There’s something magical about an area where bald eagles regularly soar above you, Mount Baker beckons from the distance, the water is blue, and the sunrises and sunsets take your breath away. Whether you’re a kayaker, whale watcher, mountain biker, camper or boater, our parks, beaches and forests – and our proximity to salt and fresh water – offer you access to some of the best recreational opportunities in the Pacific Northwest.
Anacortes is also home to several community events that attract thousands of visitors each year, including the Anacortes Arts Festival, Anacortes Jazz Festival, Waterfront Festival, The Oyster Run, First Friday Art Walks and Shipwreck Day to name just a few.
If you’ve ever wanted to live in an area that is truly stunning no matter which direction you look, come see Anacortes and Fidalgo Island.
Latest News
July 30th, 2010
Jumbo’s Coming Back?
G ood news on the Jumbo loan front, the first securitization since 2008 closed late this spring which may point to the beginning of a recovery in the higher price range for real estate. Until this $238 million dollar securitized deal was sold all jumbo loans had to be portfolio loans which banks are reluctant to do. This transaction, representing 255 loans, may have broken the ice in the private mortgage securitization market, which will open the gates a little and allow for more banks to enter this market, and therefore more loans available for higher end homes.
With 14 homes over $750,000 going pending over the last 6 months in Anacortes we have seen a huge uptick in this market locally. Those 14 pending in a six month span outpace the prior year which saw 12 going pending in a 12 month period. Good news seeing this upper end pick up as savvy buyers understand there are bargains to be had, and the cheapest money we will likely ever see in the mortgage market.
July 1st, 2010
Tourist For A Day
S ometimes, we have to take a moment…and re-discover our world. I find that if I’m not careful, my day-to-day cares take over and I lose site of this beautiful place where I live. The water is just a passing view as I travel through the house carrying the laundry, the beaches are for someone else to walk and the sun shining through the windows becomes just an annoying glare on my computer screen. Although I appreciate where I live, I find I have to make a deliberate effort to enjoy my environment.
Yesterday, my daughter asked me to go on a kayaking picnic with her to the south end of Decatur Island. My first response was, “no, I’ve got too much to do today…I can’t do it.” But as most young 20 year olds, her response was to not take “no” for an answer and she kept persevering. Finally, I gave in and made up a picnic and gathered pad
dles and life jackets for the trip. What a trip it was!….Beautiful glassy water, a warm pebble beach, eating lunch and visiting with my daughter and even a nap in the sun. Suddenly, I wasn’t just a woman checking off items on a “to do” list, it was like I was someone kayaking the San Juan Islands and appreciating the awesomeness of this place for the very first time…the smell of the seaweed, the calls of the various birds and the unsurpassed beauty everywhere. I came home with a pocket full of rocks and sea glass and a full set of charged batteries….ready to attack my first item on my “to do” list….write a blog.
Wherever you live, take a minute and plan a day being a tourist in your own town….visit the museum, have lunch in the park and better yet, spend the day with someone who means the world to you. You’ll be glad you did.
June 25th, 2010
Windermere Community Service Day
B etter late than never right? Today our Anacortes office is spending the day at the Boys and Girls Club in Anacortes for Windermere Community Service Day. Last Friday all the offices across our network closed for the day and volunteered in their respective communities; we waited a week to accomodate the Boys and Girls Club and their needs which we will be taking care of today. We don’t just work, live and play in our community, we also spend countless hours giving back to it.
April 26th, 2010
South Fidalgo Island Stormwater Management Meetings
C ommunity members are encouraged to attend the meeting that best fits their schedule.
Skagit County Public Works will host a Community Meeting for residents to review the South Fidalgo Island Stormwater Management Plan on Thursday, April 29, 2010 and Tuesday, May 11, 2010.
The meeting on April 29 will be held at the Mount Erie Volunteer Fire Department Community Hall, 14825 Deception Road, Anacortes, WA 98221, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The meeting on May 11 will be held at Fidalgo Elementary School Cafeteria, 13590 Gibralter Road, Anacortes, WA 98221, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Skagit County Public Works identified a need for a comprehensive look at stormwater problems in the South Fidalgo Island area, including an investigation into ways to address current system deficiencies and identify potential future deficiencies due to growth in the region. The plan developed by Skagit County and the engineering consultant, Tetra Tech, will be discussed at the community meetings.
Hard copies of the final plan are available for review at the Anacortes Library and the Skagit County Public Works Department. An electronic version of the plan is available on the Skagit County Public Works website, under Hot Topics and Natural Resource Management.
Community members are encouraged to attend the meeting that best fits their schedule.
For additional information please contact Kara Symonds at (360) 336-9400 or karas@co.skagit.wa.us.
March 19th, 2010
New Home “Must-Have Features
R ecently I read an article in Yahoo Finance about the 10 “Must-Have” features for today’s new homes. They are as follows…
- Large kitchens, with an island…I don’t know about you, but this isn’t a new thing to me. My grandma always had an island in her kitchen…it was called a table. We used it for rolling out Christmas cookies, gluing valentines, carving pumpkins, coloring and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
- Energy-Efficient Appliances, High-Efficiency Insulation and High Window Efficiency…Yep, we had this last one too. When it was hot, you opened the window. When it got cold, you closed it….duh!
- Home office/Study…refer to #1
- Main floor master suite…in my childhood home, the master suite was wherever the bathroom was. I guess it was assumed that children had better bladders so we were always in the bedrooms at the opposite end of the house (usually upstairs)
- Outdoor Living Room….isn’t this a patio?
- Ceiling Fans…new?
