Peek-a-Boo; I see you!

Occasionally I photograph homes for other real estate agents. I always ask if the property has views. Sometimes the agent says, "no." When I arrive I may find a peek-a-boo view or even a great view that went unnoticed by the agent. This can be a value view!

Any home with a grand vista will likely have a stiff premium added to its asking price. But for those looking for the budget view one may have to poke around a bit to find it.

The picture of Mount Hood was made from the back patio of a house that did "not" have a view. In all fairness, the full length rear deck did not offer a view but if you leaned out over the rail just a bit this mountain came into clear view. Better yet, out beyond the deck was a patio area that took full advantage of the view providing that you were standing and not sitting.

This hardly constitutes calling the listing a "view property" but mentioning a peek-a-boo view does add some value to some people. People like me.

I love views even when they are of the minimalistic variety. I am likely not alone in this desire to have a view. Since many of us cannot afford to spend the enormous amounts of money on a home custom built to soak up one of the many grand spectacles of nature and man, some of us have to take it where we can find it.

What ever you do, be sure to enjoy the view!

Mount Vista Revisited

I took some photos of a new listing yesterday on the north side of Mount Vista. This was down near the bottom of the hill. I wasn't expecting any kind of view as the home was nearly at the bottom of the north side of Mount Vista.

This house however was well positioned for a view, the question was simply whether the local trees and other houses were to allow it. To my surprise and delight the home has a very respectable view of the mighty Mount Saint Helens.

From the front yard there is no indication of any view. From the back yard you have a peek-a-boo view of the mountain. Once you make you way upstairs however, that peek-a-boo becomes a 90% unobstructed view! Both the Master Bedroom and a large bonus room over the garage offer this excellent view.

Now I'll be clear, this is not a sweeping vista like the properties I have listed in Colorado Ridge. But this is a nice 2200 SF home in a very tidy neighborhood priced well under $400k. So any clean view of one of our big volcanoes is huge bonus in this price range.

All over Clark County we have homes with what I call "sleeper views". You walk in, not expecting any kind of vista and then BAM! there it is. I love it when that happens :)

Vancouver Waterfront will have Amazing Views

Rendering from Gramor Development Website

I have written a enough about Vancouver's new waterfront project to create a rather thick tome were I to put it all to print. But there's always room for more opining, right? This project has now moved from planning to construction and things are beginning to take shape. This is a 1.5 billion dollar plus project that will take many years to build out. The first buildings in this project however, will open in the spring of 2018. That is just next year!

This waterfront will offer condos and apartments that face the river, face Mount Hood, face the west hills, and face Downtown Vancouver. Pick your view! The opportunity for the very best in urban living is becoming available in roughly a year. Of course the whole neighborhood will take at least 5 years to mature into a finished product. Early buyers will benefit from relatively lower pricing than is likely when the project is nearing build out and demand is peaking.

Gramor Development has already had over 900 inquiries on condos for the waterfront according to reports in  The Columbian, newspaper. You want the premium view in the whole metro area? Well, this could be it. It is finally happening my friends. This project began back before the market crash and was ultimately delaying largely due to market conditions. The City of Vancouver, led by Mayor Leavitt, has a sizable stake in the success of this project. Honestly we all do. Even for the multitudes of 'Couvites' living in the east side suburbia, this will be a great marquis piece of the city. Large swaths of this project are slated for public space including a grand cable suspended public pier poking out into the Mighty Columbia River.

I am very excited about the next few years and how this project will create a fabulous space for living, working and enjoying the view.

Sedate Estates has Views!

Sedate lot 14 0.49 acres extends all the way to the top!

I am happy to have a couple of new homes under construction co-listed with my colleague Bert Girod. One of these is Lot 14 in Sedate Estates. This is a newer subdivision in Washougal, within the Camas School District. This is a very desirable location and Lot 14 has views of both the Washougal River and the Mighty Columbia. The city lights at night will dazzle on a warm summer's eve! This home is located on a HUGE 0.49 acre lot. Now the lot itself has a substantial portion on steep hillside, so the good news is, there is privacy and less maintenance than one might expect from such a large lot.

