Fishhawk Lake real estate

In light of the recent fires in many areas of Oregon, it is even more important to some to find a safe haven that wasn’t affected by the fires and a healthy place to find retreat from it.

Whether you are looking for full time or a vacation place to have as a sanctuary, here are five good reasons to put Fishhawk Lake Reserve and Community on your radar:.

• Firewise Accredited Community– what it is: Firewise USA® is a voluntary program that provides a framework to help neighbors get organized, find direction, and take action to increase the ignition resistance of their homes and community.

We have been part of this program for several years. What that means is that we all work together to rid our community of any hazards that could cause potential fires, like invasive weeds that are easily inflammable, removing dangerous limbs, etc. that hang over our homes/properties that could cause a fire to spread, cleaning our roofs and gutters just to name a few tasks that save our lake community from potential dangers. Our local Firewise Coordinator, Kathy Cardona,

also teaches firepit training to members of our lake community before they can use their firepits. If building a new firepit, the location has to be approved by her as well and any new member must go through the training before lighting a fire!

• Mist-Birkenfeld Rural Fire Protection District (MBRFPD)– located just five miles away, we work in supporting them and following the guidelines they set forth during the driest seasons of the year by placing No Fires Today! signs around the community as well as volunteering in both fire and EMS to create a symbiotic and healthy community that stays fire free. MBRFPD has placed more fire hydrants in our Fishhawk Lake community than are even necessary and we have a firetruck located in the small fire station right inside the community both as a result of our ongoing mutually supportive and longstanding relationship.
• Volunteerism–a very important piece to the puzzle of staying educated about how to keep our Fishhawk Lake community thriving, by being or becoming a volunteer for our local rural fire, rescue, and EMS, which not only helps keep insurance costs down, but is monumentally rewarding in giving back to our rural community at large! Mist-Birkenfeld Rural Fire Protection District is always open to seeking out and welcoming new volunteers!! (Resident Volunteer Application link)
• Emergency Preparedness-Purpose: The Emergency Preparedness Committee shall help the community prepare for and respond effectively to emergency situations that may arise in our community [Fishhawk Lake Reserve and Community]. Working in conjunction with MBRFPD, we have plans in place for several potential disasters. There are many parts to this that are coming to fruition with this newer program. Here are a few:

1. a) Organize, train and manage an Incident Management Team and First Responder network throughout the community to respond to emergency incidents in the community.
2. b) Conduct formal and informal educational programs in the community that encourage residents to acquire continuing education in first aid, CPR, pet safety, and other emergency preparedness topics.

c)Participate in emergency preparedness plans of Clatsop and Columbia Counties and the State of Oregon and other local communities.

• In the coastal range and on a lake!-With what just occurred in our beautiful state of Oregon because of devastating fires, I was deeply grateful every single day for the fact that we were untouched by forest fires in our Fishhawk Lake community. Wafting smoke came our way, but otherwise, many found this to be a much cleaner, fresher airspace and safer an area to be staying/living in than several towns in Oregon, both rural and urban. We have counted ourselves lucky to have a moister atmosphere and were heralded with rain sooner than some of the other areas around our state.

View of our gorgeous lake and surrounding area! Photo by: Gayle Rich-Boxman

Just five reasons why I love the Fishhawk Lake and surrounding  community and have lived here since 2003!!!

Fishhawk Lake Community Lodge Photo by: Gayle Rich-Boxman

If this piques your interest in real estate on or near Fishhawk Lake, please give me a call: Gayle Rich-Boxman (503)755-2905, REALTOR® John L Scott Mkt Ctr or e-mail me at: richbox@centurytel.net 

June 2020

Much has changed in our world. Including Fishhawk Lake Reserve and Community (FLRC)!!

More people are looking for less urban settings, and the chance to work remotely from home as there has been a major paradigm shift happening globally. Not having to drive to work every day, allows more opportunity to live in a beautiful and tranquil setting that balances out a life that can be more hectic in the city.

There has been an increase in buyers looking to move to Fishhawk Lake full time. The proportion of part timers is still higher, but the full timers are definitely increasing! Also, an influx of single women buying and living here full time has been a trend I’ve seen recently, as well. Taxes and prices are lower than in the Portland Metro area and further out, clear outside of Hillsboro, North Plains and even Forest Grove, where the prices have been driven up because of demand.

Higher price points are becoming more frequent as well. Lakefront properties, whether homes or vacant lots still tend to be the #1 choice for would-be buyers, which usually command a better price.

JUST SOLD!! $289,000

June 3, 2020

Two-owner custom built and one of the first to be built on Northshore Drive, this sweet lakefront home now has new owners!

Lakefront Custom Cabin Exclusively with Gayle Rich-Boxman

Open lakefront views!

Calls come in all of the time from buyers who have found my website and realize that I am THE Local Expert out here in all things Fishhawk!!! Even other realtors are saying that and querying me about the particulars of their scrutinizing clients. 

Check out my blogpost “Ten Questions Buyers Ask ” for some answers to the most common questions I get over and over again. Buyers are doing a lot of research and finding my websites and blogs and my Youtube Fishhawk Lake videos before they call me…which they do often afterwards!!

