Familar With Oregon or Washington State?

[capcook]

Well, the Admiral is coming around to the idea of owning a large CAT if I would be willing to move to the West coast... I say DONE... Now, where. I want somewhere I can get a nice modern house 3 BR 3 Bath for 300-400k where I could dock a 40-50 foot CAT.. I am thinking it will need to be Oregon or WA... maybe the Port Townsend Bay area near Seattle ? I know this is a BIG area but we really will be flexible as this will just be a base from which to sail from. She wants easier access to Japan so being near a major airport would be a plus..but MUST be on the water... any ideas where to look ?

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by capcook

Well, the Admiral is coming around to the idea of owning a large CAT if I would be willing to move to the West coast... I say DONE... Now, where. I want somewhere I can get a nice modern house 3 BR 3 Bath for 300-400k where I could dock a 40-50 foot CAT.. I am thinking it will need to be Oregon or WA... maybe the Port Townsend Bay area near Seattle ? I know this is a BIG area but we really will be flexible as this will just be a base from which to sail from. She wants easier access to Japan so being near a major airport would be a plus..but MUST be on the water... any ideas where to look ?

Let's see . . . nice, modern house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, MUST be on the water, for $300-400,000. Hmmmm, sounds like you may be living in Baja or the mainland of Mexico.

Is that what you had in mind?

TaoJones

[Randy]

I'm thinking towards a million.

[Stillraining]

Sorry to bust you bubble but the above answers are leaning the right direction.

You will be Lucky to find a water front High bluff lot for 300 to 400K.... low bank with enough water to keep you wet forget it....or else very, very lucky indeed...go buy a lotto ticket the same day if you do..

[capcook]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

Let's see . . . nice, modern house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, MUST be on the water, for $300-400,000. Hmmmm, sounds like you may be living in Baja or the mainland of Mexico.

Is that what you had in mind?

TaoJones

Well, don't need to be near the city... so should be doable...

Just started looking around... this place is 400k looks to fit the bill.. probably others....

3063 PARADISE BAY RD, Port Ludlow, WA 98365

[Randy]

I hope it does fit the bill. The peninsula has a lot going for it.

[hglad]

Good Luck!!
Would be a good idea to spend a month or two out here looking.

[sarafina]

you do know that the weather there is nasty?

beautiful when it is clear enough to see, but that is not much of the time...

I would look further south, like Coos Bay maybe...

Well, honestly I would look WAY south to San Diego, buy inland a bit where I could aford, and put the boat on a mooring... SD is a great boating town.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by capcook

Well, don't need to be near the city... so should be doable...

Just started looking around... this place is 400k looks to fit the bill.. probably others....

3063 PARADISE BAY RD, Port Ludlow, WA 98365

Well, that home is on the land side of Paradise Bay Road, not the water side. You can see the bay from the homesite, apparently, but I assumed that when you wrote "MUST be on the water," you meant, literally, a waterfront home.

If you really meant "water view" or "short drive to water," that's a totally different thing. Port Ludlow also puts you about 90 miles away from SeaTac - how close do you want to be to an international airport?

Port Townsend puts you that much further away from the airport - Sequim, further still. Sequim will have the best weather, has a nice marina, but is basically a retirement community. I wouldn't go as far west as Port Angeles - the weather changes for the "wetter" as you go west from Sequim.

TaoJones

[Stillraining]

TJ..

Sounds like you have been around thease parts for a jag at least.

[capcook]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

Well, that home is on the land side of Paradise Bay Road, not the water side.
TaoJones

Thanks Tao... the listing says 100' of water front so perhaps the space between the road and water is part of the lot ? We would probabaly be OK with an 1-2hr drive to a major airport. How much tidal drop is there in that part of the Bay ?

Well, I do know the weather is not as nice as I would like... can't seem to get her excited about FLA which would be my first choice... There are lots of homes in Cape Coral area with direct access to the Gulf for well under 400k... Of course they will all be Underwater in 20yrs....

cheers

[capcook]

Originally Posted by sarafina

Well, honestly I would look WAY south to San Diego, buy inland a bit where I could aford, and put the boat on a mooring... SD is a great boating town.

