The housing market in Clark County, particularly in places like Battle Ground, Brush Prairie, La Center and Ridgefield, is strong and getting stronger.
“The market is pretty brisk right now,” says Beverly “Bev” Brissler, a managing broker with Coldwell Banker United Realty in Battle Ground. “Even land is hot right now and we haven’t seen that for a while.”
Brissler has her finger on the pulse of Clark County’s real estate market. She’s been a real estate broker in Southwest Washington since 1991 and has seen the high, lows and everything in between. She knows that Baby Boomers want one-story homes with at least three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a three-car garage and a sizeable yard. She also knows that Millennials, the youngest generation of homebuyers, never check their email but will always respond to a text.
And when it comes to North Clark County, and Battle Ground especially, Brissler is optimistic. She says people who work in Vancouver and Portland are starting to look to Battle Ground as the ideal place to buy a home and raise a family.
“With Battle Ground being so close to I-5 and with the widening of the Battle Ground Highway, it will really open this area up to a lot more (opportunities),” Brissler says. “People are looking at Battle Ground with its wineries and hotel and tourism … and things are starting to really pick up.”
At her Coldwell Banker office in Battle Ground, Brissler says real estate agents are getting multiple offers on properties and can barely keep the listings priced below $200,000 on the market for more than a few days.
“We had two listings under $200,000 that came in on a Wednesday or Thursday and sold by Sunday,” Brissler says. “It’s a seller’s market for homes under $400,000.”
More expensive homes, especially those priced over $500,000, aren’t selling as fast as houses under $400,000, but they’re still selling.
Brissler says the latest numbers for the North Clark County housing market show that homes in this area are selling faster than they were just one year ago.
“At this time last year, we had 4.2 months worth of inventory and 1,800 listings,” Brissler says. “Now, we have 2.4 months worth of inventory and only 1,388 listings.”
Those numbers are for homes selling for less than $400,000. For the $400,000-plus range, there are eight months worth of inventory.
“For homes over $500,000 it’s still a buyer’s market,” Brissler says.
Renters are feeling the squeeze, and Brissler says rentals in North Clark County is becoming expensive and hard to find.
“Everything’s full up in the rental part of the industry,” Brissler says. “The typical rental in Battle Ground is going for $1 per square foot, per month, which is up over last year. And it’s hard to even find a rental right now.”
One good thing about buying in North Clark County, according to Brissler, is that the rural area qualifies for USDA financing through the US Department of Agriculture. The program applies to all houses in a certain area, not just farm properties and can save homebuyers a good chunk of the upfront costs associated with buying a home.
“It’s another tool and any lending institution should be able to help people find out about that program,” Brissler says. “It’s an affordable way for a person to get into a home without a down payment.”
For people interested in buying or selling a home in North Clark County, Brissler urges them to look for local real estate agents instead of going outside the area.
“You want someone with experience and you want to find someone local,” Brissler says. “Good representation is critical. An experienced agent will know the pitfalls of buying and selling in that area.”
