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00:01Think you need to break the bank to live by the beach?
00:04Luxury is a mindset, not a price tag.
00:07Think again.
00:08Finding a cheap beach house is actually very possible.
00:12This is a great price.
00:14With those views.
00:15We got the most affordable house with the most amount of space.
00:18Do you have anything maybe a little cheaper?
00:21These buyers are chasing coastal dreams on tight budgets.
00:25This is Cheap-Ass Beach Houses, where smart money meets beautiful ocean views.
00:39So what do we want to do at the beach today?
00:42I really want to draw in the sand.
00:45Draw in the sand?
00:46Yeah.
00:46Meet Travis, Brittany, Millie, Eddie, and Louie.
00:51A free-spirited family who've grown weary of the dreary Midwest and dream of finding their forever home on the
00:59sandy shores of Warrington, Oregon.
01:02Travis and I were both born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota.
01:05We actually were in the same kindergarten class.
01:08And we didn't actually reconnect, though, until college.
01:11I do not remember Brittany from kindergarten class, but I have some pictures.
01:16And there is a really unique picture where we're doing a recital and a gym across from each other.
01:21Like, there's one person between us.
01:23I did remember we were in the same kindergarten class because my memory is stronger than yours.
01:27It is.
01:27Yep.
01:28That's fair.
01:28All right.
01:29Should we build a river for the boat?
01:31Yeah.
01:31Okay.
01:32Ready?
01:32Want to dig?
01:33We'll need extra water.
01:34We will need to get some extra water.
01:36We have three kids.
01:38Millie is our oldest.
01:39She's 10.
01:40Eddie is four.
01:42And then Louie is a year and a half.
01:44We knew that we wanted to head out west.
01:47And that led us ultimately to Oregon after a couple of years of living in our travel trailer full-time
01:53and traveling.
01:54A family of five living in one camper van?
01:57I guess that's one way to learn minimalism.
02:01Like minimal comfort, minimal sleep, and minimal sanity.
02:05We did travel out west in our trailer.
02:08We boondocked.
02:08And what that means is dry camping where we didn't have any electricity, any running water for all that time.
02:14So we spent those years saving, saving, saving, and also simultaneously building our business.
02:20We do marketing, photography, and create homeschool resources to encourage family learning.
02:25It's so nice having kids at the beach because there's so much space and, like, trying to corral them into
02:31such a small little area.
02:32We got to Oregon, and from the first moment we stepped on Cannon Beach, we couldn't believe just how the
02:39forest and the mountains met the ocean and that both could coexist so beautifully at the same time.
02:45To be able to call this place our permanent home, I'll take it.
02:49It would be amazing to be able to come here all the time, wouldn't it?
02:53It would be basically like living in a dream.
02:56Mm-hmm.
02:57While this gentle family is capable of sailing the endless seas in their cramped camper quarters, they'll need a rugged
03:06soul with a duck temperament to brave the rocky Oregon housing market.
03:12In short, they need real estate desperado Jen.
03:17When it comes to real estate, I'm something of a rebel.
03:21There's a really intense competition between realtors to get the tiara and the sash that says top producing broker.
03:30That's just not my game.
03:32The Oregon coast is not the same as Florida beaches.
03:35We don't have long, sprawling white sand with ladies in bikinis.
03:40The coastline's rugged and gorgeous, and people love it here.
03:43Warrington is a cozy, family beach town.
03:48You have the state park.
03:51You can drive on the beaches in Warrington, which is kind of unique.
03:54It's just a beautiful place to live with more affordable housing.
03:58I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
04:01I like the cup.
04:03I do, too.
04:04It's a good cup.
04:05Cup pop.
04:06Cup pop.
04:07That one.
04:08Yes, it does.
04:10This kid's got the skills to pay the bills.
04:13No, seriously, Eddie's picking up the check.
04:15What makes your heart sing?
04:17When you think of home, what does that mean to you?
04:20Right when you say that, I think of the outdoors.
04:23So, it's the different opportunities for the kids just right out the back door of the house.
04:28Tree that I could hang out and read in.
04:31That would be amazing.
04:33We have our beloved camper travel trailer, and it would be fantastic to be able to store that.
04:38I think in a dream scenario, three bed, two bath.
04:41We would love to stay in the 400s.
