Sudden Valley Bellingham WA (Blaine: rentals, HOA, crime)

[martin18]

Hey Blindtom, thanks for the response. We stayed just over two weeks and went to SV several times, though of course not every day. I guess the drive would be a bit annoying if you had to do it 2 times or more a day, but because I work from home, and my son will be going to school in Geneva (I will have to drive him), I think it will affect us less than most. Also, as commutes go it is a really beautiful drive, so I'd say most people have it worse.

Thanks for the positive feedback, any other opinions welcome!

[jaja111]

I've been in Bham going on month 6 now. We decided to purchase a house in the Silver Beach neighborhood. Yeah, it was expensive but we feel it was a value for some seclusion and still maintaining access to the city. Dealing with driving in and out of Silver Beach I can say its the limit of my tolerance for driving here. My son has daycare in Fairhaven near the university (Happy Valley more or less), I work near the airport, and my wife works downtown, so we have our fair share of commuting for work. However I find the real pain to actually be shopping. Food can't really be reasonably done at one store as multiple stores have the cheaper items you need so that incurs tooling around the city. While we have great trails nearby and plenty of activity, to get to downtown for other things to do sometimes proves to be a small pain.

We considered SV based on the beauty of the homes and their prices. I couldn't believe some of the deals we saw. However after living here and knowing a few people living there in SV I am very very happy we bit a hotter faster bullet by staying out of it. The commuting, whether for work or shopping is a major chore for residents there. The quality of the community continues to decline with more and more people that care less and less about their homes. The fiasco that is the leadership of the HOA continues to be a scam with no appreciable improvements in sight. The one compliant regarding SV I had come across before moving here that has not surfaced since we've been here, is the resultant horror show of a snow fall and subsequent failure to remove the snow and ice... and that could simply be because we have not had any snow and ice this winter.

SV does appear to be a sound solution for someone's housing needs while maintaining their sound finances, but I strongly urge you to reconsider your intentions to purchase in that development. The longer term will prove to be a financial disaster as SV turns more into what some other Canandian funded developments have become. Peaceful Valley is a great example, now ridden with crime, squalor, and completely tanked home values. You will inevitably have grave regrets regarding a decision to set your roots in that community and when it comes time for you to believe its necessary to leave you will have taken a serious bath on your home's value. All indicators of market performance, HOA track records, dwindling services, lack of infrastructure maintenance, rising crime rates, and the diminishing overall aesthetics of the area all point to a move to SV being a very poor mid to long term decision. I also urge you to seriously consider renting for some time to find the right house outside of SV, fortifying your search with the help of a realtor, and very diligently exploring all of the neighborhoods of Bellingham with your own senses. Now is definitely the time for a home purchase as prices climb out of their recessionary hole, however there still is no such thing as a free lunch and SV still initially appears to be one.

[Arushan]

I find it rather saddening how Sudden Valley has gone downhill. I've been seeing so many vacant homes in a sorry state of disrepair. IE: The moss-coated roofs, junk cars, unmaintained lawns, and other things combined just makes it feel depressing anymore. I'm glad I don't live there anymore.

[Fairwinds]

I avoid HOA communities like the plague! I don't care for someone measuring the gravel in my side yard with a micrometer and then getting monthly fines from the HOA till I rectify the situation with new gravel 10 ml smaller in diameter! I realize that they may be a necessary evil where condominiums are concerned. I've heard so many horror stories about HOA's that I won't buy property that has an HOA! HALL OF HORROR STORIES - HOA CORRUPTION

Try to find a home that's not in an HOA. You'll be much happier in the long run!

[martin18]

Thanks to all of you for the responses (and sorry for the delay in getting back, internet down for several days).

Kind of frightening, obviously. Based on what you say, I'm going to be doing a lot more research with people living there. So far, I only spoke to one family renting and one family of homeowners, and they both really loved it there. The homeowners just saw the HOA fees as the price of living in a beautiful place and ignored all the politics of it. And they didn't find the HOA particularly intrusive, not compared to what I've read about some other HOAs. But I'm on the way to talking to more homeowners there to get more of a diversity of opinion.

Part of the problem is that I really can't go above 300k MAX (and would be far more comfortable below 250). Just can't afford more. And there isn't that much decent in Bham in that price range - not least within reasonable commuting distance to Geneva where my son will be going to school. (And in forested surroundings, which is really important to me.) Now, I know costs related to SV (HOA fees, utilities, maintenance) might be higher so I really need to know more about that - hence my original detailed questions about all that. So still would appreciate any feedback on that from those in the know.

Arushan, given that you have lived in SV, I would really like to know more about your negative experiences there. What happened? Were you renting/owning? I've got to say, on my quite extensive driving around the area I just didn't see what you were saying about poor maintenance and stuff. On the contrary, it looked to me that virtually all houses were really well cared for. I saw one home that only part-built and with a lot of moss on the roof - clearly the money ran out. And yes, the shared infrastructure is in poor shape - I know that's part of the problem there. But it doesn't personally concern me that much for $65 a month. It would concern me if the dues were significantly higher (and I know some people want that), but from what I read if they raised the dues it would be to repair the shared infrastructure. (It's a personal thing, but I think I'd prefer the lower dues myself). But maybe I'm missing something?

