Good cities in PNW?

[pnw_guy]

So I know that the housing market is hot everywhere right now, but I'm looking for suggestions for cities to check out for a future primary residence purchase.

Since remote work is possible, can be really anywhere but I'd like to stay in the PNW. Am looking for suggestions of cities that are big enough to have amenities (movie theater, grocer stores, restaurants) but that aren't plagued by big city housing prices or traffic.

Have thought about Bellingham and Spokane a bit. Other places that should be on the list for consideration?

Posting here because getting more affordable housing than where I currently live is a big selling point (Seattle).

[Jenny Wren]

I'm from Spokane and currently live in Bellingham. There are zero houses in Bellingham. Falling down demolition-only homes on small city lots are selling within minutes of hitting the MLS for 700K+.  If you are prepared to pay cash and wave all contingencies, you may get something. Even finding a rental is nearly impossible. We're currently trying the land route and build later -- nothing available thus far that will be buildable (a lot of the land around here is wetland).

Spokane is better, but also over-inflated and suffering some shortages right now. Unlike Bellingham, which is low on available land, Spokane will likely improve in a year or so as building catches up to demand. You may actually do better looking north of the city all the way up toward Chewelah, though. Keep in mind that the infrastructure in Spokane is not growing as fast as the city, and there are going to be some very major growing pains in the future. This can be seen in the crazy crime rate (you will be the victim of a property crime at some point, I can almost guarantee it, if you choose to live within city limits). If you are

Here in WA, Mason County has some deals and some availability, and depending on where you choose you could be within spitting distance of Olympia or a ferry trip from Seattle. We've considered opening up our search in that direction.

[joenorm]

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3122-Cedarwood-Ave-Bellingham-WA-98225/23617579_zpid/

I wouldn't say there is "nothing." You'll just have to pay for it.  Bellingham is a great town and finally getting the hot market one might guess it would have.

[spaghetti1awk]

I can't really speak to Spokane, but there are still some fine neighborhoods in Bellingham with entry points around 500. In fact, I just bought for 500 (but kind of lucked out timing-wise, and after missing out on 7 other offers). It's true as Botany Bae points out that many houses are pending within a week over asking without contingencies which a year ago would have sold reluctantly. I don't see the market slowing too much in the near future- population is growing and lots of folks are moving up from CA and Seattle (and paying all cash, which is hard to compete with!). The 4bd 2ba in my neighborhood listed at 695, closed 9 days later at 860. So, if you do come to Bellingham, welcome! But also, be prepared for some super low inventory and stiff competition!

Bellingham does have all that you request in some bigger city amenities, but very little of the big city traffic! Our outdoor recreation opportunities abound, and the city seems to be full of genuinely kind people. If you end up considering Bellingham more and have specific questions, I'd be happy to chat!

[pnw_guy]

I'm from Spokane and currently live in Bellingham. There are zero houses in Bellingham. Falling down demolition-only homes on small city lots are selling within minutes of hitting the MLS for 700K+.  If you are prepared to pay cash and wave all contingencies, you may get something. Even finding a rental is nearly impossible. We're currently trying the land route and build later -- nothing available thus far that will be buildable (a lot of the land around here is wetland).

Wow! Those sound like Seattle prices/market conditions! Good thinking with the land route. I know that building is expensive right now, but material prices will eventually come down. I don't mind the idea of building myself, though it's good to know that lots of the land in the Bellingham area is too wet to build. If we end up looking for land in that area I might reach out to ask questions about your experience.

Spokane is better, but also over-inflated and suffering some shortages right now. Unlike Bellingham, which is low on available land, Spokane will likely improve in a year or so as building catches up to demand. You may actually do better looking north of the city all the way up toward Chewelah, though. Keep in mind that the infrastructure in Spokane is not growing as fast as the city, and there are going to be some very major growing pains in the future. This can be seen in the crazy crime rate (you will be the victim of a property crime at some point, I can almost guarantee it, if you choose to live within city limits). If you are

This is good info about Spokane, thanks! To be honest I've only been there a couple of times. Didn't realize that crime was such a big issue. The draw for me is a combination of the *relatively* affordable housing and the city's size. It's clearly big enough to have all the amenities that one would want. I'll look into Chewelah too.