04:44If we need to get in the 500s to make another bathroom work for our family, we could possibly do
04:50it.
04:50Yeah.
04:50Are you still going to stay forever at our house?
04:55The idea is to find a house that you can stay at forever.
05:00Does that sound good, Eddie?
05:01Yeah.
05:01Yeah.
05:02It's wheels up crossing the bridge into Astoria from Warrington, dreaming of an ocean view from a forever beach house
05:11to call their own.
05:13Driving over this bridge into Astoria is so incredible.
05:18Once you hit Young's Bay here, you start to get the vibes.
05:27This is stunning, right?
05:29Wow.
05:29Isn't that incredible?
05:31Yeah.
05:31Where are we?
05:32Look at this.
05:32Look at the view.
05:34That's what it's all about on this side of the hill, for sure.
05:37Oh, my gosh.
05:37It's absolutely gorgeous.
05:39It's a two bed, one bath with a flex space downstairs.
05:43Okay.
05:43Okay.
05:44936 square feet, 419,000.
05:47Small, cheap.
05:48Oh, wow.
05:49I'm okay with that.
05:49I love that price.
05:51This is an amazing price for this area.
05:53But what is a little bit of a negative is the slope and no travel trailer parking.
05:58But that is a concession I'm willing to make to look out at this view every day.
06:06Oh, my gosh.
06:08This is really charming.
06:10Cozy on cozy here.
06:11Yeah.
06:11I love this.
06:12This feels bigger than I thought it would.
06:14After years of living in a camper van?
06:17Any house probably feels like a mansion.
06:20The kitchen's right over here.
06:22Lovely yellow countertops.
06:24That is a choice.
06:25I honestly don't mind it.
06:28That doesn't buy it.
06:29I liked it.
06:30It feels very Astoria.
06:31It does.
06:31Yeah, quirky.
06:32Where there's always that quirky charm.
06:34So I'm going to cut you guys loose to go look at the bedrooms, which are down the hall.
06:37Okay.
06:37And the flex space, which is downstairs.
06:40And I'll just meet you outside when you're done.
06:42Sounds great.
06:43Just one bathroom.
06:44Just one bathroom.
06:44Okay.
06:45That could be interesting to three kids.
06:47Yeah.
06:47But.
06:48Also something we're accustomed to.
06:50Yep.
06:50We've done it before.
06:50So we can do this.
06:51Do it again.
06:53And they have hardwoods in the bedrooms.
06:55I really love that.
06:57Did you just call this a cutie cutie room?
06:59What's the big deal, Brittany?
07:01Doesn't every house have a cutie cutie room?
07:03What's surprising is this home only has one.
07:07I won't forget that.
07:08Nope.
07:09Aw, neither will we.
07:11Okay, this is the main bedroom, I believe.
07:14Wow, this is gorgeous, honey.
07:15And I love the two windows.
07:17I like this little nook area here.
07:20You could make that like a little home office.
07:22Little area.
07:22Just tucked right over there.
07:24Or you could make this Millie's room.
07:26And Eddie and Louie could share that one.
07:28And then you and I could sleep on the floor.
07:30And we could figure something out for us.
07:33And you said there's a bonus room?
07:34Yeah, downstairs.
07:35And that may be here.
07:37Here it is.
07:38Yes.
07:39Our wood paneled walkway.
07:41I love this.
07:42I don't see a duck photo here.
07:44So I don't have to duck.
07:45Oh, there we go.
07:46You're going to clear it.
07:47Yeah.
07:48Bonus.
07:48Yeah.
07:49Yeah.
07:49Love the wood ceiling.
07:51What do we do down here?
07:52I mean, is this a homeschool room?
07:53Is this our art studio?
07:56Is this a bedroom?
07:58And then apparently we could potentially inherit this vast wine collection and become wine people?
08:05I don't know.
08:06Travis and Brittany think this house could be the perfect place to unwind after years on the road.
08:13And they may just uncork a grape deal.
08:24I love the deck right off of the kitchen for eating.
08:27That's such a nice feature.
08:28Look at the deer.
08:29Oh, there's a deer right there.
08:30We can have some dinner guests with our deer friends.
08:34Look at that.
08:35While looking for a cheap beach house in Astoria, Travis and Brittany have ventured into the backyard to meet a
08:42potential new neighbor.
08:44Do you think that increases the price of the home?
