000 people), but there are still a few menial jobs around there, and the weather will be MUCH better than any of those places mentioned in Western Washington.

Oroville has a nice, 24-hour border crossing, but it does take about 4-5 hours to drive to Vancouver from there.

[Rob66]

I am a 70 year old retiree and live in Blaine, right on the water. I guess it is a risk with tsunamis, but no more than east coast hurricanes and Texas tornadoes. I have earthquake and flood insurance.

I have close lifelong friends in Vancouver, and being right at the border, it takes me 30 minutes to get to Granville St in downtown Vancouver. I realize Blaine is small, but Vancouver Airport is near, and I-5 between Blaine and Bellingham is stress free driving.

Just my 2 cents.

[StealthRabbit]

retiree would be very remote in Metaline, or Oroville, keep your sights on NW / Blaine.

You are only gonna get older, so make it ez on yourself and your family.

I have a retiree friend in Metaline. He fights 4 ft of snow for 4 months each winter, then 2 months of mud. But... It is pretty there.