kancell

they are based here: http://www.gl-garradhassan.com/en/of...cid=2&et_lid=1

i've always been a suburbs sort of guy, i like my space and proximity to the countryside/beach, however having never been to Portland this is obviously subject to change! i take it you get a fair amount for your money in Portland then?
so if you may be uniquely qualified, what exactly does this mean and how may it make things easier?

lansbury

As a guide look out Beaverton, Hillsboro way as a start. Light rail goes out there but those areas tend to be the pricer ones. If you don't mind a drive. Vancouver just over in Washington State or coming south Milwaukie, Happy Valley, Oregon City, Canby, Tigard, Wilsonville. Here the beach is 90 minutes away. Skiing the same in the other direction and there are just under 4 million in a State the size of the UK. Countryside is everywhere once you get out of Portland.

Give you something to look at to get and idea of what sort of housing is here and if it suits your needs and price range.

Hubcaps

I spent about 6 months scouting WA for our move here and one of the best things was signing up with a realtor and keeping an eye on what was selling (or not) and the areas themselves - Google and Bing maps are fantastic too when looking at specific addresses. For schools we looked at the house then the school attached to it and cross-referenced them with School Digger and Great Schools websites.

cluedweasel

Better them than the raving xenophobes and racists on the other side of the Cascades.

Burn1911

That's a bit harsh isn't it I am sure they love having you over there!

Englishman in Eugene

Couldn't agree more.

We got in touch with a realtor in Eugene (down the I5 from Portland) back in 2008 even though we weren't planning a move for 5 years. Then circumstances changed, prompting a much earlier move, and we visited Eugene in June '09, looking at houses, the area, the city, and even spending a day with our realtor visiting several properties. We saw a financier (with our realtor) and got ideas of what a mortgage might cost (more than we wanted to spend).

In Dec '09 we moved across the pond into an apartment until we sold our UK house, and could afford to buy a house outright.

All that time our Realtor was sending us details by email of every house that hit the market in our chosen price range ($250k to $475k) and parameters (double garage, 3+ bedrooms, 2+ bathrooms, etc.) This gave us loads of information, and combined with Google Maps and Bing Maps, we had a really good idea of which areas we liked and what styles of houses we might expect to afford and enjoy.

Before we left the UK we had seen a house we liked through the listings, and visiting it in December we met the owners and expressed our interest, but also our inability to buy until our house sold. They were happy to wait for a bit, and by February we had an offer on our UK house and were able to make an offer on the Eugene house - whcih we eventually bought and moved into.


The US housing market is arranged differently to the UK market. You find a Buyer's agent to represent you and send you info, and their fees are usually paid by the seller after a sale is made. The agent has info on EVERY potential sale in the area(s) you choose, not just ones represented by their company, they do all the legwork, and so you have no excuse not to find a home you love.

4-5 bedrooms in a 1500 sq ft house is going to be cramped, and probably impossible to find. Look for houses in the 2500 to 3000 sq ft range initially, on a 0.15 acre lot as a minimum (or you'll be staring in your neighbors windows) and see how those look to you. Think about how much outdoor space you want, and be aware that some of that will be in front of the house and not suitable for letting pets or children play. Use Google Maps and Bing Maps to look at houses of interest. Set a wide price range for your initial search, and narrow it down later as you see what you can afford. Prices are depressed right now, so you can get a lot for your money, but also be aware of the annual property taxes which are higher in Oregon than most states. You might want to live in Washington State but commute to Portland, to benefit from lower property taxes in WA and no sales tax in Oregon (at present).

You can adjust, narrow down or expand your search criteria anytime. Think about schools certainly, and also traffic patterns, public spaces like parks nearby, possible local shops to walk or cycle to (often non-existant in newer cities like Portland), and other local entertainment. Don't buy a house near a Football Stadium unless you enjoy regular heavy foot and road traffic.

Finally, be aware of the exchange rate. If you can, transfer some money into Dollars in a US account ready for your move at a good rate. The rate is currently knocking around 1.57, was up to 1.6 recently, and has been as low as 1.38 earlier this year. Nothing as good as the 1.85 and above that we enjoyed in recent years.