How long on average does it take to secure a rental unit in the Hawthorne area of Portland (Sunnyside: real estate)

[jlpbc]

Hi, My husband and I are planning on relocating from Florida in April or May of next year. We would really like to see our rental in person before committing. We love the Hawthorne area so yesterday I went to Homeaway.com and looked into a vacation rental short term for 3-4 months so we can live there and explore homes in the area. We have 2 cats and 2 dogs and surprisingly the manager at homeaway agreed to let us do the short term rental in Hawthorne! Problem is it is a 350 square foot studio and it will be very cramped for 3 months.

However we don't know if we should just look for a long term rental instead. He said that he has no long term rentals available right now and that the vacation rental will fill up very soon even if we are coming in late May. He said he needs a decision soon, but I just wanted to get an idea of how long with 2 cats and 2 dogs will it take me to find a long term place? Should I start looking now? By the way the vacation rental is through Hawthorne rentals and I will be taking my job with me. Should I just take the short term rental and put my stuff in storage? Any thoughts?

I know I will like living in Hawthorne, unless I can explore other parts of the city first and think they are just as cool. Thanks for any advice.

[hamellr]

Hawthorne is not a neighborhood, it's a street that splits two highly desirable neighborhoods. Even before the current low vacancy rates, that area was already filled to the brim and rentals were hard to find.

Take the short term rental, and then walk the streets every day to watch for the rent signs as they get put up. Jump on them ASAP. Expect the dog and cat to make things much harder for you.

[jlpbc]

Originally Posted by hamellr

Hawthorne is not a neighborhood, it's a street that splits two highly desirable neighborhoods. Even before the current low vacancy rates, that area was already filled to the brim and rentals were hard to find.

Take the short term rental, and then walk the streets every day to watch for the rent signs as they get put up. Jump on them ASAP. Expect the dog and cat to make things much harder for you.

Thanks, that was my gut feeling and we will have the time we need to discover if there are any other areas we find desirable. We may get there and find we like another area as just as much. I know the cat and dog thing is going to be very difficult and I was actually surprised I was able to secure a short term rental.

How long on average would it take me to find something on average in Portland city proper in the $1400-1500 range? Should staying in this studio for 4 months give me ample time to find a place somewhere in the city proper?

Thanks so much!

[hamellr]

Go here to see what is available. https://www.padmapper.com/

$1400 to $1500 will likely find you a decent house, or an apartment in a desirable part of the city.

For my money, I'd look up around Alberta Street. It has everything Hawthorne has, but is still less crowded as it's still undergoing gentrification.

[Minervah]

I live in the area you are asking about. Vacancies are rare. Vacancies of the size you need are even more rare. Those especially go by word of mouth. Being in the area is the best way to find something. That's the way I have always found an apartment here. Walk the streets everyday with checkbook in hand.

Don't relegate yourself only to the north side of Hawthorne. Many make this mistake. The South side of the street has many really nice homes. Although most are owned, occasionally you will find one or two rentals. That would be Hosford Abernathy up through Richmond. The Northern portion btw is Sunnyside - Buckman.

Get yourself a good map of the area. As Hamllr stated, Hawthorne is a boulevard that runs through them. It is a good place to begin your search since it is sort of a dividing line between north and south.

[jlanepbc]

I am beginning my search and have expanded it to include Alberta, (based on what I read about the neighborhood) and Irvington. I have called some rentals and am having a hard time getting private rentals because I have one pet too many. I now only have 1 dog and 2 cats. My other dog passed away.

I have found many places that only take 1 cat and 1 dog or just 1 pet either cat or dog. I currenty own my home and we are selling it. Ideally I would like a 2 bedroom now and we are looking at a budget of up to $1300. Ideally we would like a 2 bedroom as I work from home. Is property management any better than private owners? It doesn't seem the property managers have many listings based on my online research. I really wish I could come search in person but my husband thinks it will be a waste of our moving funds so the temporary rental was a no-go for him.

We definitely want to be in a cool artsy area, hopefully it is doable with this budget. We may take a 1 bedroom instead if it is 700 sq feet or more. We hate where we live now because it is in the suburbs of South Florida, so we don't want our Portland experience to be tainted by the suburbs like our Florida experience was. That is the most important to us. We are city people with no kids except for our pets. If anyone can offer help with good Pet-friendly propery management firms via PM it would appreciated. Thanks.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by jlanepbc

I am beginning my search and have expanded it to include Alberta, (based on what I read about the neighborhood) and Irvington. I have called some rentals and am having a hard time getting private rentals because I have one pet too many. I now only have 1 dog and 2 cats. My other dog passed away.

I have found many places that only take 1 cat and 1 dog or just 1 pet either cat or dog. I currenty own my home and we are selling it. Ideally I would like a 2 bedroom now and we are looking at a budget of up to $1300. Ideally we would like a 2 bedroom as I work from home. Is property management any better than private owners? It doesn't seem the property managers have many listings based on my online research. I really wish I could come search in person but my husband thinks it will be a waste of our moving funds so the temporary rental was a no-go for him.

We definitely want to be in a cool artsy area, hopefully it is doable with this budget. We may take a 1 bedroom instead if it is 700 sq feet or more. We hate where we live now because it is in the suburbs of South Florida, so we don't want our Portland experience to be tainted by the suburbs like our Florida experience was. That is the most important to us. We are city people with no kids except for our pets. If anyone can offer help with good Pet-friendly propery management firms via PM it would appreciated. Thanks.

They used to allow dogs but I see the ad says cats allowed and does not mention dogs. Still it would be worth a call because it meets all your criteria. I used to rent from this company and they were okay. Your best bet is going to be a real estate management company since you cannot come out and look ahead of time. Many landlords just put out signs because rentals are snapped up pretty quickly and they do not have to bother with Craig's List and the like.

Reliance Properties

[jlanepbc]

Thank you, Minervah!

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by jlanepbc

Thank you, Minervah!

You are welcome. Good luck in your search.