Here in WA, Mason County has some deals and some availability, and depending on where you choose you could be within spitting distance of Olympia or a ferry trip from Seattle. We've considered opening up our search in that direction.

Now Mason County is an area that I've looked into. If you're open to buying land and building once material prices have come down, this could be a great choice. I've seen some relatively affordable lots that look good for building. My one complaint about this area is the distance from amenities. In my dream scenario we'd be on the outskirts of a mid-size city like Bellingham. Again, all the amenities are there + no traffic. But at the same time, it would be great to be able to hop on a bike and head into the city center for a movie or a couple of groceries, but this type of lifestyle wouldn't work in a more rural area like Mason County. Could be wrong though.

[pnw_guy]

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3122-Cedarwood-Ave-Bellingham-WA-98225/23617579_zpid/

I wouldn't say there is "nothing." You'll just have to pay for it.  Bellingham is a great town and finally getting the hot market one might guess it would have.

I agree with you - Bellingham is great! I just wish one could get into a SFH there for a price that seemed a bit more reasonable (500K for a 1,200 sqft home seems steep).

Thanks for sharing!

[pnw_guy]

I can't really speak to Spokane, but there are still some fine neighborhoods in Bellingham with entry points around 500. In fact, I just bought for 500 (but kind of lucked out timing-wise, and after missing out on 7 other offers). It's true as Botany Bae points out that many houses are pending within a week over asking without contingencies which a year ago would have sold reluctantly. I don't see the market slowing too much in the near future- population is growing and lots of folks are moving up from CA and Seattle (and paying all cash, which is hard to compete with!). The 4bd 2ba in my neighborhood listed at 695, closed 9 days later at 860. So, if you do come to Bellingham, welcome! But also, be prepared for some super low inventory and stiff competition!

Wow! $860K for a 4bd 2ba is basically what I'd expect to see in my neighborhood in Seattle. Lucky that you were able to buy in at $500K!

Bellingham does have all that you request in some bigger city amenities, but very little of the big city traffic! Our outdoor recreation opportunities abound, and the city seems to be full of genuinely kind people. If you end up considering Bellingham more and have specific questions, I'd be happy to chat!

Thanks for the offer to chat! I'll definitely take you up on the offer if we start looking more seriously in the Bellingham area. Though it's increasingly looking like the difference between what we could sell for in Seattle and what we could buy in Bellingham for just isn't' big enough. Regardless, still might reach out to discuss some more creative strategies (e.g., buying and holding land until building costs come down).

[mountainfamily]

Bellingham is HORRIBLE! nobody should move there.

...

;)

After 13 years in Seattle, we're moving home to Bellingham thanks to remote work. We were lucky enough to get a presale contract for a new construction home in a neighborhood we watned. It won't be cheap, but is still comparable to the price our 1000 square foot rambler in Seattle would sell for. Can't wait to be home.

[HPstache]

Here for the Bellingham chat!

Bellingham is nice, I lived in the city for about a decade, but now I am in a smaller town outside of Bellingham raising a family (though I have a rental in Bellingham still).  There are definitely areas to avoid... the two main ones are the Birchwood and Eureka/Roosevelt neighborhoods, though there are a lot of caveats on those areas.  Bellingham definitely has a great vibe being a college town with a lot of good culture and it will not disappoint for someone who is "in" to all of the outdoor things.  The weather sucks from about November-Feburary but is pretty nice the rest of the year... I would say it's the best summer conditions in the entire US and I've been around.

Home prices in the Sudden Valley area are going to look really affordable, but there are some serious drawbacks.  Even though it is physically really close to Bellingham, you will feel like you are  LONG ways from Bellingham due to only one long slow road to get there.  Sudden Valley gets little to no sun and is almost a mini rainforest built into the side of the mountain.  Some people love it though!

