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Yep. the Lewis River is the boundary between Clark and Cowlitz Counties.
Fun Fact: in SW Washington, the Lewis River runs through Cowlitz County. And the Cowlitz River runs through Lewis County.
No idea how that happened. Well, the bottom end of the Cowlitz River enters Cowlitz county but most of it's length it is in Lewis County.
Hmm, it is indeed a fun fact!
Wonder if there is a connection but Microsoft which has its HQ in WA has a similar conversed fact about their Windows operating system:
Windows boot files are located in the system partition and the system files are located in the boot partition.
With 250k cash in hand I would invest in stock market and ride on the bull trend now but pull out before the dip. In that way you will have more cash to buy a house later. Basically any single family house under 350k in Vancouver is a fixer upper.
Portland/Vancouver is not that great for singles. The dating culture here is somewhat passive. Try FB NW single hiking group or the MeetUp 40+ single group.
If you are considering the 'silicon valley' I would suggest that you search the area in between Tanasbourne and Orenco Station. I think the City of Hillsboro has done a great job planning and developing the 'new Hillsboro area'. I live here and I like it a lot. I am trying to leave OR and I wish I could move this area with me to WA. I also suggest against living in City of Portland or Multnomah County unless you enjoy paying more taxes for parents to send their small kids to free preschool.
I think someone mentioned the neighbors in Portland area are very nosy. He is right. I was shoveling snow a couple days ago and a neighbor came right out to teach me how to 'do it right.' I was just trying to exercise to get my heart rate going and I didn't care about shoveling in the most efficient way at all. Neighbors are annoying. I am not sure about Vancouver but it is true for the greater Portland area.
Currently the rental price is high in Portland metro. You will need to do your calculation to compare mortgage vs rent. I think mortgage is still cheaper than rent. I have a friend who just bought a fixer upper for 645k in Lake Oswego (a very nice area). She and her husband have been paying $2,900ish/mo for a 2br apartment in the last 3-4 years and they just couldn't take it anymore. If they bought earlier they would have enjoyed the appreciation already and the rent money would have turned into their equity.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by formosa
With 250k cash in hand I would invest in stock market and ride on the bull trend now but pull out before the dip. ...
I think someone mentioned the neighbors in Portland area are very nosy. He is right. I was shoveling snow a couple days ago and a neighbor came right out to teach me how to 'do it right.' ...
1) investing a down payment in the market means you are willing to take a loss, or wait 5-7 yrs to recover gains. (Which is fine, if you have the time). No one can predict the housing or the stock market swings. Just position yourself with available cash to exercise your primary goals at opportune (tho not perfect) timing.
2) Nosy neighbors (engaged (?) in ALL your business), is really just an Oregon thing (Groupthink State). They want everyone to think, act, VOTE, and perform exactly to the expected Oregon norm, or... be ostracized and sent to WA to live You will not have this issue in WA, except with Oregon exile neighbors, still in recovery. (And others from "Groupthink" states, regions, or countries)
Pretty funny recent example of groupthink at PDX waiting for parking shuttle bus. There was an OCD person making sure everyone lined up in proper order and had their baggage on the correct side so the attendant could grab it, and most importantly keeping WA residents and visitors from messing up their "Plan"
The type of nosiness you mentioned is almost "amusing" to me. I can see how it could be perceived in a negative way but I would probably smile and thank them if I sensed they had good intentions.
Come to think of it, since I have never shoveled snow (or anything for that matter), I'd welcome the tips!
I'd likely to be doing that as an exercise too, probably even cut firewood with an axe as well. I guess I could use all that firewood to set up a bonfire and melt the snow so I wouldn't have to shovel it. There goes my workout!
On a serious note, I have heard of some weird and perhaps excessive taxing in Portland. Coming from CA, I doubt it will feel excessive but I still wouldn't like to pay more taxes for something I am not going to take advantage of. That said, I have to admit, it's a sweet "free" service the city if providing. I heard people living in Portland City limits were also getting charged something like $35 a year so city could provide art supplies to street artists or something like that. That is a bit silly and I doubt the money is "properly" handled and some official(s) are likely to getting a nice kickback but that is how it is these days.
WA is appealing more and more to me. If I settle in OR, it won't be in Portland but probably in one of the nearby towns.
Anyhow, the question I really wanted to ask was to my new rider pal SR (and anyone else who cares to chime in):
Does it make financial sense to buy a property in a suitable area and then have a house built? I have to be honest, there were a few OK houses around $250K-$300K but nothing great. I much rather have a modest house with a large garage built but how no clue what such a thing would cost.
