Bellingham Real Estate Blog

The Whatcom Museum has been accepted into the Smithsonian Affiliate program. 

This gives the Whatcom Museum access to all of the vast array of the Smithsonian Institution's collections and resources, including education and performing arts programs, expert speakers, teacher workshops and technical assistance. 

This will allows important art works and artifacts to come to Bellingham.  Artifacts from the Smithsonian collections include the Apollo 13 space capsule, Amelia Earhart's flight suit , Ray Bolger's scarecrow costume from The Wizard of Oz and more than one hundred mineral specimens

This will be a great thing for the citizens and visitors of Bellingham

The Bellingham Community Car Share program seems to be a great success. They will be adding  a truck to their fleet of vehicles this summer.

The program is great for anyone who doesn't own a car or want to but has an occasional need for one, and I am sure with the addition of a truck they will have an increasing membership.

Their Mission Statemen is:  "to provide Members with clean, reliable, convenient motor vehicle transportation while encouraging them to use alternative and public transportation, reduce their number of car trips, and even get rid of your personal vehicle altogether!"

They have a a 2004 Toyota Prius and a 2000 Volkswagen Beetle powered by biodiesel  and will add a 1991 Chevy S- 10 soon.

If you are considering living in Bellingham without a car, here is a great option for you.

$215,000 3 BR, 1 1/2 BA, 1040 Sq Ft

• Delightful Home - Large Lot
• Well Maintained Home
• Great Modern Kitchen
• 4 Year Young Roof
• Living Room Ceiling Fan
• Gorgeous, Mature Landscaping
• Fully Fenced Backyard
• Quiet Residential Neighborhood
• Short Distance to Skagit Valley Community College
• Great Starter Home or Investment Property

View from Front of the house

If you would like some info about  this home visit  BellinghamProperty.com or give me a call. 

The following is a quick analysis of the Blaine  real estate market by Michael Eisenberg of Fairhaven Realty. 

• There are currently 319 homes for sale.
• Homes are priced from $92,500 - $3,500,000
• Average Asking Price is $455,078
• Average Days on Market are 129 days
• Median Asking Price is $329,900
• Median Days on Market are 81 days
• 25 Homes sold in May
• Average Listing Price $254,558
• Average Sold Price $241,957
• Average Days on the Market 111
• Median Listing Price $228,000
• Median Sold Price $225,000
• Median Days on Market 55
• 6 Homes went Pending this week

As you can easily see there is quite a large discrepancy between the average price for a home presently on the market a $474,738 and the average sold price last month of $240,326. It looks like the $3,500,000 home is still skewing that average price quite a bit.

Buyers: Interest rates are still low making now is a good time to get in the market. There are plenty of homes to choose from and lots have been on the market a long time so there are some motivated sellers out there who need to sell their homes.

Sellers: There is still a lot of competition right now and if you don't want your home to sit on the market without an offer here are a few bits of advise:

• The most important thing you can do is price your home right, have your real estate agent do a CMA and price your home aggressively, that is in the lower range of similar homes if you want a quick sale
• Hava a pre-inspection done to your home and fix any problems
• Give your home curb appeal
• Offer a Home Warranty if it is an older home
• Get rid of clutter, start clearing out your things, even if you have to put them in storage.
• Think about staging your home, get advise from a staging professional or at least your agent.

If you would like some info about Blaine real estate or living in Blaine visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com or give me a call. 

Lynden Real Estate Market Report for May, 2008

The following is a quick analysis of the Lynden real estate market. 

• There are currently 177 homes for sale.
• Homes are priced from $99,900 - $1,490,000
• Average Asking Price is $400,239 Days on Market are 110 days 
• Median Asking Price is $352,750    Days on Market are 77 days
• Homes sold in May: 14
• Average Listing Price $292,414 
• Average Sold Price $286,741        Days on the Market 120
• Median Listing Price $263,925
• Median Sold Price $257,500        Days on Market 103
• Homes Pending this week: 7 

Condo Analysis for Lynden

• There are currently 40 condos for sale. 
• Condos are priced from $127,500 - $409,950
• Average List Price $231,958    Days on the Market:  139
• Median List Price $233,700     Days on the Market:   105
• Condos Sold in May: 6
• Average List Price: $181,351
• Average Sales Price: $167,993 Days on the Market: 228
• Median List Price: $182,400
• Median Sales Price: $173,978    Days on the Market: 189
• Pending Sales Last Week: 0

Buyers: Interest rates are still low making now is a good time to get in the market. There are still plenty of homes to choose from and lots have been on the market a long time so there are some motivated sellers out there who need to sell their homes. More homes will most likely be coming on the market in the coming months as spring and summer arrive.

Sellers: There is still a lot of competition right now and if you don't want your home to sit on the market without an offer here are a few bits of advise:

• The most important thing you can do is price your home right, have your real estate agent do a CMA and price your home aggressively, that is in the lower range of similar homes if you want a quick sale
• Have a pre-inspection done to your home and fix any problems
• Give your home curb appeal
• Offer a Home Warranty if it is an older home
• Get rid of clutter, start clearing out your things, even if you have to put them in storage.
• Think about staging your home, get advise from a staging professional or at least your agent.

If you would like some info about Lynden real estate or living in Lynden visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com or give me a call. 

 Ferndale Real Estate Market Report for may, 2008

The following is a quick analysis of the Ferndale real estate market. 

