I’ve spent the past 6 months looking at the Vancouver (and a bit north), Camas, Washougal (and a bit east) areas for houses (not massive houses) with at least 2 acres. I could not find anything decent (that wasn’t a manufactured home or something that needed massive repair) for less than $800,000.
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Can you start with your brother? Or your SIL? They know their area, and maybe they know you and your DH as well, to advise on their neighborhood and your likes and dislikes. Are they good at that sort of thing?
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There is no SIL but yes , of course my (non horsey) brother will try to help and give some advice etc .
Did I mention he’s non horsey lol ? His new job is to make some friends with Horses.
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Depends on where you board but I have boarded at barns that did just that or they’d sweep back the front half of the stall. Only one place where I boarded bedded the entire stall unless it was on my property, then it was abundant and deep. It must be a NW thing.
I will pm you a bit later with a couple names you might want to look for on the internet or social media - just to get peeks of what lives in your equestrian niche look like in a couple of different PNW settings.
As far as the PNW and stall bedding… the barn where we boarded our now retired horse for most of his “working” years used very minimal bedding. Their theory was the mats were the padding, and the bedding was just to soak up urine. In stalls where the horse had a usual pee location, they only put some sawdust/shavings mixed bedding in that spot. The approach does save resources, but our horse did most of his sleeping in turn-out - and he always let us know he appreciated a nicely bedded stall when we went to shows.
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Definitely. I boarded for 15+ years in the PNW (OR & SW WA) and all of the barns I was at bedded stalls normally. I did encounter several barns that did the strange ‘dusting of shavings in the corner’ thing and tried hard to rationalize why, but that wasn’t the norm at all.
How old are your nieces and nephews? They grow up. Fast. And often don’t stay put. Wondering the possibility your brother could more relocate by you than you by him?
No, it’s not.
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Sorry, late to the conversation! I’m in WA just NE of Portland in Clark County.
Affordability here is…well…relative? Wages are higher here than in other parts of the country, unemployment is very low. But housing is in short supply as no one is selling. In Clark County (just over the river from Portland), the average home price is over $500K. Most ‘horse properties’ are in North County (Battleground, Ridgefield) and are 5 acres or less. They are also stupidly expensive as that is the most desirable/fastest growing area. I live in east county-- near the Gorge. Still some more affordable places to be had, but they are few and far between (and by affordable I mean $400K). The PNW is a hot market and prices reflect that. Our 5 acre farmette was bought 21 years ago for $260K, but is valued at $700K now.
If you go north of Vancouver/Clark County into Cowlitz county-- Woodland, you’ll find more affordable options, This puts you an hour from PDX. Again, depending on where your brother lives, that might be doable.
In Oregon, heading west of Portland, along the Columbia out Hwy 30 into the St. Helens and beyond area or out Hwy 26 toward North Plains or Banks might get you a small acreage option or even a house with boarding nearby, in your price range. East of Portland, into Sandy, Estacada, or even southeast of Portland into Silverton might get you by.
Again-- you might be better off with a condo and boarding than with trying to find an acreage home. I’ve boarded my competition horses for going on 30 years and while I’ve only encountered one sub-par bedding situation, barns that cater to the trail riding/Western disciplines or self-care riders have had fewer amenities, less bedding and unsatisfactory feed. Board generally runs as low as $200/month for self care/you provide feed and bedding, up through $1200 for a full care with turnout (more at the high end H/J barns).
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