Thanks Sarafina.... I will have a look... just didn't think anything would be available in that area for my meager budget.... From what I have read, sounds like the waters around SD can get pretty rough... could one leave a 40-50 CAT unattended on a mooring in that area?

[Randy]

Capcook,
The Pt Townsend area takes about four hrs to get to Seattle as I recall, long enough to where the wife and I haven't gone up there lately when we go to Seattle even though I love it in the Pt Townsend area.
As far as San Diego goes there may be some houses available inland 20 miles depending on what your definition of nice & modern is (we have our million dollar house with the corresponding mortgage closer in)
Where did you hear the water can get rough here? (It is ocean and any ocean can get rough) Generally it is like a lake south of Pt Conception and a boat has to be able to sail well in light air to do well here. The moorings are maintained by a Port Authority contractor and are very reliable - you'd have to check with them on the length of the waiting list for a mooring though.
Good Luck, seems like it'll take some footwork to get it done.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by capcook

Thanks Tao... the listing says 100' of water front so perhaps the space between the road and water is part of the lot ? We would probabaly be OK with an 1-2hr drive to a major airport. How much tidal drop is there in that part of the Bay ?

Well, I do know the weather is not as nice as I would like... can't seem to get her excited about FLA which would be my first choice... There are lots of homes in Cape Coral area with direct access to the Gulf for well under 400k... Of course they will all be Underwater in 20yrs....

cheers

I saw that in the listing, as well, capcook. It could refer to something as insignificant as a little stream that goes through the property down to the bay; real estate copy writers "occasionally" stretch the truth (shocking, I know.)

If you aren't already aware of zillow.com, you should check it out. When you have the address of a property, enter it in the zillow search box. It will pull up the property in question and provide what they call a "zestimate" of the property's value (almost up to the minute) based on nearby comps.

Of course, real estate agents are aware of this, so they will often over-ride the zillow info with their own - as the listing agent has done with the property on Paradise Bay Road - so you won't find the zestimate listed for some properties. One nice feature of zillow is the "bird's-eye view" of a subject property.

In your situation, I would follow Sara's advice and look for property south of Pt. Conception (basically, where Southern California begins). There's no question that Puget Sound sailing is world-class, but it can be very wet and, occasionally, very cold. If you live south of Pt. Conception, that's not nearly the same issue.

If one has the resources to afford a 50' catamaran, why not make that your major investment? You can have the benefit of luxurious accommodations and the option of changing your waterfront view at will. Between Pt. Conception and the Mexican border, you will find a multitude of international airports, as well.

If I had such a vessel, based in such a location (which also has the added benefit of making the Pacific coasts of Baja and the Mexican mainland, as well as the Sea of Cortez easily accessible), but I still wanted a shoreside dwelling, I think I'd opt for a condominium in a desirable place like Dana Point or La Jolla.

Just my two cents - good luck with your search.

TaoJones

[capcook]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

If I had such a vessel, based in such a location (which also has the added benefit of making the Pacific coasts of Baja and the Mexican mainland, as well as the Sea of Cortez easily accessible), but I still wanted a shoreside dwelling, I think I'd opt for a condominium in a desirable place like Dana Point or La Jolla.

TaoJones

Tao, Ha, believe me, if it were totally up to me, the boat woudl be our only home... alas, I am but a pawn in the game of life and if I want the other half invested in the idea, have to compromise with a land base (I guess in case she gets cold feet or fed up with me)... We would not be opposed to a condo, but that means putting a 40-50ft CAT on a mooring or in a marina which might be kinda pricy... .while I think I can swing both capital investments, I need to minimize monthly on going costs...

So was thinking of a place where the boat could hang out behind the house like we do it in Florida...

Thanks for the link... I will have a look..

Cheers