Another trend:  buyers want land. Camping, future building, reasonable pricing, those are all items of interest.

Many are looking towards the future, downsizing, traveling more, not wanting a large home anymore, or just the responsibility of HAVING a home. They want to simplify, or look to build some small cabin in the woods or on Fishhawk Lake for a reasonable sum and they are seeing a plethora of choices of vacant lots with utilities either already hooked up or available. These prices can range from a few thousand to over $100,o00 for lakefront. I sold a lakefront lot in about a week that was listed at $100,000 and sold (cash) for $90,900. I have also been noticing that there has been some new construction happening here lately, as well. For several years, I didn’t see that.

Lakefront Lot for sale! Ready to build!

Flat and buildable gorgeous lakefront lot! $118,000

SALE PENDING June 2020

Some vacant land sellers will offer private contract terms. Call me for more details. (503)755-2905

You, as a buyer, have quite a variety of choices here and no two homes are alike, or vacant lots for that matter! As to sellers, when it comes to mostly vacation homes (still about 75% of them here at Fishhawk Lake), there have ALWAYS been buyers, even during the tough times after 2008, because people who have expendable income are SMART about their money; they have been and continue to be.

 My website:lakehomesatfishhawk.com/

*Five Star Professional* 2017-2020
Fishhawk Lake CC&Rs 

My YouTube Channel: fishhawklakerealtor

Fishhawk Lake-Are Homeowners Association Restrictions a Bad Thing?

Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Often when there is a Homeowner’s Association, potential buyers will make a mental leap to that Gestapo-like mentality and so their questions are all geared around the “restrictions” aspect instead of grasping the idea of it being  more of a guide to keep the values up in that particular community.

Fishhawk Lake is a private lake and does have a Homeowner’s Association. We are not a gated community. The CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions) may SEEM lengthy, but as with any contractural and legal document, it contains a lot of “legal-ease” to cover all bases. This is what Wikipedia has to say:

In the United States, a homeowner association is a corporation formed by a real estate developer for the purpose of marketing, managing, and selling of homes and lots in a residential subdivision.

Here is a link to our Homeowners Conditions Covenants and Restrictions. FLRC CC&Rs

Our community at Fishhawk Lake was developed in the late 1960s

and the original developer wanted it as a private lake to fish and enjoy water activities in a quiet country atmosphere. He was a bit ahead of his time, as it was a hidden treasure for many years, slow to find new buyers way out in the middle of nowhere. 

                      First Existing Cabin on Fishhawk Lake Photo by: Gayle Rich-Boxman

Fast Forward….

I certainly enjoy marketing our area at Fishhawk Lake as a lifestyle, not a community that will restrict people from enjoying where they choose to live in a relaxed atomosphere. Having been a part of this private lake community  (and it is a community)for over 16 years and having had my husband be a past president, I’m okay with the rules and regulations. In reality, we just want to keep our community clean and pristine–just like the forests and waters and nature that surround us and is the very REASON why we live here!

                                      Fishhawk Lake in February Photo by: Gayle Rich-Boxman

Here are a few of the CC&Rs that I appeciate:

Oftentimes, homeowner’s fees are exorbitant. Ours are pretty darned reasonable from what my clients say over and over again. It’s once a year, $3277.00 and that includes all Fishhawk Lake amenities including water and sewer and some of this goes towards reserves. I had a fellow from San Diego exclaim  that he pays more than that in a summer and he doesn’t even water his landscape that much!

You can’t rent out your property at Fishhawk Lake for weekends to strangers or put it on Craigslist to cover your mortgage. This keeps our place quieter and safer. There is one way in and one way out…we are secluded and often, as happens with country properties, people who are here only briefly, for a day or two don’t seem to CARE about not throwing trash out the window, because they’ll never be back!  This type of community doesn’t invite that. Family and friends are welcome anytime, though!

We don’t allow certain kinds of fencing or really bright colors on homes. It’s to blend into nature and not block a neighbor’s view of this glorious slice of paradise I call home. 

One of the pristine views on Fishhawk Lake early morn

You won’t see a bunch of dead vehicles lined up in someone’s driveway or a lot of ugly tarps covering God Knows What. There are certain trees that you can’t cut down, like evergreens unless they are posing a hazard of some sort or are diseased.

Lakefront view of a home I sold in 2013.
Nice and open!!

                       Fall greenery on Fishhawk Lake Photo by: Gayle Rich-Boxman

These are just some highpoints to consider when looking at Fishhawk Lake…so don’t let the idea of a Homeowner’s Association scare you off. Call me–let’s talk about the POSITIVES of our HOA!

                     Our Fishhawk Lake Clubhouse and Beach “Yoder Community Center” 
                                      One of the amenities that our HOA fees pays for

Here is a link about some common questions about Fishhawk Lake.  Intrigued? Call me for more details!

Gayle Rich-Boxman

 REALTOR® John L Scott Marketing Center Direct: (503)755-2905

“Your Local Expert”