• There are currently 249homes for sale.
• Homes are priced from $122,500 - $1,950,000
• Average Asking Price is $434,515  Days on Market are 88 days (or about 3 months)
• Median Asking Price is $368,759  Days on Market are 68 days
• Homes Pending this week: 7
• Homes sold in May: 10 
• Average Listing Price $341,388 
• Average Sold Price $334,625        Days on the Market 100
• Median Listing Price $309,000 
• Median Sold Price $303,500      Days on Market 82

Buyers: Interest rates are still low making now is a good time to get in the market. There are still plenty of homes to choose from and lots have been on the market a long time so there are some motivated sellers out there who need to sell their homes. More homes will most likely be coming on the market in the coming months as spring and summer arrive.

Sellers: There is still a lot of competition right now and if you don't want your home to sit on the market without an offer here are a few bits of advise:

• The most important thing you can do is price your home right, have your real estate agent do a CMA and price your home aggressively, that is in the lower range of similar homes if you want a quick sale
• Have a pre-inspection done to your home and fix any problems
• Give your home curb appeal
• Offer a Home Warranty if it is an older home
• Get rid of clutter, start clearing out your things, even if you have to put them in storage.
• Think about staging your home, get advise from a staging professional or at least your agent.

If you would like some info about Ferndale real estate or living in Lynden visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com or give me a call. 

Real Estate Market Report/Conditions for Skagit County, WA for May, 2008

The following is a quick analysis of the Residential Skagit County real estate market.

• Currently Active Listings: 1236
• Price range of active listings - $49,000 - $19,500,000
• Average List Price $448,501  Days on the Market:  133
• Median List Price: $329,700  Days on the Market:   89 
• Sold in May: 122
• Average List Price: $321,901
• Average Sales Price: $313,038  Days on the Market: 109
• Median List Price: $284,434
• Median Sales Price: $277,000  Days on the Market: 81
• Pending Sales Last Week: 23  

Condo Analysis for Skagit County

• Currently Active Listings: 136
• Price range of active listings - $70,000 - $949,000
• Average List Price $341,748    Days on the Market:  169
• Median List Price $326,250   Days on the Market:  144
• Sold in May: 9
• Average List Price: $245,200
• Average Sales Price: $236,378   Days on the Market: 191
• Median List Price: $199,950
• Median Sales Price: $192,000 Days on the Market: 66
• Pending Sales Last Week: 0

The Skagit County Real Estate Market is looking very strong, one of the most impressive statristics here is the number of days on the market for condos that have sold last month was incredibly low compared to everything else, The other significant number looks like the overall number of sales is down but the prices are risinig.

Buyers:Interest rates are still low making now is a good time to get in the market. There are still plenty of homes to choose from and lots have been on the market a long time so there are some motivated sellers out there who need to sell their homes. More homes will most likely be coming on the market in the coming months as spring and summer arrive.

Sellers: There is still a lot of competition right now and if you don't want your home to sit on the market without an offer here are a few bits of advise:

• The most important thing you can do is price your home right, have your real estate agent do a CMA and price your home aggressively, that is in the lower range of similar homes if you want a quick sale
• Have a pre-inspection done to your home and fix any problems
• Give your home curb appeal
• Offer a Home Warranty if it is an older home
• Get rid of clutter, start clearing out your things, even if you have to put them in storage.
• Think about staging your home, get advise from a staging professional or at least your agent.

If you would like some info about Skagit County or Skagit County real estate or living in Skagit County visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com or give me a call. 

Real Estate Market Report/Conditions for Sudden Valley,in Bellingham WA for May, 2008

The following is a quick analysis of the Residential Bellingham real estate market in Sudden Valley.

There are currently 154 homes for sale. Homes are priced from $149,000 - $1,299,000

• Average Asking Price is $346,137
• Average Days on Market are 104 days (or about 3 1/2 months) 
• Median Asking Price is $325,000
• Median Days on Market are 66 days
• 5 Homes went Pending this week
• 9 Homes sold in May
• Average Listing Price $268,342
• Average Sold Price $257,706
• Average Days on the Market 69
• Median Listing Price $244,900
• Median Sold Price $244,900
• Median Days on Market 41

Buyers:Interest rates are still low making now is a good time to get in the market. There are still plenty of homes to choose from and lots have been on the market a long time so there are some motivated sellers out there who need to sell their homes. More homes will most likely be coming on the market in the coming months as spring and summer arrive.

Sellers: There is still a lot of competition right now and if you don't want your home to sit on the market without an offer here are a few bits of advise:

• The most important thing you can do is price your home right, have your real estate agent do a CMA and price your home aggressively, that is in the lower range of similar homes if you want a quick sale
• Have a pre-inspection done to your home and fix any problems
• Give your home curb appeal
• Offer a Home Warranty if it is an older home
• Get rid of clutter, start clearing out your things, even if you have to put them in storage.
• Think about staging your home, get advise from a staging professional or at least your agent.

If you would like some info about Sudden Valley real estate or living in Sudden Valley visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com or give me a call. 

The market is still correcting as they say here in the Whatcom County Residential Real Estate Market.

The average sales price is down 9.9% compared to last year, the median price went down 10.8% compared to last May. Both the averageand median down a bit from last month.

The number of sales is down considerably by 103 compared to last year which translates to 37% and days on market average and median times on the market are about the same.

For more information about Whatcom County Real Estate or Whatcom County Real Estate statistics visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com

Here is a graphic look at the Whatcom County Condo Market for May. Looks like the condo market has faired better than the residential market.

The average sales price is up 6.1% compared to last year, the median price went up 1.6% compared to last May. The average price is up 5.4% from April 2008 while the median is up 13.1% from April 2008.

The number of sales is only down by 6 compared to last year and days on market is up  considerably compared to last year.

For more information about Whatcom County Real Estate or Whatcom County Real Estate statistics visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com