On Vacation, see You Next Time

I am entertaining guests and relatives from Scotland this week. I will return to this blog in two weeks. In the meantime enjoy this view:

San Juan Island across the Straight of Juan de Fuca

Soaring in the Heights

If you want to 'enjoy the view' Vancouver's Heights is a great area with a mix of older and newer homes. Today I am featuring three properties currently listed on the MLS. All of the photos in this post were excerpted from the public MLS site.

The first home is modestly priced for a view property in the Heights. Listed at $449,000 it still manages to offer 3780 square feet of space with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. It also offers a very nice view. This home was originally built in 1960 but has had more recent remodeling. This home offers up million dollar views for less than half that amount. The home is charming and quite comfortable. And about that view across the mighty Columbia over to downtown Portland; that's just really nice.

The second home featured today is a touch more spendy, priced at $875,000. It is however, a more modern home and quite a bit more elegant as well. This one offers 4821 square feet with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The view here is a sweeping panoramic from Mount Hood to the Interstate Bridge. This home is located lower on the hill off of Evergreen Blvd. The River is closer but the view is from a lower elevation than the first home. None-the-less this home was built around the view. It has a gorgeous covered patio that takes in the full 180 degrees of panoramic bliss. I could really get used to this place. It has a bit of that Mediterranean villa vibe and the view is worthy. Like I said, I could get used to this.

The third home has a prestigious address. It lies off Dubois Drive and is perched out on the bluff that overlooks the River. It features views across to Portland. This one is priced in the millionaire's club at $1,200,000. It has 5816 square feet of space with four bedrooms, two full baths and three partial baths. This home is also situated on a junior acre (0.91). There is a fantastic veranda that wraps the whole rear of the home, providing spectacular unobstructed views. Homes on the south side of Dubois like this one, are nicely positioned on the edge of a bluff that drops abruptly. This is why these homes have completely unobstructed views. The top of the bluff is about 300 feet above the Columbia River. I really love this house!

Views Revisited

I am away with my wife up in Victoria, British Columbia so I can't write the blog this week. I can however revisit a past post from several months ago in case you missed it :) I just took some out of town guests to the Columbia Shores neighborhood for a some drinks at McMenamins. The loved that neighborhood.

Waterfront Living with a View

America's Vancouver can really deliver the goods across most price ranges when it comes to waterfront living. If you have ever partaken of a meal at Beaches Restaurant or the McMenemins on the Columbia you have been to the Columbia Shores Neighborhood.

This tidy little community offers a wide variety of condos in a village like setting right on the shores of the mightiest river in the West. These condos range in price from the upper 170s to nearly a half million dollars with the expensive ones featuring a view from up high. All of them offer access to the gorgeous river walk that runs all the way downtown.

Along with Beaches and McMenemins there is a nice little shopping area with great shops and services.There are few nicer hotels and very close access to Vancouver's downtown core. Speaking of access there is a nice interchange at SR14 to offer speedy delivery to either I5 or I205 just a few blocks away.

For those looking for something a little more plush and secure; a little further upriver will bring you to Tidewater Cove. This is a project that offers a more luxurious condominium for the discriminating buyer with deeper pockets. Here you will find prices well over $500,000 with larger units fetching upwards of $2 million. Here you are protected behind a stately gate and offered up rich amenities. There is also that unparalleled 180 degree sweeping view up and down the Columbia River from Mount Hood and the Gorge to the Interstate Bridge downtown.

The original Vancouver offers some great view opportunities, no matter what kind of view you desire. These fabulous waterfront properties are all actively listed from $185,000 for a 900 foot 2 bed unit to $1.9 million for a spacious 2800 foot unit right on the water. I love me a good view, don't you?

All images displayed in this article are property of the RMLS. These images are from listed properties on the RMLS for which I am utilizing under my rights as a member in good standing of the RMLS. 

Mount Vista, the name says it all.

Google Image from WSUV

Mount Vista is a neighborhood just east of Salmon Creek off the 134th Street exit. This venerable neighborhood features homes with views of either Mount Hood or Mount St. Helens depending on the direction the home is facing. Some have a view of both!

The neighborhood was built in the late 1970s

Google Image from WSUV

and through the early 1990s. This was a planned community and features and CC&Rs to protect the neighborhood. The area overlooks the WSU-Vancouver University campus and remains today as a desirable place to enjoy a view property. The photos are images from the University campus, The homes in Mount Vista tend to be higher up above the campus.