08:47I think that the ability to spread out and have these couple of layers is really amazing.
08:54Look at the view of the water from right here.
08:58I didn't even think that'd be a choice.
09:00This is really, really remarkable to me that we're looking at a house in this neighborhood at this price.
09:07I'm kind of still in shock.
09:09Hi, guys.
09:10Hey, Jen.
09:11Where is that deer?
09:12You just missed it.
09:13So tell me your thoughts.
09:15The yard is spectacular.
09:17Bonus space downstairs was gorgeous.
09:19Yeah, that was huge.
09:20I couldn't believe that.
09:21And to have a view like this for that price is wild to me.
09:25But I'm curious what it would feel like to have a bedroom for each child.
09:29There is a house.
09:31It's across the bridge, a little closer south.
09:33It is magical.
09:34Jen is leading us back across the bridge to Warrington, where Lewis and Clark ended their famous expedition.
09:42Except Lewis and Clark didn't have to deal with closing costs.
09:49Hawkins Lake is more house than they think they're looking for.
09:54It's big.
09:55It has lots of yard and green space, which I know is something that Travis is looking for.
10:01I know they're going to love it.
10:04Wowzy, wowza.
10:05What do you think?
10:07It's huge.
10:08Where are we?
10:09Hawkins Lake.
10:10Okay.
10:11Fancy.
10:11And I also see two driveways.
10:14Yeah, that's huge with the trailer.
10:16You're about a half mile from the beach that way.
10:19I hear the ocean.
10:20So we are right by the ocean.
10:22We're close, yeah.
10:23The house is four beds, three bath.
10:26The main house is three bedrooms and three bathrooms.
10:30They've added a room to the back of the garage, which could be used as a bedroom or as kind
10:36of a bonus room.
10:37And there's a dock in the back.
10:39So you can put in.
10:40There's water access?
10:41There's water access.
10:43What kind of a price are we talking for all this?
10:45It's listed at $600.
10:47Okay.
10:49But don't lose heart.
10:51Okay.
10:51Because there's an inspection process.
10:54Okay.
10:54Which may give you some negotiating room.
10:57Okay.
10:58Hmm.
10:58Hopefully Jen's renegade negotiating tactics can reel that cost in.
11:04A house that we probably can't afford.
11:06But let's give it a shot.
11:07Let's check it out.
11:09Oh, wow.
11:10Oh, wow.
11:10Look at that.
11:11Okay.
11:11That's an entrance.
11:13It's huge.
11:14Yeah.
11:14We could fit our trailer in here.
11:17Inside the living room.
11:19So this is a lot of space.
11:20Right off the bat.
11:21Hey.
11:22Oh, hey.
11:22We'll have to pass through.
11:23Oh.
11:24Yeah, that's nice.
11:25Can I have a cup of water, please?
11:26Yeah, and just pass things here.
11:28That's nice.
11:28That's fun.
11:29Cabinets are great.
11:30I like their storage.
11:31And I've never been in a kitchen where you have almost this attached island.
11:35What do you think of we have a purple backsplash, a green island?
11:39It's a bold choice, but we are just such bold people.
11:43You can also change it.
11:45I know you're creative people.
11:47Yes, we could.
11:48When the magic money tree sprouts in the front yard.
11:51That's why it gets tougher, even though it's just paint.
11:53Paint these days is a little expensive.
11:56Yeah, so it adds up.
11:57And now I'm trying to think, like, I don't know.
11:59We're really looking for that quality of life.
12:01And is our budget going all towards our mortgage?
12:03Or do we still have time to go travel down the coast of camp?
12:06And that's really scary to me, thinking, yeah, you know what?
12:09You've got your dream home, but now you're stuck to it.
12:12Yeah.
12:12Why don't you guys go check the upstairs?
12:15Okay.
12:15And I'll meet you up back.
12:17Okay, perfect.
12:18We'll see you back there.
12:19We'll see you in a second.
12:20Okay, so up the stairs, that's nice.
12:23I do see carpet, which can be interesting.
12:25I think it looks in fine condition.
12:27With our children, like, something that could get a little trashed as in Thor's thing in the world.
12:31No, looks like we have one of the bathrooms over here.
12:35Jeez.
12:36Oh, my gosh.
12:37It feels so spacious in here.
12:39And then bedroom right across.
