Bellingham Real Estate Blog

Bellingham's Polar Bear Swim will take place New Years Day at Lake Padden at noon. There will also be a Resolution Run at 11 a.m.  The run has no set distance and is not timed. Both events are free, with no registration required, just come on out and have some fun.

The Birch Bay Polar Bear Plunge will be  celebrating its 25th anniversary. It  will begin with the "Ring of Fire and Hope" at 7 p.m. on New Year's Eve with more than 700 road flares placed in the sand, reflecting light around the entire bay. Registration for the Polar Bear Plunge will start at 10 a.m.Tuesday at CJ's Beach House Restaurant located on Birch Bay Drive.

The cost will be $2 for participants who want a certificate and hot beverages, and $10 for those who also want a Polar Bear Plunge T-shirt. The festive atmosphere at Birch Bay will include contests such as Oldest Participant and Best Group Costume, at the restaurant at 11:30 a.m. The plunge into the bay will take place at noon.

photo courtesy Flickr.com By thanasim25

President Bush signs Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 this week.

The bill will eliminate income tax on mortgage debt that has been forgiven by lenders on primary residence for people in financial hardships.  In other words the IRS will no longer collect money from people who have worked out a deal with their lenders or after a short sale. The bill gives this debt relief for a period of 3 years a compromise between the House who wanted it permanently and the Senate and the President.

This will provide much needed relief to people losing their homes. As it stands now, a lender who forgives a debt must provide provide a Form 1099 to the IRS stating the amount the borrower has been forgiven. The rules apply whether it is a short sale, foreclosure, deed in lieu of foreclosure or any arrangement that relieves the borrower of the obligation to pay some portion of their debt. If the property is sold at foreclosure or is sold for less than was borrowed as in a short sale, the difference is considered income and is subject to the tax.

If someone sold their home with lenders approval for $25,000 less than they owe on the property, the IRS taxes that $25,000 as income. This will no longer be the case for the next years.

President Bush said "With this bill, Congress has taken a strong step to address the turbulence in the housing market. Yet there's more work to be done" at the signing

In response to janeAnne's Pink Challenge, here is what I would do if money where no object to building my green home:

1. Radiant floor heating -- I've always wanted to live in home with radiant floor heating, living in the Pacific Northwest with the winters can be on cold side and I'm looking forward to radiant floor heating in my home. The water would be heated by electricity which will be free in my new home through the multiple sources listed below.

2. Solar generated electricity -- using the latest in solar technology I will be able to generate electricity to power all of my home including heating water for home use in the winter, and the radiant floor heating system. And Wind power -- also using the latest wind technology, the system would be generating enough electricity to power more than just my home and reselling power back to the utility company to help power my neighbor's homes. It would also be powering my solar Vehicle.

3. Some type of insulation made from recycled newspapers and fire retardant or recycled denim insulation or hempfax insulation

4. Recycled materials as much as possible -- all of them wood that is used to frame and trim the house will come from old lumber that was carefully removed from old houses that were torn down piece by piece rather than knocked over with a bulldozer.

5. Passive Solar including  -- Solar greenhouse/solarium across the southern face of the house and divided into two parts, one to expand the growing season to feed my family organic food, and the other a glassed in family room to enjoy and bring the outdoors in. This room would help heat my home in the winter and keeping cool in the summer.

It it would be designed by a master of incorporating nature in the design - Sunray Kelly

2514 30th St, Bellingham, WA 2 Bedroom, 1 3/4 Bath, .32 Acres

More kudos to Bellingham. In the Fourth Annual Farmers Insurance study ranking the most secure U.S. places to live, Bellingham came in No. 5 for midsize cities. The ratings took into consideration crime stats, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, environmental hazards, threats of terrorism, air quality, life expectancy, and job loss numbers for 379 U.S. cities. The study was divided into three groups, large metropolitan areas, midsize cities, and small towns, Olympia Washington was No. 1 midsize city in the study.

It is interesting to see that they considered midsize cities as those with populations between 150,000 to 500,000. It seems more like Whatcom County would fit this bill rather than Bellingham which would be more in line with their small towns.

They consider small towns under 150,000 people, is it makes the wonder where they would put Bellingham if they got the population statistics right. Bellingham is pushing 75,000 people depending on the statistics you look at.

One of Bellingham's controversial developments, Fairhaven Harbor, received their design permit allowing them to take the next steps toward building their project, which includes an 85-foot-tall tower.

The proposed mixed-use residential and commercial Fairhaven development is between Harris and McKenzie Avenues and Eighth and Ninth Streets. The project has been delayed by groups of opposing neighbors who wanted to limit the height of the buildings below the 85 foot level. The original designs was to include a 102foot tall tower. The city planning director considers this a good compromise and consistent with the character of Fairhaven as well as meeting the city's goals of infilling.  At present there are no height restrictions in Fairhaven.

I think there needs to be some discussions about height limits in Bellingham in general, especially while the new waterfront development project is still in the planning phases. Any other thoughts about about it out there?

$449,900 2 BR 1 3/4 Bath Condo. Enjoy the sunsets from your patio. Beautiful 2 bedroom condo with an awesome unobstructed view of Bellingham Bay. Boulevard Park. The trail to downtown to the right and to the left Historical Fairhaven District, just outside your door. This is an ideal location with an ideal view!!

The department of licensing in Washington State will begin issuing an enhanced driver's license and ID card in January 2008.

The new card will securely denotes citizenship and identity and will be an acceptable alternative to a passport for re-entry into the U.S. Land and see border crossings. The license will cost an additional $15 and will be available in time to meet the new tighter document projections at U.S. borders beginning next January.

Canadian provinces are expected to have their own version of secure driver's license soon as well. This will take a lot of pressure off of places like Whatcom County that border Canada.

Local citizens will be able to cross the border without having to obtain a passport. In the license will contain a radio frequency identification device can be used to speed up identification at the border.

One of Bellingham's most controversial development projects is Fairhaven Highlands otherwise known as Chuckanut Ridge or the 100 acre woods. The city's planning director and SEPA official, Tim Stewart issued a determination today that the project would have "a significant impact on the environment and would require an Environmental Impact Statement to study these impacts." The city is requesting public comments on the scope of the EIS and set a date of January 16th For public hearing.

The development calls for 739 units of single and multifamily residences plus a 6000 square foot clubhouse. The development is being opposed by many in the city, especially those in the south side. The site for the proposed development is located in the northern end of the Chuckanut mountains to south of Fairhaven Park. The opposition would like to see this site preserved a for future generations in this area that is rich in biological diversity and wetlands.

The fight continues.

The Young building is the companion and partner of the Waldron, which I mentioned in my last post. It is a newly built luxury condo that sits behind the Waldron and they form one condo association.  The building is in it's final stage of construction and some of the units are ready for occupancy and there is already a vintage clothing store open in one of the retail spaces. Some of the units have great bay, island and sunset views. The building fits in nicely with the rest of Fairhaven and is a nice addition to the neighborhood.