Info about Portland Oregon?

Seth Bloombaum · April 7th, 2006, 11:38 AM

Air conditioning is not much needed, IMHO. Temperatures are pretty moderate in general, though most summers there are a couple weeks when I'd turn on the AC if we had it.

Forced air gas and forced air oil are central heat. For the homeowner, in-ground oil tanks are somewhat of a liability, as if they leak the state Department of Environmental Quality mandates remedies that can be expensive. We have one, it's not (yet) been a problem.

Ceiling fans just save energy by forcing hot air out of the peaks in ceilings back down into circulation, and we're all about environmental responsibility here :-)

Many post WW2 homes are kind of uninspiring, to my taste the Craftsman homes of the early to prewar 1900's are very nice, but I've never lived in a house that old, I'm sure they have their own problems. My area is all post-WW2 except for a couple old farmhouses. Later construction of the 70s and on tends to be good... at least in interior stuff. Curb appeal can be pretty bad, yes.

What do you like?

Joe Carney · April 7th, 2006, 11:57 AM

Hmm well I don't particularily like vinyl siding, but that seems to be everywhere these days. Prefer single family home. I've been searching the various reatestate sites for greater portland area all the way down to wilsonville (seems very expensive in that area). I don't know the neighborhoods (or quadrants) as to what areas are good. Schools are not important. Something with a few acres in the country , but not isolated would be ideal but probably too expensive. Based on what I've looked at so far I'm keeping my range at 250 to 400K. Living in the city is not required, reasonable access to the lite rail is fine. No desire to live in Washington state at this time. I'll take quality construction over land if necessary. I lived in a well built zero lot line home in FL.

btw, as it stands I'm at an impasse with the account on starting date. I will not leave my current client hanging. The less they care, the less I do, so not sure if actually going to be out there for the moment.

Seth Bloombaum · April 8th, 2006, 11:50 AM

Well, Portland has a little of all that. Lots of choices in your budget range.

Wilsonville is more recently developed, some of it with high-end homes on acreage, a good place to spend a lot more than your budget!

Portland is a great place to be 40-60 minutes out of town on acreage, I'd look at the communities NW of Portland off Highway 30.

You mentioned software engineering, much of that work takes place west of Portland proper, south of Hwy. 26. If that's where you're headed, you might look at some of the communities/neighborhoods north of 26 such as Cedar Mill.

The light rail system is mostly urban except the west side line, that goes west to Beaverton & Hillsboro.

Joe Carney · April 9th, 2006, 03:09 PM

Thanks Seth. I'll check out that way. The client is in Wilsonville. Can't say any more than that.

I'm looking at Beaverton listings and they appear to be much better than what I've found so far.
Many have Fiber Cement exteriors (Composite Cement panelling instead of vinyl, much better IMHO).

Brandt Wilson · April 25th, 2006, 10:04 AM

I know that two weeks is stale in list terms, but I thought I'd pipe in.

My $.02...

Joe, if you're looking for bang for your buck and some property, Yamhill county was recently given the top honor in a real estate survey in the Oregonian newspaper. Wilsonville is part of Yamhill county. I don't have specifics, but it should give you something to look at. If you've been looking at Beaverton, you've probably found that property tends to max out at 10,000 sqft. I live in a 1965 Beaverton ranch, and it has cedar siding.

There is a lot of independent production here, but there isn't much income in it. Most profitable production work done here is commercial and industrial. The individual hobby projects are where the passion is, though.

My perception (repeat, my perception) of much of the local Industry is that, while there are a lot of local producers that have recognizable names, this segment of the industry tends to be insular, so you find more difficulty working in conjunction with those individuals. Some are more open than others, but overall, my recommendation would be to earn your income on your own client projects and pursue the creative stuff (if that's your direction) on a hobby basis. You will find MANY creative film and video people in the area.

