The median home price here is $295,000; it is possible to find smaller but rather charming single-family homes with 1,000 to 1,400 square feet and small yards in the $200,000 vicinity.  It is also possible to find very modest homes needing some work for around $100,000, but these are not in the greatest neighborhoods.  Most residences are brick or vinyl siding ranch-style; there are also homes dating from the turn-of-the-20th-century.  The median price of $295,000 will generally buy around 1,800 comfortable but not luxurious square feet, three bedrooms and two baths; many homes are priced in the $300,000s and $400,000s.  River Crest Estates, though, is a new subdivision with 1,007 square feet homes priced from $159,000.  More money is coming to town these days, and as a result, Roseburg has no shortage of stunning dwellings costing $1 million and more, many of them secluded in the woods outside of town.  There are some condos for sale, but they are not plentiful.  Prices range from $115 to $139 per square foot for units with 3 bedrooms and two baths.

Roseburg has some apartment complexes, but not many units were available at this writing.  Riverview Terrace is a seniors-only apartment community (99 units) located on the river; leases are month-to-month, and small pets are allowed.  Call 800-888-5954 for more information.   Oak Grove Retirement Center and Meadow Creek Retirement Community, both new, are two small apartment retirement buildings that are managed by Pacific Retirement Services, Inc., a company that works to provide affordable housing for low-income seniors; residency requirements are determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  For both complexes, residents must be 62 and have less than $16,900 annual income for a single person or less than $19,300 for a couple.  Call 1-800-714-9177 for more information.

There are also roughly 30 mobile home communities, and one of these, Town and Country Mobile Park, is restricted to those 55 and better.  

Little Brook is an attractive, new, age-restricted manufactured home community (514-580-4954), and Rose Village is a still-growing master-planned retirement development with an eventual 1,100 high-end town homes and single-family homes on 265 wooded acres (541-957-9977).  

Click here to see foreclosures in Roseburg.  Use zip code 97470.

Property is taxed at roughly .0085 of market value.  There is no homestead exemption, but homeowners 62 and above may delay paying property taxes based on certain income criteria.   The state pays the taxes to the county, maintains the account, and charges 6% simple interest, which is also deferred.  Taxes are owed when the taxpayer receiving the deferral dies, sells the property, ceases to live permanently on the property, or the property changes ownership. To qualify for either program, the taxpayer must live on the property and have a total household income of less than $36,500 for the year before application.

Oregon has no sales tax.

Downtown Roseburg has undergone a revitalization and is alive and well.  Within the last year, Victorian-style streetlights, new sidewalks, new trees, new benches and landscaping have been added.  Shopping is limited, although there is a Wal-Mart, a Home Depot and a Safeway; most basics can be found in town, but for those who view shopping as recreation, a drive to Eugene (60 miles) may be in order.  Dining is also a little on the skimpy side.

Roseburg, Oregon, Continued....

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