The view from a 1/3 the way up! Lot 14 in Sedate

I love a good view and this lot will have one. The view here will not quite deliver the wow of some of my Colorado Ridge listings, but this is even closer in, being just 2-3 minutes to downtown Camas. It is also in the Camas School District which some people will find quite desirable.

I love be able to present listings in these view neighborhoods. I even like holding them open :) Views are awesome and that is a large reason why I write this blog every month. I like writing about views as well.

The view from Lot 11 in Colorado Ridge

I also have a couple of additional new homes under construction in Colorado Ridge that I haven't written about yet. The house I wrote about a few months back is almost complete, listed at $798,900 and featuring some of the very best views in the whole region!

These homes and others can view viewed in greater detail with additional information using the links below!

• New Homes in Sedate Estates
• New Homes and lots available in Colorado Ridge
• Rod Sager, Realtor®

I do hope you enjoyed looking at these great views and please by all means in all you do, enjoy the view.

Amboy Delivers Killer Views

Amboy Washington is a charming little hamlet about a dozen miles north of Battle Ground on SR503. Although the town itself has views limited to the local territorial hills and forest, the higher areas around the town are filled with fabulous homes on 5 acre lots. Some of these offer up tremendous views of our mighty Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and even a couple peeks at the monster of the west, Mount Rainier.

I recently showed an amazing property in Amboy that had this view of St. Helens off the large deck. The picture was taken with a wide angle so the mountain was MUCH CLOSER than it looks. From this vantage point the angry volcano was only 24 miles away.

Amboy is one of those locations that many people consider to be 'way out' in the country. This notion that it is so far away helps keep property values more affordable. the reality is that it is still only 45 minutes to PDX maybe 60 with some traffic. For the adventurous outdoorsy crowd Amboy is tough to beat. It is located just a few miles from the Lewis River lakes of Merwin, Yale, and Swift and thousands of acres of DNR and Gifford Pinchot Forest Land.

Homes that would cost $600,000 or more in Ridgefield with this kind of view can be had for under $500k in Amboy. Sometimes that little bit of extra drive can shave mountains of cash of the price of property.

Amboy, Washington is almost entirely rural and most of the homes are on small acreage 2-6 acres, but there are some giant rancheria type properties as well with 10, 20 even 50 plus acres. Be sure to check out Amboy and be sure to enjoy the view.

Colorado Ridge Has Some Room Left...

Some time ago I wrote about the Colorado Ridge development in Washougal. The link to that article is here. There are still some lots and a few spec homes available. Many places in this subdivision offer spectacular views of the Columbia River Gorge, Columbia River and the City lights all the way to Portland.

In light of our recent winter weather the relatively low elevation of Colorado Ridge at just 400-500 feet means less snow to deal with in the winter. That said, there is always a winter weather concern when you live on a hilltop.

What I like about Colorado Ridge is how truly amazing the views are and yet the homes are reasonably priced when contrasted against similar properties in neighboring Camas. From the top of the neighborhood one can be at PDX in 20 minutes. Downtown Portland is only another 10 to 15 minutes further. meanwhile head east and you are in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in less than 10 minutes!

The views are breathtaking and I have a gorgeous 3900 SF home listed at $789,900 with a huge deck perched out on the ridge. Both view images on this blog post were taken from that deck. The home should be complete in a month or two. I also have a lot listed up here at just $110,000 and suitable for a multi-level home that will feature great views like these form the second floor.

Colorado Ridge is a real winner and views like this will someday be available only on resale homes. Now is the time to snag a lot or brand new home either in Colorado Ridge or one of the other great Washougal hillside subdivisions.

No matter what you do be sure to enjoy the view.

Happy Holidays!

I think you all may have to enjoy the view from inside the mall ;)

Maybe you can enjoy the view of a White Christmas on Sunday. I don't know maybe you want a view of bikinis, Bermuda shorts, and palm trees.

May your Holiday Season bring joy and happiness to you and yours, see you next year!