Springtime is a Great Time to take in the View

Happy house hunters are plying the roadways in search of their dream home. The temps are up, the birds are out, and everyone seems delighted about it. I have been perusing the inventory of homes with a view and found a great many choices all across the county. In fact I came up with 200 view homes in Vancouver alone! Some of these, of course were fairly expensive but others were in the middle of the market where us regular folks can swim.

I stumbled across a home listed on the MLS in a neighborhood I love. The Heights is Vancouver's "old school" high end area. South Cliff and Dubois Park are the two neighborhoods in the heights that feature fantastic homes perched out over the bluff with spectacular views across the river. The Heights was built out in the 1950s and 60s. There has been some additional developement added in more recent years in the form of some private subdividing.

This South Cliff area is in close to Downtown and close to both PDX and Downtown Portland as well. The views from homes along either Dubois Drive or Rhododendron Drive offer up the great views. This neighborhood sits up on the plateu that rises up above Evergreen Hwy. There are many less expensive but none-the-less stately homes in both South Cliff and Dubois Park. The views from the southern end of the neighborhood do tend to drive values higher along the two aforementioned drives.

This home is on the crown jewel street in Dubois Park It is listed for $1.3 million with breathtaking views. This is a large home on a spacious lot. There is more than 5,800 square feet in the home and it is situated on a junior acre. The home has a giant wrap around deck that takes in Mount Hood, the

For the buyer looking for a little less maintenance and a softer hit on the bank account, there is this lovely townhouse condo overlooking Vancouver Lake. This has over 2,300 square feet of living space and an amazing view of the lake. Lakeshore is close in to the city yet feels miles away. That is often a great recompense for a hard days work. This very large condo is offered at just shy of $400,000. The complex is perched up high on a bluff looking out over the lake. It offers a great view right out of the windows from inside and a nice deck to take it in outside.


Condos offer that added value of not having to deal with structural or other exterior issues. The HOA is responsible for keeping the grounds tidy and the roof and exterior paint and siding in order. You just live there and soak up the great view while others worry about the maintenance.

As far as view neighborhoods go, Lakeshore is one of the value leaders. There are some very expensive seven figure homes in the area, but in general the pricing in Lakeshore is a bargain compared to say Evergreen Hwy or South Cliff. These views tend to look southwest over the three mile wide Vancouver Lake across the Columbia River and Sauvie Island. The views are more natural than urban and of course sunsets are awesome.