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Thanks, pika. That's ultimately what I decided, though the town is so attractive in many ways, it still tempts me. Also, I noticed that in the heat wave a year ago summer, it stayed cool, due to it's fortunate location, getting winds both from the ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and also down the Georgia Strait. But heaven forbid--if there's ever a fire in the Olympics, the town would be screwed. But that's true of anywhere around the Puget Sound region--Bellingham, too.
Anyway, all the rentals suddenly disappeared, the year after I posted. No one here knew what was going on with that, either, nor did my friends in town. It was only last year that I figured out, that everyone converted their rentals into Air B & B's. The few 2 or 3 br. rentals there are, are handled through personal contacts; they never make it onto Craigslist, it seems. I checked one out when I was there, that was advertised locally. That seems to be the way to go. And even then, it's very competitive, due to the scarcity. My thread ran just a bit before you joined, btw. Thanks again for your info here.
Ruth, you can always visit PT to get the good part without being stuck with the bad.
The rental scarcity existed even when I was looking for a cheap place while our house was being built. Since then, some rentals became Air BnBs but I think you are vastly overstating its role. Someone I know there sold two rental houses because they could not charge enough rent to get what they considered a fair return on their investment. I doubt they were the only ones who simply pulled out of the landlord biz in PT. Others probably just got tired of crappy tenants.
I used to read the CL Housing Wanted ads when I was living there. Could not believe the high percentage of ads with one or more of the following glowing tenant specs:
Bad credit history
No job and poor prospects of getting one
Criminal record
Drug/alcohol addiction(s)
Sleazy exes
Sleazy NON-ex
Multiple dogs, all allegedly perfectly behaved!
Bizarre lifestyle habits
No reliable form of transportation
Need superlow rent, like no more than $300/month
MUST have a “420 friendly” landlord
Vague assortment of “friends” who will be “occasionally” staying there
No wonder landlords bailed out entirely or converted to vacation rentals...
Ruth, you can always visit PT to get the good part without being stuck with the bad.
The rental scarcity existed even when I was looking for a cheap place while our house was being built. Since then, some rentals became Air BnBs but I think you are vastly overstating its role. Someone I know there sold two rental houses because they could not charge enough rent to get what they considered a fair return on their investment. I doubt they were the only ones who simply pulled out of the landlord biz in PT. Others probably just got tired of crappy tenants.
I used to read the CL Housing Wanted ads when I was living there. Could not believe the high percentage of ads with one or more of the following glowing tenant specs:
Bad credit history
No job and poor prospects of getting one
Criminal record
Drug/alcohol addiction(s)
Sleazy exes
Sleazy NON-ex
Multiple dogs, all allegedly perfectly behaved!
Bizarre lifestyle habits
No reliable form of transportation
Need superlow rent, like no more than $300/month
MUST have a “420 friendly” landlord
Vague assortment of “friends” who will be “occasionally” staying there
No wonder landlords bailed out entirely or converted to vacation rentals...
Wow. Weird. Because there are perfectly respectable people needing rentals, too, in all age groups. But thanks for the feedback on the Air B & B theory. Some of those LL's who.sold could have charged a little more to people like me, coming from out-of-state, and there are a lot of people like me coming into the area, but I guess maybe most are buying? I found the rental rates very reasonable, and the houses very nice, charming. And there were plenty of them, until suddenly *poof*. there weren't any. It was strange, how it happened all at once. A convergence of situations, I guess: people selling to get out of the LL biz, + other people converting to Air B & B. I guess that demonstrates exactly what you're talking about: people would rather not be LL's at all, or else rent to vacationers, not to locals.
Thanks for helping to fill in the picture. I'm wondering, btw, there's some kind of science research lab in Sequim; couldn't a few Pt T people get jobs there, and commute? And btw, I recently found (for a friend) options for that "super-low rent" in the area, but they're being extremely selective, and after your post, now I know why. The rent is low in part because they need people who like to garden to work on their permaculture farm just outside of town.
BTW, in order to rent in the Bay Area, you need to be able to show the LL a job offer, or recent pay stub, i.e. proof of employment, or proof of a sufficient retirement income to cover living expenses. That would be one solution, for LL's.
Wow. Weird. Because there are perfectly respectable people needing rentals, too, in all age groups. But thanks for the feedback on the Air B & B theory. Some of those LL's who.sold could have charged a little more to people like me, coming from out-of-state, and there are a lot of people like me coming into the area, but I guess maybe most are buying? I found the rental rates very reasonable, and the houses very nice, charming. And there were plenty of them, until suddenly *poof*. there weren't any. It was strange, how it happened all at once. A convergence of situations, I guess: people selling to get out of the LL biz, + other people converting to Air B & B. I guess that demonstrates exactly what you're talking about: people would rather not be LL's at all, or else rent to vacationers, not to locals.
Thanks for helping to fill in the picture. I'm wondering, btw, there's some kind of science research lab in Sequim; couldn't a few Pt T people get jobs there, and commute? And btw, I recently found (for a friend) options for that "super-low rent" in the area, but they're being extremely selective, and after your post, now I know why. The rent is low in part because they need people who like to garden to work on their permaculture farm just outside of town.
