living in condo on Railroad Avenue in Bellingham (Seattle: foreclosures, lease)

[Rob66]

Hi-
I'm a retiree (for 6 years now) and currently live in a nice house in a rural setting. It's been great, but I'd like to be in a setting that is very walkable and where I can get by without having to drive everywhere. I have had ample experience living in cities abroad where I had no car and felt liberated without needing one. I miss that. Naturally I'd still keep a car but not rely on it so much

I'm interested it in a condo on Railroad Avenue, Morse Square, in Bellingham. I'm wondering if anyone knows someone who lives there and what their experience has been. I don't mind noise, but when I am inside my home, I would hope it would be quiet.

I thought posting here might be worthwhile. Thank you very much.

[PartIrish]

I own one of the Morse Square condos on Railroad Ave, although we have always rented it out to tenants. Our tenants have typically loved the place. The current tenant is about to start his third year there, and prior to that we had a young couple who stayed for several years until we ended their lease. (We did a full remodel on the unit which took a couple of months, so they couldn't stay there. And, after the remodel we brought the rent up to market rates which was beyond their budget.)

Pros: Close to everything. The Farmer's Market, which will hopefully return post-COVID, is right across the street. There are easily a dozen places to eat/drink within a 5-10 minute walk. It's close to the water and the walking trails to Fairhaven. And it's close to the Co-op, so good food is close by. The building is well maintained and has a healthy reserves fund.

Cons: While the tenants tell us they never hear anyone in the unit below, one tenant did say that they could hear the older woman next door at night when she snored! Also, like any downtown area, there are homeless people and others struggling for one reason or another.

Are you considering a purchase or renting?

[Rob66]

I would buy a condo there. However, I prefer the 5th floor, and I really am in no hurry.

I just came back from Morse Square. I walked the whole area to get a feel for the neighborhood. I'll need to do that a few times until I am comfortable.

[kynight]

There's homeless on Cornwall St nearby but also a rejuvenating park. When the home prices quit rising foreclosures will begin and prices will finally begin to correct. Next year I think the condo prices there may be worth it but I would give a very low offer to test it, or negotiate the rent if possible.

[rkcarguy]

Homeless are all over in Bellingham, local gov't is really trying to be a "mini Seattle" to the disdain of many current residents. Property crime, hard drug use, and violence are on their way up as a result. The city has adequate shelter for the homeless, but they must not be under the influence or violent to be acceptable....so the ones that are out on the street are exactly that and are stealing to feed their habits. By no means is downtown a homeless zombie center, but you'll need some street smarts to avoid becoming a victim.
It's sad that we have to have a economic downturn for housing to dip down into the affordability range for the middle class, but kynight is right and it is what it is.
Also, I would give the condo's over by the Whatcom community college consideration. Cleaner area and much more food and shopping options within walking distance.

[Sockeye66]

I lived in B'ham '95-98. My one Railroad Ave story.

Maybe a month or two after moving in I was driving up to the corner of Holly and Railroad, this would have been in February, typical cool and wet. I saw a woman leaning against a lamp post and it caught me as odd.

When she noticed me looking she did a little "grind" dance confirming she was a prostitute. I was kinda shocked, it's a small downtown so wasn't expecting that. Later that year I found the downtown pawn and porn shops were on that block too.

[PartIrish]

Sockeye, Downtown Bellingham has changed a lot in 25 years. Our condo has doubled in value in the time we have owned it, and our tenants stay for multiple years because they seem to like the building and the area. Our current tenant is starting his third year. Rents have easily kept up with inflation, and the building has been well maintained. We are downtown pretty frequently and while there are some homeless people, it is nothing like Seattle. I have not once felt unsafe in downtown Bellingham and there are plenty of people out just enjoying all the restaurants, etc.

By contrast, we owned a condo for several years in the Ballard area and the homeless population there is really out of control; we were happy to sell that unit to our tenant at the time. People still want to live in both Seattle and downtown B'ham and rents and property values continue to rise.

[Sockeye66]

Originally Posted by PartIrish

Sockeye, Downtown Bellingham has changed a lot in 25 years. Our condo has doubled in value in the time we have owned it, and our tenants stay for multiple years because they seem to like the building and the area. Our current tenant is starting his third year. Rents have easily kept up with inflation, and the building has been well maintained. We are downtown pretty frequently and while there are some homeless people, it is nothing like Seattle. I have not once felt unsafe in downtown Bellingham and there are plenty of people out just enjoying all the restaurants, etc.

By contrast, we owned a condo for several years in the Ballard area and the homeless population there is really out of control; we were happy to sell that unit to our tenant at the time. People still want to live in both Seattle and downtown B'ham and rents and property values continue to rise.

My apologies, I didn't intend to besmirch Railroad Ave or B'ham and I should have clarified that in my earlier post. I just recall being surprised because it didn't look any more seedy than the rest of downtown, it never felt unsafe.



That is old history, now it's breweries and vegan dishes.

[PartIrish]

Sockeye, no worries and no offense taken. I will say that the people on Railroad have provided so eye-opening sites. There used to be a guy with a large "Repent!" sign who let everyone who passed by him that they were all sinners headed for damnation--haven't seen him lately. Others include folks in various shades of drag, general hippy types of all ages and the usual protesters and panhandlers. And yes, I would not be surprised to see woman still plying the oldest trade. It is a good place to people watch, if you find that interesting. Cheers!

[Baldy]

Originally Posted by Rob66

Hi-
I'm a retiree (for 6 years now) and currently live in a nice house in a rural setting. It's been great, but I'd like to be in a setting that is very walkable and where I can get by without having to drive everywhere. I have had ample experience living in cities abroad where I had no car and felt liberated without needing one. I miss that. Naturally I'd still keep a car but not rely on it so much

I'm interested it in a condo on Railroad Avenue, Morse Square, in Bellingham. I'm wondering if anyone knows someone who lives there and what their experience has been. I don't mind noise, but when I am inside my home, I would hope it would be quiet.

I thought posting here might be worthwhile. Thank you very much.

That part of town is the college's playground. If you're totally open-minded and extremely liberal, you'd be a good fit. Otherwise, I hear Florida is nice....

A side note: I was in Westwood, California in the early '80s and it resembled what downtown Bellingham looks like today. Today, not next week. Bellingham is finally tearing down (burning down, in some cases) the old buildings and puking up shiny new ones. It may look like the new Westwood in a few decades. The amoral liberalism will still be there, though.