Housing in PTown

[crandc]

So I am meeting with a "relocation person" Saturday but she is an outside contractor for a property management company and I already can tell she's going to try to steer me to the higher priced places so she can get a better commission. I can't see moving from one of the highest rent areas of the planet to Portland/Hillsboro and paying $200 or $300 more in rent! Can anyone name any good sources (web sites or newspapers) for housing? I want to be able to show her that according to this I should not have to pay $1295 for a 2 bedroom small home/duplex.

Thanks!

 

[Natebishop3]

So I am meeting with a "relocation person" Saturday but she is an outside contractor for a property management company and I already can tell she's going to try to steer me to the higher priced places so she can get a better commission. I can't see moving from one of the highest rent areas of the planet to Portland/Hillsboro and paying $200 or $300 more in rent! Can anyone name any good sources (web sites or newspapers) for housing? I want to be able to show her that according to this I should not have to pay $1295 for a 2 bedroom small home/duplex.

Thanks!

Crand did you really just put Hillsboro in the same bracket as Portland?

 

[barfo]

I don't know much about renting since I haven't done it this decade, but I'd guess craigslist might be a good place to look?

barfo

 

[Tyler_Hansbrough]

I hear Gresham is nice. Go move there.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

There's an apartment guide carried by most grocery stores at the front door. It's pretty comperhensive. Start there.

 

[barfo]

I hear Gresham is nice. Go move there.

Wouldn't be very convenient to her job in Hillsboro, would it?

barfo

 

[Tyler_Hansbrough]

Wouldn't be very convenient to her job in Hillsboro, would it?

barfo

Save her some money! MAX goes all the way out there.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

It's a renters market . . . ask to see housing that fits into your budget. If she wants to try to upsell you to nicers places, it doesn't hurt to look . . . as long as she is also showing you options in the price range you said you wanted.

FYI- I believ there are a glut of townhouses and duplexes in the tri-county area. Back in the boom, they were sticking these townhouses wherever you could find space. Dumb people (like me) were buying the new houses thinking they could rent them out for a while then flip them and make the real money on the appreciation of the property (kind of like an NBA franchise).

Now, if buyers didn't give thier property up to foreclosure, they are stuck with properties they would either have to sell at a loss or become a long term landlord. I think there are many storeis like this and thus a glut of townhouses that are for rent . . . whic lowers the rental price.

 

[Tyler_Hansbrough]

Newberg is nice. Move there.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Newberg is nice. Move there.

Yeah . . . if you are white and heterosexual . . . and in your 40 or above.

 

[andalusian]

When we moved here (in 1996) from NYC - we were astounded how cheap housing was compared to NYC. My gut feeling is that that same will be true with SF Bay vs. the greater Portland area (with notable exceptions).

If your job is in Hillsboro - Beaverton or the Bethany area would be a nice place that is not right in Hillsboro and is a little closer to downtown Portland - while still being a comfortable commute distance from your work.

 

[crandc]

I have seen a lot of townhouses but I need a yard.

My absolute requirements are allow cats and have a yard I can plant.

 

[BTOWN_HUSTLA]

i guess craigslist? www.oregonlive.com doesn't have a section?

 

[e_blazer]

Hey, crandc, here are a few listings from craigslist that might be of interest:

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/apa/1305808566.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/apa/1305787217.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/apa/1305767456.html

Good luck on the housing hunt.

 

[Masbee]

So I am meeting with a "relocation person" Saturday but she is an outside contractor for a property management company and I already can tell she's going to try to steer me to the higher priced places so she can get a better commission. I can't see moving from one of the highest rent areas of the planet to Portland/Hillsboro and paying $200 or $300 more in rent! Can anyone name any good sources (web sites or newspapers) for housing? I want to be able to show her that according to this I should not have to pay $1295 for a 2 bedroom small home/duplex.

Thanks!

Rents are relatively high in the Portland area. You have multiple factors to thank: high property taxes get passed on in the form of higher rent; metro growth limit constrains supply; current popularity of Portland area keeps demand steady despite faltering economy.

$1,200 is the going rate for a small house on the West side. It will be hard to find a place for significantly less. Though it is a renters market, that is reflected more in a large inventory then in cheap rents. Want to live close-in to the city center? - Add 25% to that and subtract the yard and garage.

The best place to look for listings is Craigslist. All the brokers list there, plus the small, private landlords. If you are going to find a bargain, it will be a private owner. You need to find out about the place before it gets advertised. The few true bargains that get listed on craigslist are rented almost immediately.

 

[Paxil]

Can you buy? Now is a great time if you can. A house on my street got foreclosed on... and most of the houses are currently 350-450 in value... and the dumped house can be had for $299!!! I am sure there are examples like that all over the city... and I bet they'd take just about anything for it.

 

[Shooter]

Yeah . . . if you are white and heterosexual . . .

You mean like most people in the country?