12:41Love these, the double windows.
12:44So maybe this could be Millie's room.
12:46I see another bedroom here that would be great for the boys.
12:51And then the main bedroom.
12:53Jeez.
12:54Okay.
12:54Okay.
12:55This is bigger than our trailer by itself.
12:58Stacked on top of each other.
12:59Honey.
13:00Yeah, this is huge.
13:01This is really big.
13:03And the views are spectacular again.
13:06The beach is really close.
13:07Oh, my gosh.
13:08So that's wild.
13:09It looks like there is a bathroom attached to it, which is amazing.
13:13Oh, and this is awesome.
13:14Love that there's a window here again.
13:17I mean, it has everything.
13:18Double sinks.
13:19That's nice.
13:20Now, this bathroom is awesome.
13:22I'm liking this house a little bit too much right now.
13:33From camper life to coastal comfort, Travis and Brittany want more space without leaving
13:40their savings high and dry.
13:42But as perfect as this house is for their big family, it might be too much for their bottom
13:49shoreline.
13:49So this feature is amazing, just that indoor-outdoor feel right from this primary living area.
13:56Oh, this is that converted half of the garage.
13:58Okay.
13:59And it's large and really big.
14:01So now coming down here, I mean, it just keeps going and going.
14:05And a boathouse?
14:06Oh, my goodness.
14:08What have you done?
14:11Look at this.
14:13Isn't it incredible?
14:14Yes.
14:14I can't believe this is part of the house.
14:17I totally see why you picked this one.
14:19Big question is just, can we make it work financially?
14:23Is there anything a little smaller, both in square footage and budget?
14:29Where we could afford to do some of our own touches and our own personality?
14:33And do you think we have something?
14:34Absolutely.
14:34Okay.
14:35Man, it's going to be hard to beat this.
14:48Travis and Brittany want to look at anything and everything.
14:51I want to show them an empty lot as well so that they can envision what their perfect house
14:57would really be like.
14:59Well, hi.
15:00Hey.
15:01This is really interesting.
15:02You guys were talking about creating your own vision.
15:05Yeah.
15:05And here is a place that you could do that.
15:081.28 acres.
15:10Okay.
15:10Okay.
15:11So that's a great deal more land than a lot of the houses.
15:14Oh, for sure.
15:15$149,500.
15:17Okay.
15:17And cost to build is $150 to $200 per square foot.
15:22Okay.
15:22Quick math.
15:23Not good at it, but trying, attempting.
15:25A thousand square feet would put you at about $300 for both.
15:29And being by 101 means you do have the beach right on the other side.
15:32Yeah, exactly.
15:32That's right.
15:33Astoria is 20 minutes up that way.
15:36You've got Seaside 10 minutes that way.
15:38It's kind of an ideal location.
15:40We can build our dream house here.
15:42I know.
15:43I really loved with the lot how close it was to the beach.
15:45And I love the idea of including the kids in the whole process.
15:49The ultimate homeschool project.
15:50You have an experience to build your own house and have all of those steps and learn all
15:53the construction.
15:53Eddie loves construction.
15:54Yes, definitely not out of the running by any means, but I'd love to see something with
16:00the walls and with everything done.
16:02We can certainly do that.
16:04Let's look at some walls.
16:06For this family of five, the search continues for that perfectly priced Oceanside Oregon
16:12cottage that's not too big, not too small, and not on four wheels.
16:20This is cute.
16:22I like this.
16:23I like this a lot.
16:24I like this a lot.
16:24Welcome to Cedar Point.
16:26Four bedroom, two bath, 1,424 square feet, $425,000.
16:32Okay.
16:32Yes.
16:33That is much easier to swallow.
16:35Not a great distance from Seaside and Cannon Beach.
16:38Okay.
16:38So easy access to the ocean from here.
16:40Yes, for sure.
16:41And the road noise?
16:43Well, it's busy.
16:45For sure.
16:46The backyard's fully fenced, so you wouldn't have to worry about the kids.
16:49And it's a big enough fence you can pull the RV all the way in.
16:52Oh, I love that.
16:53That'd be really nice.
16:53You could still be a part of it.
16:55And then at that price, which I love, we could still do all of our activities that we want
17:00to do.
17:01Okay.
17:01This looks great.
17:03Let's check it out.
17:04Wow.