BTW, in order to rent in the Bay Area, you need to be able to show the LL a job offer, or recent pay stub, i.e. proof of employment, or proof of a sufficient retirement income to cover living expenses. That would be one solution, for LL's.
Another fact is that home prices for what used to be, well, dumpy places, rose a lot in some cases sheerly due to being a prime view site. I’m not talking “only” 100% but much more than that. In the years between purchase (or inheritance) decades ago and when sold most recently, those places sometimes were rented out fairly cheap. Can’t blame an owner for choosing a big lump sum and washing hands of tenant headaches vs low rent with sketchy tenants.
Besides earning higher rates, vacation rentals are extremely short duration, and eviction does not loom in the picture as it would with deadbeat or destructive residental rentals. The owner also can house guests there whenever he or she desires.
There is a science lab in Sequim. I would guess it requires specific education or training, so probably few job openings of a general nature. In addition, some labs require security clearances. Something tells me a lot of applicants could not even pass the initial drug test. Just sayin’...
The tiny building (less than 200 sf) I rented for a few months in 2012 cost $475 per month incl. utilties, IIRC. Turned out it had numerous safety standard violations. But I gritted my teeth and stayed for the time planned. In addition to the rent for it, I paid $100-something per month for a huge storage space rental about 3 miles away. I walked or cycled between them because the rental place had iffy parking. The only other available choices had been renting a beautiful for-sale house ($$$$) or renting a vacation cottage that had no demand in winter. The latter owner referred to $1000 a month as “cheap”. I passed on it.
When we later sold our own house there, the agents told us several couples had asked about renting it. We did not want to be landlords, especially while living out of state. The house was clean and empty, and we wanted it to stay that way for prospective buyers. When we ourselves had looked at homes for sale there and elsewhere, some tenants seemed to go out of their way to discourage buyers. Bad odors, messy, furniture jammed into spaces to make them look smaller, less time available for viewings, etc. And those were the GOOD tenants, LOL.
Where is "here". I assume this was supposed to link to something? I'd like to read updates on the war games.
There have been no updates, unfortunately. It seems to be a non-issue for a lot of people. I think Pt T must have a group of activists that are very vocal on a number of issues, but the majority of residents are unconcerned, or in any case--are inactive about those issues.
Pikabike's description is pretty spot on. I am moving away from this crazy place called Port Townsend. I moved here in 2006 in support of my husband's dream and have had nothing but hardship, financial and social. Yes it is has physical beauty but the culture is less so. It tries very hard to present as a forward thinking, progressive town that champions all the correct causes. The reality is quite different. Multi million dollar pet project take priority over schools and other public needs. The social structure is exclusive and cliquish. Jobs are scarce, wages are still low and COL is higher than ever. There are many festivals and events but the cost is out of reach for anyone of modest to average income. I am lucky to have an admin. position in healthcare but it was a long wait finding it. I am well educated with many years working in my field but I had to work 4-5 minimum wage jobs to live just above the poverty line. When my daughter was in High School our low income qualified her for free school lunch. My last experience as a low income worker was in college.
I finally sold the house I owned here and I am gladly leaving this place behind me to heal in a better community. There is so much more I could say but if you are considering moving here don't let the facade fool you get to know the place and it's people first. There are very active, effective and exclusive groups heavily invested in turning the town into the everything they moved here to escape.
I moved there in 2010 and left in 2015 for Olympia. My main issues with PT are
1) Too remote for me. Takes 45 minutes to get to Sequim or Silverdale to buy a lot of things you can't get in PT. Amazing how many "environmentalists" in PT don't mind wasting all that gas so they can keep a decent store out of town. At least the Mercantile finally got up and running and you can buy underwear in town someplace besides the drugstore.
2) Medical care. The three excellent doctors I had, one got an illness that disabled her, and the other two left town because they felt there wasn't enough for their kids to do there. The PA I was assigned to was worthless. Had a four month wait for a PT appointment. When my friend's husband had serious heart issues, he died in the hospital in Bremerton because PT's was too small to treat him. She's elderly and doesn't drive so she had difficulty getting there while he was a patient. I live alone and there's rampant heart disease in my family, so I needed a larger hospital nearby. The one less than a mile from my current house does heart valve replacements, joint replacements, etc. No need to travel an hour. If you have family to help you might not mind having to travel to Bremerton or Seattle for more complicated care, but that wasn't an option for me - I'm not the kind of person to rely repeatedly on friends for things like that. There's also a real lack of specialists, and the few there are require very long waits for appointments.
3) Inconvenient to the airport. I traveled to Western Asia in 2014 and knew I would be too fried to drive after the 18+ hour flight home including connections, so I used the peninsula shuttle. My flight left at 6:30 p.m. and because the only other people traveling that day were catching a much earlier flight, they picked me up at 11 a.m. So I sat in the airport for hours. My friend mentioned above regularly uses the buses and ferry, but it takes her hours to get home. If you never travel, no biggie, but I had a couple family emergencies on the east coast to deal with and it was really inconvenient.