- Master Suite Soaker Tubs…OK…these are new. I don’t know how much they really get used but I guess they’d be a nice once in a while.
- Stone and Brick Exteriors….definitely not new, except on the west coast. The east coast and the plains states have been using brick and stone for years!
- Community Landscaping, With Walking Paths and Playgrounds…does this mean lawns that flow together again and back onto woods, fields and rivers? Tree Houses? Forts? What ever will they think of next??
- Two-Car Garages…Seem pretty essential…and timeless to me. I know that where winters are cold, they’re actually used to store cars; but on the west coast, we wouldn’t have any place for our stuff if they took away our garages.
So click on our search button and see if there is a new home out there that has the features you want, and if so, take advantage of the First Time or Move Up Homebuyers Tax Credits available through the end of April!
March 9th, 2010
Tales from the Short Sale Side
A n agent in our Anacortes office received the following email from an attorney client of ours who represents an Estate, we’ll call it the Estate of John Doe, to protect the innocent/dearly departed (I knew him, he was actually “dearly”). I share this email with you for two reasons, first, it’s hilarious and well written. Second, it’s very indicative of the ridiculous hoops folks who are dealing with selling their home short must deal with. The banks, the asset managers, and the government are so backwards and behind in this process it makes it very difficult to get through the process and get the asset (house) back into circulation. Here’s to hoping they get some processes and systems in place to make this easier on the underwater homeowners, or like in this particular case an owner who is no longer with us and whose estate is such that it will not be making any payments, ever. Here is the email from our friend and client with only the names changed:
“Paul,
I am on the phone with B of A right now. I called at 12:00, and waited on hold for twenty minutes, listening to the most awful music I have ever heard in my life. When someone finally answered, I told him how long I had been waiting and how bad Read More »
March 4th, 2010
Northwest MLS brokers say housing market in Washington state indicates recovery
The Northwest Multiple Listing Service released the following market update today:
K IRKLAND, Wash. (March 4, 2010) - Northwest Multiple Listing Service members reported strong gains in home sales during February, with brokers pointing to several encouraging signs for a busy spring season. Improving consumer confidence and a looming deadline for homebuyer tax credits are helping to boost activity, according to NWMLS officials.
“We are entering what is traditionally our busiest home selling season,” said NWMLS director OB Jacobi, general manager of Windermere Real Estate Company. “With the first job increase since 2008 and closed sales in King County up about 45 percent, there is every indication that our market is in recovery,” he added. Jacobi reported “significant traffic” at open houses, which he attributes to the first-time homebuyer tax credit and rising consumer confidence.
Pending sales (offers made and accepted, but not yet closed) jumped nearly 45 percent last month compared to a year ago, marking the 11th straight month of month-over-month increases. Twelve of the 21 counties in the MLS market area reported double-digit gains in pending sales, led by San Juan Read More »
February 1st, 2010
Upcoming Art Events in La Conner
The La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum in Historic Gaches Mansion has two new exhibitions! The work of Luar Schwarz Smith, “Imagery and Imagination”, is on view on the second floor galleries. It coincides with the release of her new book “Secrets of Digital Quilting - from Camera to Quilt”. The third floor galleries are filled with work from the Whidbey Island Surface Design Association. Much of the work is “expressed through basketry, weaving, wall art, 3-D are, quilting and wearables. These exhibits will be on until March 28, 2010. For additional information about the museum go to www.laconnerquilts.com
The Museum of Northwest Art is showing a retrospective of the work of Whidbey Island artist Maxine Martell until March 3, 2010. Simultaneously, Nancy Callan is exhibiting her work in the Benaroya Glass Gallery. Family Ard Days will be January 23 and February 20th - pre-registration is required due to space limitations. For hours and contact information please go to the web site www.museumofnwart.org
January 5th, 2010
First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit News
Great news on the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit plan
The First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit gets you 10% of the value of the home up to$8,000! If you do not owe $8,000 in taxes, you receive the balance in cash via a check mailed directly to you.
You may qualify for the first time homebuyer tax credit program if you meet the following criteria:
- 1. Have not owned a home as your primary residence for the past three years.
- 2. Your income doesn not exceed $125,000 for individuals of $445 for married filing jointly
- 3. You must have a signed contract on a property by April 30, 2010 (you get an additional 60 days to close)
- 4. The home you are purchasing is going to be your primary residence
- 5. You are 18 years or older and are not a dependent of the seller
- 6. The home may not sell for more than $800,000 to qualify and if you resell the home within three years, there may be a credit repayment penalty
For all the details visit WaHomeowners.com for complete details.
November 9th, 2009
Why would anyone buy property on a non-ferry served island?
W hy would anyone buy property on a non-ferry served island?
Good question….
Here are some of the reasons that I hear regularly:
- “I’m sick and tired of traffic and the stress of the city. I want a place I can come and relax and not worry about whether or not my kids are safe.”
- “I grew up in a rural environment and I want my children to experience the joy I had as a child.”
- “I want an investment that I can touch and sit on…even if I don’t do anything with it.”
- “My time is valuable and sitting in a ferry line for 4 or 5 hours in the summer is not for me. I want to spend that time enjoying the peace and quiet of my front porch.”
- “I want to create a sanctuary for friends and family to be able to come to and unwind from the stresses they deal with all week long.”
- “It’s so beautiful here…it just feels like “home” to me.”
I came to a non-ferry served island (Decatur Island) almost 20 years ago and have never regretted my decision to buy property there. From an investment standpoint, it’s been very good to me but from an emotional perspective, it’s been priceless…
If you’re considering buying island property for a vacation getaway or year-round residence, the time has never been better. The inventory is awesome and the prices are great!