17:06Okay, so big open space right off the bat.
17:08I love the window being right in this room.
17:10You could take out this whole wall and open it up into the kitchen.
17:14That would make it a really grand entrance, and I like that a lot.
17:18This kitchen is great.
17:19I mean, there's a lot of space.
17:21Wood countertops.
17:22I love that.
17:23Lacking on counter space a tiny bit.
17:25We could get creative with some different solutions there.
17:28Why don't you guys go look at the bedrooms?
17:30I'll wait for you here, okay?
17:31Awesome.
17:32Bedroom number one.
17:33It's a good size.
17:34I could see this for one of the boys.
17:36And I like that there's four bedrooms, so there's going to be room for everybody.
17:41Continue down the hallway.
17:42Now we're in the main one back here.
17:45And this is a big bedroom.
17:47This is a big room.
17:48And they have this little patio.
17:49I mean, this is charming.
17:50I really love this.
17:51The bathroom, double door entry.
17:55And this is fans.
17:57And then a jacuzzi.
18:00Once upon a time, I did tiling, and this looks like a quality job.
18:03Okay, well, as long as you've given it that stamp of approval.
18:06I've never seen a man get so excited about indoor plumbing before.
18:10Okay, everybody, let's let him have his moment.
18:16Travis and Brittany have been rolling through life in a camper van, but now they're trading
18:22campgrounds for a cheap coastline casa.
18:25The question is whether they'll find a sure thing or if this beach house dream is about
18:31to hit a roadblock.
18:33And look at this for the kids.
18:35Wow, this is so nice.
18:37Really big, isn't it?
18:39You could end up pulling our trailer right back here.
18:41Right.
18:42And you could set up a whole area.
18:45So what are your overall thoughts about the house?
18:47Biggest pro right off the bat definitely is the price.
18:50Yes.
18:50There's just so much potential.
18:51And then getting back here, this is wonderful.
18:54The only thing is, it is noisy.
18:57Yeah, I do hear the noise.
18:58It's true.
18:59Yeah.
18:59However, the fact that we could live this close to the beach and all of that, the recreational
19:04stuff we love so much.
19:06Yeah.
19:06This is a big decision what's going to set us up for now and for later.
19:10And for our kids.
19:12Across Astoria and into Warrington, Travis and Brittany have looked at all the waterfront options
19:18from an empty lot to a massive four-bedroom house.
19:22And the home they'll be trading in their wheels for walls is Hawkins Lake.
19:29We ended up choosing the Hawkins Lake house.
19:32I really love how close it was to the beach.
19:34It was a really great price for the location.
19:37It gave us the best bet for our future with our family.
19:40Maybe we don't need this space today, but 15 years from now, when Millie wants to bring
19:46her friends over or when Eddie and Louie grow up and they want to have their buddies over,
19:51I see this potential for us to really grow.
19:55And the fact that I can see that brings me the peace that maybe the price didn't because
19:59it'll work for us now and down the road.
20:02Where are you steering?
20:03Backwards.
20:05Backwards so we can get a view of this house.
20:08Young's Bayview.
20:09There isn't room for us to park our trailer.
20:11Even though there is the budget to do some work, I mean, our kids are only going to get
20:15bigger.
20:15It just wasn't the space that we're really looking for.
20:18With the lot, we're actually ready to have a home.
20:21With all of our kids and they're our priorities.
20:23It just doesn't feel like the right fit.
20:26Cedar Point had all the bedrooms we could look for.
20:29It had some possibilities.
20:30But ultimately, as beautiful and big as the yard was, the road noise is just a deal breaker
20:36for us.
20:37The Hawkins Lake House was listed at $600,000.
20:40Even though it was over budget, we decided to crunch some numbers and we went for it.
20:46We put in a full price offer and then we actually ended up closing at $565,000 thanks to Jen's
20:53negotiating prowess and post appraisal just being able to bring it down to that number.
20:58Look, he's sunset right over the Pacific Ocean.
21:01Literally everything our family loves in this one property.
21:06I can't believe it.
21:08I'm just so happy.
21:09So lucky.
21:11Like that.
21:16Sometimes it's not about the price or the views.
21:20It's about the people you share it with.
21:23And no matter how big your family or how small your budget, in the end, we're all just searching
21:29for our own affordable piece of paradise.
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