4) No diversity. It's a lot of retired white people. TONS of retired people. I'm white and retired, but I need a wider range of friends and acquaintances than that. I don't want to be around so many people who are like me. It leads to #5:
5) Very closed minded. There is liberal/progressive, and then there is an unwillingness to even consider anything that might make the town a little more business-friendly. And the small local businesses struggle at times and provide few jobs. I talked to one business owner there shortly after I moved to town who told me she has to borrow money all winter because when the tourist season is over, very few locals shop at the boutique-y little stores except for a little Christmas business. So she can't keep it open on its cash flow alone.
6). Very limited high-quality cultural activities. The local theater is good, and there are music festivals at Centrum, but the regular music is the same few bands all the time. One I saw one of them 4 times with my friends who were friends of theirs, but I got kind of bored listening to the same old stuff. The Wooden Boat Festival is fun, but there are a lot of serious political issues with the Maritime Center.
Bottom line: I love visiting my friend there, but I'm REALLY glad I moved to a larger town closer to the airport and with convenient shopping, yet one with few traffic hassles and reasonably-priced housing (at least, in comparison to PT, Seattle, etc.). And since I moved here, my kid moved to Portland after finishing graduate school, so now I'm only two hours away from him instead of the four I would be if I stayed there.
I moved there in 2010 and left in 2015 for Olympia. My main issues with PT are
1) Too remote for me. Takes 45 minutes to get to Sequim or Silverdale to buy a lot of things you can't get in PT. Amazing how many "environmentalists" in PT don't mind wasting all that gas so they can keep a decent store out of town. At least the Mercantile finally got up and running and you can buy underwear in town someplace besides the drugstore.
2) Medical care. The three excellent doctors I had, one got an illness that disabled her, and the other two left town because they felt there wasn't enough for their kids to do there. The PA I was assigned to was worthless. Had a four month wait for a PT appointment. When my friend's husband had serious heart issues, he died in the hospital in Bremerton because PT's was too small to treat him. She's elderly and doesn't drive so she had difficulty getting there while he was a patient. I live alone and there's rampant heart disease in my family, so I needed a larger hospital nearby. The one less than a mile from my current house does heart valve replacements, joint replacements, etc. No need to travel an hour. If you have family to help you might not mind having to travel to Bremerton or Seattle for more complicated care, but that wasn't an option for me - I'm not the kind of person to rely repeatedly on friends for things like that. There's also a real lack of specialists, and the few there are require very long waits for appointments.
3) Inconvenient to the airport. I traveled to Western Asia in 2014 and knew I would be too fried to drive after the 18+ hour flight home including connections, so I used the peninsula shuttle. My flight left at 6:30 p.m. and because the only other people traveling that day were catching a much earlier flight, they picked me up at 11 a.m. So I sat in the airport for hours. My friend mentioned above regularly uses the buses and ferry, but it takes her hours to get home. If you never travel, no biggie, but I had a couple family emergencies on the east coast to deal with and it was really inconvenient.
4) No diversity. It's a lot of retired white people. TONS of retired people. I'm white and retired, but I need a wider range of friends and acquaintances than that. I don't want to be around so many people who are like me. It leads to #5:
5) Very closed minded. There is liberal/progressive, and then there is an unwillingness to even consider anything that might make the town a little more business-friendly. And the small local businesses struggle at times and provide few jobs. I talked to one business owner there shortly after I moved to town who told me she has to borrow money all winter because when the tourist season is over, very few locals shop at the boutique-y little stores except for a little Christmas business. So she can't keep it open on its cash flow alone.
6). Very limited high-quality cultural activities. The local theater is good, and there are music festivals at Centrum, but the regular music is the same few bands all the time. One I saw one of them 4 times with my friends who were friends of theirs, but I got kind of bored listening to the same old stuff. The Wooden Boat Festival is fun, but there are a lot of serious political issues with the Maritime Center.
Bottom line: I love visiting my friend there, but I'm REALLY glad I moved to a larger town closer to the airport and with convenient shopping, yet one with few traffic hassles and reasonably-priced housing (at least, in comparison to PT, Seattle, etc.). And since I moved here, my kid moved to Portland after finishing graduate school, so now I'm only two hours away from him instead of the four I would be if I stayed there.
Thanks for posting. What are the political issues with the Maritime Center?
Do you remember the Native art gallery downtown, Ancestral Spirits Gallery? They had to close, because Bank of America ended their business line of credit program, that had allowed businesses to tide themselves over through the annual dry spells, with a little flexibility via credit. That gallery had always been in good standing with their line of credit, paying on time, paying more that was owed. B of A had no problem with the gallery; they simply decided that lines of credit to small businesses weren't lucrative. Everyone I spoke to in town when I visited missed the gallery, and wanted to know what happened. It's sad.
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But that's true of anywhere around the Puget Sound region--Bellingham, too. 