So, instead of buying a $250K-$275K meh house. What if I bought the land for, say $65K-$85K, how much more would it cost to build a 3bdr 2.5 bath house with an attached 2 or 3 car garage?
The type of nosiness you mentioned is almost "amusing" to me. I can see how it could be perceived in a negative way but I would probably smile and thank them if I sensed they had good intentions.
Come to think of it, since I have never shoveled snow (or anything for that matter), I'd welcome the tips!
I'd likely to be doing that as an exercise too, probably even cut firewood with an axe as well. I guess I could use all that firewood to set up a bonfire and melt the snow so I wouldn't have to shovel it. There goes my workout!
On a serious note, I have heard of some weird and perhaps excessive taxing in Portland. Coming from CA, I doubt it will feel excessive but I still wouldn't like to pay more taxes for something I am not going to take advantage of. That said, I have to admit, it's a sweet "free" service the city if providing. I heard people living in Portland City limits were also getting charged something like $35 a year so city could provide art supplies to street artists or something like that. That is a bit silly and I doubt the money is "properly" handled and some official(s) are likely to getting a nice kickback but that is how it is these days.
WA is appealing more and more to me. If I settle in OR, it won't be in Portland but probably in one of the nearby towns.
Anyhow, the question I really wanted to ask was to my new rider pal SR (and anyone else who cares to chime in):
Does it make financial sense to buy a property in a suitable area and then have a house built? I have to be honest, there were a few OK houses around $250K-$300K but nothing great. I much rather have a modest house with a large garage built but how no clue what such a thing would cost.
So, instead of buying a $250K-$275K meh house. What if I bought the land for, say $65K-$85K, how much more would it cost to build a 3bdr 2.5 bath house with an attached 2 or 3 car garage?
It will almost certainly cost you a LOT more money to build new, than buy an existing house anywhere in the greater Portland metro area. Not to mention tremendously greater hassle, especially as contractors and subs are likely pretty busy right now.
The other issue is available lots. There just aren't very many desirable buildable lots around that you can buy. Most of the good lots have long since had houses built on them, and many of those that remain have been bought up by builders and speculators for future construction projects. And if you are looking at rural land you are going to get into all manner of costly complexities from wells to septic systems to permitting that will take you down and endless rabbit hole.
It will almost certainly cost you a LOT more money to build new, than buy an existing house anywhere in the greater Portland metro area. Not to mention tremendously greater hassle, especially as contractors and subs are likely pretty busy right now.
The other issue is available lots. There just aren't very many desirable buildable lots around that you can buy. Most of the good lots have long since had houses built on them, and many of those that remain have been bought up by builders and speculators for future construction projects. And if you are looking at rural land you are going to get into all manner of costly complexities from wells to septic systems to permitting that will take you down and endless rabbit hole.
To build from scratch, I was thinking in Vancouver, mainly outer skirts of it. Woodland would be a bit more distant second choice. Definitely not somewhere already populated because the lot would cost a lot but also not somewhere so darn remote to face costly hassles like permits for septic/water/etc. as you mentioned.
Even Vancouver had decent-ish houses but they seem to either have no garage or very small ones for my budget. I much rather have a 2 bdr/2 bath small house with a large 2+ car garage to be honest.
If I was married, kids, etc. than thing would be very different. I was just curious about building a house if I could find an affordable lot in a suitable town/area.
My plan is definitely to rent when I move there and I am hoping to have a job lined up already before I move there so that I know where I will be renting. Then check out the area and see where I would eventually like the get settled. I am thinking about buying the best house I can find within my budget so I won't have a mortgage payment which would allow me to save more money. Then later on move to a more suitable one.
To build from scratch, I was thinking in Vancouver, mainly outer skirts of it. Woodland would be a bit more distant second choice. Definitely not somewhere already populated because the lot would cost a lot but also not somewhere so darn remote to face costly hassles like permits for septic/water/etc. as you mentioned.
Even Vancouver had decent-ish houses but they seem to either have no garage or very small ones for my budget. I much rather have a 2 bdr/2 bath small house with a large 2+ car garage to be honest.
If I was married, kids, etc. than thing would be very different. I was just curious about building a house if I could find an affordable lot in a suitable town/area.
My plan is definitely to rent when I move there and I am hoping to have a job lined up already before I move there so that I know where I will be renting. Then check out the area and see where I would eventually like the get settled. I am thinking about buying the best house I can find within my budget so I won't have a mortgage payment which would allow me to save more money. Then later on move to a more suitable one.