[bacchi]

Home prices in the Sudden Valley area are going to look really affordable, but there are some serious drawbacks.  Even though it is physically really close to Bellingham, you will feel like you are  LONG ways from Bellingham due to only one long slow road to get there.  Sudden Valley gets little to no sun and is almost a mini rainforest built into the side of the mountain.  Some people love it though!

We've looked in Sudden (Death) Valley but, agreed, it's far away from everything. Or at least farther away than I'd like to be from groceries and restaurants. It's too bad -- they could've developed a mini-town out there but it's nearly entirely housing.

[Jenny Wren]

Yeah, there are several issues with Sudden Valley. The HOA is supposedly bad, even for an HOA. Many of the homes were originally built to be part-year rec homes and the construction was subpar or not up to year-around living stresses, so they can be expensive to repair when they inevitably fall apart. Icy roads aren't really tended to well by the county up there either, or so I have heard. I only drive up that way when I'm hitting one of the nearby trails.

I will also argue with v8rx7guy that Nov-Feb is the best time in Bellingham. You can do all the hiking you want without any of the tourists overtaking the trailheads!

[spaghetti1awk]

Bellingham is HORRIBLE! nobody should move there.

...

;)

After 13 years in Seattle, we're moving home to Bellingham thanks to remote work. We were lucky enough to get a presale contract for a new construction home in a neighborhood we watned. It won't be cheap, but is still comparable to the price our 1000 square foot rambler in Seattle would sell for. Can't wait to be home.

Welcome back! And congrats on the housing situation. Hopefully your construction costs were locked in before the lumber shortage and construction is proceeding apace!

[sonofsven]

Here in WA, Mason County has some deals and some availability, and depending on where you choose you could be within spitting distance of Olympia or a ferry trip from Seattle. We've considered opening up our search in that direction.

I grew up in Mason county and have family there still. Culturally, well, there actually isn't much culture in Mason county!
In the north end the closest towns are Port Orchard, Bremerton, and Silverdale, which are all in Kitsap county.
In the south end is Shelton, the county seat, which is a meth filled mill town (sorry Sheltonites!), but you're close to Olympia which is the state capital.
There's great waterfront property in the county which is mainly owned by folks that don't live there.
Mason county has always been a place where you could buy a cheap five acre stump farm and roll in your dream home.
There's some really gorgeous spots there, though.

I would suggest Wenatchee. My partner's sister moved over there a few years ago from the wet side, nice climate, amazing produce and fruit, Columbia river running right through town.
With the number of new houses going in on my last visit summer of '19 it might be too late.

[Poeirenta]

I can confirm that Wenatchee is both nice and growing like crazy. Traffic is noticeably worse in the past few years. East Wenatchee-on the other side of the river and in a different county with fewer regulations-is also doing the suburban sprawl thing. The greater Wenatchee area keeps winding up on lists of best places to retire, so the growth is no surprise really.

As an aside, the amount of orchards being ripped up and replaced with housing along the Douglas County side of the river is sad to see, IMHO. I can't figure out who would want to live squeezed between the highway and the river on a 1/4 acre lot, but clearly there are enough of them for the developers to do what they do.

[pnw_guy]

Here for the Bellingham chat!

Bellingham is nice, I lived in the city for about a decade, but now I am in a smaller town outside of Bellingham raising a family (though I have a rental in Bellingham still).  There are definitely areas to avoid... the two main ones are the Birchwood and Eureka/Roosevelt neighborhoods, though there are a lot of caveats on those areas.  Bellingham definitely has a great vibe being a college town with a lot of good culture and it will not disappoint for someone who is "in" to all of the outdoor things.  The weather sucks from about November-Feburary but is pretty nice the rest of the year... I would say it's the best summer conditions in the entire US and I've been around.

Home prices in the Sudden Valley area are going to look really affordable, but there are some serious drawbacks.  Even though it is physically really close to Bellingham, you will feel like you are  LONG ways from Bellingham due to only one long slow road to get there.  Sudden Valley gets little to no sun and is almost a mini rainforest built into the side of the mountain.  Some people love it though!

We get it. We get it.

Bellingham is awesome and we missed out by not buying there years ago :)