April 7th, 2006, 11:57 AM	#17
Joe Carney Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Centreville Va Posts: 1,828	Hmm well I don't particularily like vinyl siding, but that seems to be everywhere these days. Prefer single family home. I've been searching the various reatestate sites for greater portland area all the way down to wilsonville (seems very expensive in that area). I don't know the neighborhoods (or quadrants) as to what areas are good. Schools are not important. Something with a few acres in the country , but not isolated would be ideal but probably too expensive. Based on what I've looked at so far I'm keeping my range at 250 to 400K. Living in the city is not required, reasonable access to the lite rail is fine. No desire to live in Washington state at this time. I'll take quality construction over land if necessary. I lived in a well built zero lot line home in FL. btw, as it stands I'm at an impasse with the account on starting date. I will not leave my current client hanging. The less they care, the less I do, so not sure if actually going to be out there for the moment. __________________ Boycott Guinness, bring back the pint!!!

April 9th, 2006, 03:09 PM	#19
Joe Carney Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Centreville Va Posts: 1,828	Thanks Seth. I'll check out that way. The client is in Wilsonville. Can't say any more than that. I'm looking at Beaverton listings and they appear to be much better than what I've found so far. Many have Fiber Cement exteriors (Composite Cement panelling instead of vinyl, much better IMHO). __________________ Boycott Guinness, bring back the pint!!!

April 7th, 2006, 11:38 AM	#16
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Air conditioning is not much needed, IMHO. Temperatures are pretty moderate in general, though most summers there are a couple weeks when I'd turn on the AC if we had it. Forced air gas and forced air oil are central heat. For the homeowner, in-ground oil tanks are somewhat of a liability, as if they leak the state Department of Environmental Quality mandates remedies that can be expensive. We have one, it's not (yet) been a problem. Ceiling fans just save energy by forcing hot air out of the peaks in ceilings back down into circulation, and we're all about environmental responsibility here :-) Many post WW2 homes are kind of uninspiring, to my taste the Craftsman homes of the early to prewar 1900's are very nice, but I've never lived in a house that old, I'm sure they have their own problems. My area is all post-WW2 except for a couple old farmhouses. Later construction of the 70s and on tends to be good... at least in interior stuff. Curb appeal can be pretty bad, yes. What do you like?

April 8th, 2006, 11:50 AM	#18
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Well, Portland has a little of all that. Lots of choices in your budget range. Wilsonville is more recently developed, some of it with high-end homes on acreage, a good place to spend a lot more than your budget! Portland is a great place to be 40-60 minutes out of town on acreage, I'd look at the communities NW of Portland off Highway 30. You mentioned software engineering, much of that work takes place west of Portland proper, south of Hwy. 26. If that's where you're headed, you might look at some of the communities/neighborhoods north of 26 such as Cedar Mill. The light rail system is mostly urban except the west side line, that goes west to Beaverton & Hillsboro.

April 25th, 2006, 10:04 AM	#20
Brandt Wilson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 220	I know that two weeks is stale in list terms, but I thought I'd pipe in. My $.02... Joe, if you're looking for bang for your buck and some property, Yamhill county was recently given the top honor in a real estate survey in the Oregonian newspaper. Wilsonville is part of Yamhill county. I don't have specifics, but it should give you something to look at. If you've been looking at Beaverton, you've probably found that property tends to max out at 10,000 sqft. I live in a 1965 Beaverton ranch, and it has cedar siding. There is a lot of independent production here, but there isn't much income in it. Most profitable production work done here is commercial and industrial. The individual hobby projects are where the passion is, though. My perception (repeat, my perception) of much of the local Industry is that, while there are a lot of local producers that have recognizable names, this segment of the industry tends to be insular, so you find more difficulty working in conjunction with those individuals. Some are more open than others, but overall, my recommendation would be to earn your income on your own client projects and pursue the creative stuff (if that's your direction) on a hobby basis. You will find MANY creative film and video people in the area.