Given your circumstances (single, time on your hands, not so deep pockets) your best bet for getting established in home ownership would be sweat equity.
Rent for a while, until you find something in a location that you like, at a price you can afford, even if it is too small, lacks the garage, etc. And then just go at your own pace to fix it up, avoiding contractors as much as possible.
Something like this, which clearly needs work, but it is in a decent relatively close-in neighborhood that will likely trend upwards in future decades due to very easy access to Portland and PDX: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...23286586_zpid/
The same house would sell for double in Portland in the right neighborhood.
Given your circumstances (single, time on your hands, not so deep pockets) your best bet for getting established in home ownership would be sweat equity.
Rent for a while, until you find something in a location that you like, at a price you can afford, even if it is too small, lacks the garage, etc. And then just go at your own pace to fix it up, avoiding contractors as much as possible.
Something like this, which clearly needs work, but it is in a decent relatively close-in neighborhood that will likely trend upwards in future decades due to very easy access to Portland and PDX: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...23286586_zpid/
The same house would sell for double in Portland in the right neighborhood.
Thank you for the input. Yeah, I may have to make some sacrifices but garage will not be one of them.
It is a nice house. Really large for a 3/2 house but it lacks a proper 2-car garage which is a must-have for me. I much rather settle for a 2/2 condo like this one which actually has a 2-car garage: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...23288364_zpid/
But for a condo, that is a bit much I think. Besides, my only other condition is for it to be a SFR, no condos or townhouse with association dues, etc. I can't stand that. I had a townhouse almost 20 years ago and every 3-4 years the fees would go up. Before you know it, you are paying assoc. fees that cost almost half as much as the P&I, if not more and it really doesn't benefit you in anyway.
Besides the property tax and utilities, I don't want to pay anything if I can help it. If it was a sunny place, I would definitely consider going full solar as well to avoid the electric bill.
I am pretty certain I will be renting for a while till I assess the situation based on my employment location and where I would like to live, at least for the next decade.
Thank you for the input. Yeah, I may have to make some sacrifices but garage will not be one of them.
It is a nice house. Really large for a 3/2 house but it lacks a proper 2-car garage which is a must-have for me. I much rather settle for a 2/2 condo like this one which actually has a 2-car garage: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...23288364_zpid/
But for a condo, that is a bit much I think. Besides, my only other condition is for it to be a SFR, no condos or townhouse with association dues, etc. I can't stand that. I had a townhouse almost 20 years ago and every 3-4 years the fees would go up. Before you know it, you are paying assoc. fees that cost almost half as much as the P&I, if not more and it really doesn't benefit you in anyway.
Besides the property tax and utilities, I don't want to pay anything if I can help it. If it was a sunny place, I would definitely consider going full solar as well to avoid the electric bill.
I am pretty certain I will be renting for a while till I assess the situation based on my employment location and where I would like to live, at least for the next decade.
Thanks again!
That was just some random house I picked out of zillow because it was relatively cheap on a square foot basis because the entire place obviously hasn't been remodeled in 50 years. If you keep you eye out you will eventually find something similar with the layout and garage that you want. Patience.
I wouldn't want a condo personally. But that's just me. Not just because of the HOA fees, but also because you are at the mercy of the association to keep up all the common areas. Which doesn't always happen, especially with older units.
That was just some random house I picked out of zillow because it was relatively cheap on a square foot basis because the entire place obviously hasn't been remodeled in 50 years. If you keep you eye out you will eventually find something similar with the layout and garage that you want. Patience.
I wouldn't want a condo personally. But that's just me. Not just because of the HOA fees, but also because you are at the mercy of the association to keep up all the common areas. Which doesn't always happen, especially with older units.
I agree. Cons outweigh the Pros for sure. To me, #1 reason I do not want a townhouse/condo is lack of privacy compared to an SFR, you have at least one other party attached to your home with at least one wall.
I don't need to nor do I want to be out in the middle of nowhere but a standalone home that has adequate distance from the nearest house is very important. Like a min. 8-yard cushion around the property.
I am thinking if I find the "almost" perfect home that lacks a garage, as long as there is enough space on my property, I could build one myself provided I wouldn't need any permits, etc. to do so.
Logically, I shouldn't need to, to do anything on my own property but I have heard some weird stories with even expansion/additions to houses requiring permits. I suppose there has to be some regulations but for reasonable upgrades and additions, like building a new shed or garage, I shouldn't have to?
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You will not have this issue in WA, except with Oregon exile neighbors, still in recovery. (And others from "Groupthink" states, regions, or countries)
