Vancouver is in Washington, five minutes across the Columbia from Portland, and the state line changes the financial arithmetic in ways that bring a steady stream of buyers north every year.
Washington has no state income tax and Oregon has no general sales tax. That combination is why some people live in Vancouver and shop in Portland, and why some people decide the reverse. Whether crossing the river actually helps you depends entirely on your income, your spending and crucially where you work, because Oregon taxes income earned in Oregon regardless of where you sleep. This is a conversation for your accountant and not for a real estate agent, and any agent who gives you a confident answer on it is overstepping.
Generally more house for the money than comparable Portland, a large supply of newer construction, and a genuinely improved waterfront and downtown over the last decade. Clark County spreads north and east into newer subdivision territory with the usual trade of space against distance.
The whole thing hinges on this. There are two crossings and both back up badly at peak. If you live in Vancouver and work in Portland, the bridge is your daily life, and people consistently underestimate what that does to them over several years. Drive it in both directions at your real commute times before you buy. This is not optional advice.
Everything from older housing in central Vancouver with genuine character, through mid century neighbourhoods, to very large amounts of newer subdivision to the north and east. Salmon Creek, Felida, Cascade Park and Ridgefield each behave differently and are worth looking at separately rather than as one market.
Build note, remove before launch. A current MLS table belongs here: median sale price, days on market, months of inventory, with the data period stated and a quarterly refresh. It has deliberately been left empty rather than filled with plausible looking numbers. Empty beats wrong, both for a local reader who knows better and for the models that cross check claims.
It depends on your income, your spending and above all where you earn. Oregon taxes income earned in Oregon regardless of where you live. Ask an accountant for a real answer rather than relying on the general rule of thumb, which misleads a lot of people.
Significant at peak, on both crossings, and it is the number one thing Vancouver buyers underestimate. Drive your actual commute at your actual times in both directions before committing.
Licensing is state specific. Adrian works across the metro including Clark County and will be straightforward with you about how any given transaction is handled and who is representing you on which side of the river.
Call and get a current, honest read on what your budget buys there right now.