Jaja, I hear you particularly on the shopping thing, it's not ideal. But to be honest, I live sort of in the middle of nowhere right now with the same issue, and I really don't find it to be a big deal. On seclusion, well I personally love that kind of thing, but I have a 6 year old son who needs friends and that is a lot more important. I see SV as potentially being really good from the neighbor point of view, though of course it's a question of luck (and maybe a bit of research). I was interested in what you said about indicators of market performance and rising crime rates - can you point me to any data on that? It's true that home prices have fallen a lot in SV (a few of the listings would make your eyes water), but I'm not sure that there is that much room for additional substantial declines. Sure, there might be not much upside, but I have trouble imagining that I am going to lose a bunch of money (other than through neighbors from hell or something). On crime, I heard there was some drug-dealing issues some years ago, but that it had been resolved. Also, I asked myself, what kind of drug-dealing issues? Drive-by gangsta shootings, or some college kid dealing pot to his friends or something? I'm not very worried about the latter (and apparently most Washingtonians aren't either given that it's now legal...). That said, I don't want to have to worry about having the back door kicked in while I'm sleeping upstairs with my son. But I didn't get the impression that was an issue there, far from it.

Anyway, all further perspectives very welcome, thanks a lot!

[nitrot150]

I live in SV and it is really nice out here. The community is really great too. The HOA isn't THAT picky about little random things (ie: no one is measuring my gravel, or grass for that matter) the dues kind of suck, but at the same time they aren't that crazy.

The drive to town can blow but if you don't have to do it too much it is great, and some people really don't mind.

you get more bang for your buck for houses and that can work well. I save about 75/mo for HOA fees right now, and that covers it easily at the moment.

Hope this helps!

(ps, we are homeowners, lived there for 6 years)

[west seattle gal]

I would love info about the family-friendliness of SV. My parents live there, but they are retirees and do not pay attention to family/kid issues. We have a toddler and 3rd grader.

1) Are there a lot of kids in the neighborhood? Is one gate particularly filled with kids?
2) How safe is it for older kids to run to friends' houses, walk/bike a trail, or go to the pool without an adult? Since the community ammenities are accessed by non-SV members, has safety for kids become an issue?
3) Can kids bike on the trails?
4) Childcare -- what do Geneva families use for before/after care, and is there a closer daycare for little ones? Either my husband or I will have to work in Everett due to the poor job situation in Whatcom, so coordination with childcare may become an issue...

Any issues/info from the family/kid perspective would be much appreciated!!

[Ruth4Truth]

I wouldn't recommend parents allowing their kids to go to a pool without parental supervision. Lifeguards aren't babysitters. Kids, especially small children, need to have an adult around.

[west seattle gal]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

I wouldn't recommend parents allowing their kids to go to a pool without parental supervision. Lifeguards aren't babysitters. Kids, especially small children, need to have an adult around.

Not at their current ages of course, but I'm looking at the big picture. When I was about 12, we kids ran to the pool and around the neighborhoods by ourselves -- that freedom is missing in Seattle. Basically, is SV a great place to grow up?

[martin18]

Hi, I just wanted to follow up and say that I have now been renting in SV (Gate 3, which is allegedly more "down-market") for 7 months and absolutely love it. It is, of course, a question of personal preferences. I am a tree addict, and there couldn't be a better place for me. My house is neither very dark, nor does it get a lot of light. I love looking at the evergreens outside my window. I love driving around the area (looking for that idea home to buy). I love the drive into town. Everything in Bellingham is so close, even if you live in SV. 10 mins to Fred Meyers.

Yes, there are some run-down properties, but not many. And it's more a case of them being overtaken by moss and fallen leaves (rather than trailers or abandoned cars), so they blend in pretty well! It doesn't worry me at all - they are few and far between.

Good for kids? It depends. Great for my sibling-less 7 year old. We have a couple of kids in neighboring houses, so it is far better than anything he ever had before. They play in the street all the time. We are on a dead-end street. Apart from the latter, it's a question of luck or prior research as to whether there will be other kids around (like any area, I guess). As to the general environment, we don't even have a yard (as in a boring piece of manicured grass), but my son is ecstatic with the forest environment and is constantly building hideaways, digging, etc. Deer visiting. Completely magical.

So far all the HOA dysfunction has had no impact on me. When it snowed (not very much this year), they were up ploughing the same morning. The roads are in great shape. How things evolve in future remains to be seen.

All in all I suppose it's a question of taste, and SV is certainly to mine! I have met people who are very unhappy living here (mostly the weather and light), but I have met more who are very happy.