I'm offering a fabulous [really] apartment on the first floor of my custom, beautiful house in a nice, new neighborhood on the north side of Mt. Scott (650 feet elevation, guaranteeing some snow every winter). Two huge windows in the living room... provide a beautiful view of southeast Portland and three Cascade peaks (Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams). About 1100 square feet, a private entrance features a spacious great room, with a nice, bright, modern kitchen, dining area, ADA bathroom, and very large bedroom. Very private and remote from the rest of the house -- you won't notice anyone else living here.

Kitchen has granite countertops, a gas oven/stove, built-in microwave, mini-dishwasher, and big apron-front (farmhouse) sink. Nice laminate flooring throughout (no carpeting), with porcelain tile in the kitchen and bathroom. Gas fireplace in the great room to keep you cozy, with a heat pump supplying base heat and air conditioning, and a ceiling fan to spread the heat around. Nine-foot ceilings to give a feeling of spaciousness. Bathroom has a walk-in (ADA-compliant) shower and granite vanity top.

Spacious bedroom, with large windows to view the woods, with a door to your private patio, lawn, and woods. (I hope you like deer, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, woodpeckers, and raptors. Those with aversions to crickets and croaking frogs need not apply.)

All utilities (except cable upgrades and internet upgrades you might want) are FREE (included with your rent), except your share of the water bill. You have your own high-efficiency washer and dryer right outside your bedroom. Plenty of kitchen cabinet space, pantry and other storage, linen closet, and bedroom closet space. The other door to your bedroom leads to the storage room (where you can have your own freezer), and past that is the oversized 3-car garage, where you can park your car (for an extra $75/month). Lots of parking space on the (relatively safe) street.

Your patio has a large, retractable awning. The patio is surrounded by your own lawn, and is fenced. There is a gas line for your barbecue. On the other side of the fence is your own private woods, with hiking trails going for miles. (In 18 years of living here, I have never seen any sign of a human being in the woods.) There's also a place nearby in the woods where you can read a book. (Trust me -- it's a beautiful, tranquil setting.) Also outside your front windows are large, raised-bed vegetable gardens that you can claim as your own, and you have access to a dozen multi-variety fruit trees on the property and many wild berries that I have cultivated (right outside your bedroom). A fairly private entranceway exists off the driveway and from the garage.

Security in this safe neighborhood is supplemented by security cameras and an electric security gate out front. I'm installing battery backup to my solar panels that will prepare us for the Big Earthquake.

Don't worry about others (me) that occupy the upper floors of the house -- the house is huge, with a large yard off to the other side of the house, and large deck.

So there you have it -- the best of both worlds. The convenience of a nice, spacious, modern apartment, owner-occupied so that things get fixed immediately and is well-maintained, but with the privacy and atmosphere of a home in a tranquil neighborhood, incredible grounds, surrounded by a natural environment. I just don't think you can find anything else like this in Portland. Read More