Discover fabulous views from amazing properties in Southwest Washington

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Vancouver's Felida has Views!

Not many people are likely to think of Felida as a view oriented neighborhood, but it does have several developments that offer great views. The extreme western end of the Felida area offers beautiful sunset views of the Coastal Mountains, Vancouver Lake and even the Columbia River. Along the northern edge of Felida there are subdivisions with homes perched above the gorgeous Salmon Creek Greenway. These homes feature views of Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, and in some cases even the Mighty Mt. Rainier. The latter requires a crisp and clear day to see.

I took some photos of a new listing for one of my real estate colleagues and it happened to be a cloudy day. I got excellent photos and clouds provide a soft light. But the view off in the distance was obscured. I went back a couple of days later when the sun was out and much to my delight, the home had excellent mountain views to complement the greenway views.

Now this was not a modest home, but there are many homes in the Felida area offering up surprisingly beautiful vistas for prices that are within reach of a typical middle class earner. I love value views!

This home however was a little further up the scale as it was brilliantly designed and well appointed. With over 4500 SF it was out of reach for the aforementioned typical middle class earner.

Felida is an area that is mixed in the age range of neighborhoods. Unlike the Salmon Creek area to the north which is almost entirely post 1990 development, this area has subdivisions ranging in age from the 1960s right on up to brand new developments. Many of the older neighborhoods were built with very modest middle class homes that are well within the reach of mainstream buyers. These homes when coupled to a view will be significantly more expensive than homes in other areas such as Orchards, but the fact that one can get a view home without having to have a very large house is nice. I mentioned this when I wrote about Harney Heights, here.

So even though this home is a rather nice home at twice the median price, it went pending in 2 days at $689k. The home was great and the view was better than most would expect based on location. You see, this home is only situated about 270 feet above sea level. Salmon Creek is under 30 feet so the house looks out across the creek with a view that belies the home's relatively low elevation.

Low elevation views are nice because you get way less winter snow at 270 feet than you do in a place like Summer Hills at close to 1000 feet. Personally I like snow, but for many it is a nuisance.
These "secret views" are all over Vancouver. There are dozens of pocket neighborhoods with great views all over the city and some are attached to houses that are modest, others like this one are more expensive. And yes there are those multi-million dollar spots in Felida as well.

Felida area shown on Google Earth and roughly outlined in red. This area is typically accessed from exit 5 on Interstate 5. So yes it is close in just 5 miles north of the Columbia River and a dozen miles to Downtown Portland. As always be sure to Enjoy the View!