Overview of the area including the WSUV campus

There is a very broad range of styles and sizes in this neighborhood with prices in the mid $200s to well over $500k. The location is desirable for more than just the views. This area is very near the interchange between I-205 and I-5. It is an easy on and off to both major north-south freeways.

This neighborhood is worth a look if you want to enjoy the view in Northwest Vancouver.

Columbia River Dreams

Today I have decided to feature a listing that I found on the MLS (MLS#14359518) offered for sale by a local RE/MAX agent. This fabulous home sits right on the shores of the mightiest river in the West. The home appears to have been custom designed to capture beautiful views from nearly every room.

This is my kind of view property. No matter where you are or what you are doing in this property you are doing it with a great view! This blog is not a real estate sales blog, and this is not my listing, but if you are interested, you certainly can send me a message and I can arrange for a tour.

I like these kinds of homes. The kind of design where the architect and builder took advantage of the environment and surroundings to create dramatic views and offer a pleasurable living experience. For some, a mountain view or home nestled in the woods is more their speed. But if a river front view is what you like, this one is hard to beat.

This listing is in Vancouver, USA and is one of hundreds of fabulous homes on the Columbia River. The Evergreen Hwy runs along the shores of the Columbia River from the base of the heights all the way out to Camas. Along that ten mile stretch are a variety of homes ranging in price from the low $400's all the way up to $4 million or more. Homes right on the water of course will fetch the big bucks. Many homes along Evergreen Hwy are perched up a little higher and have a more territorial view across the river into Portland. I have always been a sucker for the bird's eye view, but believe me, this kind of sweeping, majestic waterfront property is enough to make you giddy.

This one is available for sale at just $1.4 million. Some of you may be thinking, "Just $1.4 million"?. Yes, "just" $1.4 million. Many homes with this kind of location on the water and frankly just down the street are valued in the $3 million range. This property sits on four tenths of an acre and offers up 4447 square feet of living space. This home is a little smaller than the others on the street. So the buyer of a property like this gets the great view, the waterfront location and is buying into a 3 million dollar neighborhood for half price. Works for me. Now I just need to scrounge up a down payment ;)

How much would you pay for a great view?

I have broached this question in passing comments over the course of writing this blog, but never really asked it straight out. So click the link below and take the poll about how much a good view is worth to you!

Take the View Poll

Views of course are highly subjective. In general there are certain views nearly universally accepted as desirable. View across the lake, view of the ocean, or grand mountains or a big city skyline, etc. These can command upwards of 50% premium if the view is unobstructed and of a truly spectacular landmark or scene.

Here in Vancouver a view of the Columbia River will command a handsome price, throw in a little Mount Hood action and it starts to get real rich. I have talked about lesser views of trees or local foothills and those are sometimes available without a premium at all.


 There are so many wonderful views in a wide variety of great properties here in America's Vancouver. We also have fabulous opportunity for gorgeous ocean views. Check out my Coastal Living Blog, here. Whatever you do be sure to enjoy the view!

Beachfront Properties have a Great View

I wrote this article on my Coastal Living blog last month. The view properties at the Washington Coast are a great value right now!

Photo from RMLS

There is just something magical about a beachfront home. In past articles on this blog I have shown properties across a variety of price ranges even the $100k range right on the beach. Today I found a 2,800 square foot home situated on more than 3/4 of an acre right at the feet of the mighty Pacific Ocean. This Ocean Park home is listed on the MLS for $545,000. It is by no means an inexpensive home, but compared to its brethren on the Oregon Coast just a few miles south, it is a bargain. I continue to remain amazed at the shear value offered to buyers on the Washington Coast. There is nearly an acre of ground fronting the largest body of water on Earth. This home is spacious, nicely appointed although not overly luxurious. It offers high vaulted ceilings with lots of glass to take in that gorgeous ocean view. 

Photo from RMLS

I write another blog; Retire to Washington and I often tie in our amazing coastal value to posts on that blog. The coast is after all ideally suited for retirees. The weather is more consistent, lacking the hot weather often found inland and perhaps more importantly less frequent snowfall. Retirees need not commute into work so that is completely off the table. Everything you need is right there in town. 

Come out and visit Washington's somewhat less famous coast and see for yourself just how wonderful it is. While you are there take a peek around at some real estate. You can find some outstanding values on property you may have thought was unattainable.