Linda Casale

Try to sneak into a grocery store on an island without meeting someone you know. No way. You are stranded, and out of gas on the road. Not for long. Islanders are there to greet you and help you, no matter what the situation.

There is a certain familiarity that comes with island life that can be comforting, but also takes some getting accustomed to. Yes, there are times when there are visitors on the island and you don't see friends and neighbors quite as quickly, but when you need them they are there.

A great example of this is the local food bank on Whidbey Island http://www.goodcheer.org/ This year they have added a garden. More than 4,000 pounds of fresh, healthy produce were harvested and delivered steps away to the Food Bank this first year of Good Cheer's on-site garden! This takes volunteers, and islands have great volunteers, committed and energetic.

On San Juan Island there is the http://www.hometrust.org/about.html Community Home Trust. The mission of The San Juan Community Home Trust is to make home ownership possible for working people on San Juan Island. In recent years the gap between earned wages and housing prices has increased so much that it is now almost impossible for wage-earning residents to purchase a home on San Juan Island.

So now you have it. Live here, make friends, do good for others and get more in return. See you at the grocery store.



Rain doesn’t bother me one drop. I love the sound on the roof and watching the way the earth, sky and the “ in-between” interact. But my personality doesn’t let me spend too much time in contemplation. I start looking for ways to enjoy the rain experience on Whidbey Island when I have a day off.

So with the restless energy I start out at Ebey’s Landing, http://www.nps.gov/ebla/index.htm . Some of the Reserve's best walking is along the strip of rocky beach between Fort Casey and Fort Ebey state parks. The beach rises to dramatic 200-foot high bluffs, most of which are accessible by a trail. When you reach the top of the ridge you enjoy one of the best views out the Straits of Juan De Fuca.

After that I am a little hungry and want to enjoy a light lunch at the Greenbank Farm’ s little pie shop, http://www.greenbankfarm.com/shop.html You absolutely cannot leave here without sharing a piece of berry pie with ice cream. A local spot, warm and cozy with the hum of good conversation on a wet day.

What next, well thoughts of a nap…….but no I have a book I have been wanting to read and so I visit our wonderful bookstores in Langley and Freeland. There is the Moonraker in Langley, and the Book Bay in Freeland http://www.bookbay.com/ to start.

Back home to consider my next rainy day move. Beaches provide lots of entertainment when it rains. Particularly interesting are the beaches when it is windy. There is nothing more exhilarating than a beach walk on a windy day. All those negative ions. See this one captured in Coupeville http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av8R35REDD0&feature=related

Of course now food is on my mind again and there is absolutely no better place to go for warmth, good service and outstanding food than Prima Bistro in Langley. http://www.primabistro.biz/ It also has a great view for watching the rain. Did I tell you I love the rain?

My November open houses will be very special. You should be there. This time of year is the perfect time to have a baking specialist do a demonstration on cookies (nothing like the smell of gingerbread when you walk in the door) I may have a Christmas tree decorated by a professional with ornaments from the local shops. Holiday recipes, decorating ideas and small gifts from the merchants participating will be there for those who come see these lovely homes on Whidbey Island. www.realwhidbey.com The atmosphere is festive, and isn't that what we look for when buying a home? A place to feel good. share memories, food and friendship. I will have these posted on my website at www.realwhidbey.com starting November 1, 2009. I suggest that you set a RSS feed to the website to be sure you don't miss these, and if you do, don't worry someone will eat that gingerbread cookie for you.

I am often asked by those who come to this island just north of Seattle to make it their home, “What do you love best about living on an island?

From the well of who I have become living here, comes these thoughts; Eagles soaring above in the bright sun, Madrona red sunsets, black nights with brilliant starlight, and most of all, the silence that surrounds you. The sounds of civilization evaporate in the moody waters between the island and the continent.

Whidbey Island didn’t start with a Pig War like San Juan Island. It has a more gentle history of families coming to camp here in the very early 1900’s. Eventually, independent families making their way to begin a new life farming the land, and merchants arriving to support them settled the island.

If you look at the videos and photos on my website you will see the rich and fertile life one can lead here on this island. It is easy to see why today it is the dream of many to move here. www.realwhidbey.com

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If you are representing a seller, and someone wants to buy their home, the buyer will need an appraisal to get their loan. Much of the time they will also want to have an inspection on the property as a contingency. The inspection usually comes before the bank gets around to ordering an appraisal. Most inspections cost the buyer $500 to $550. They usually pay before the inspection, or at the time of the inspection without the guarantee of the loan going through.

Now somewhere further down the purchasing cycle, the bank that the buyer decides to use orders an appraisal. With the new appraisal rules that became law recently the appraiser is from a pool of appraisers. They may live more than 200 miles from the property. They may never see the property. There are no rules about this. They may use something like Zillow to do the appraisal on the property. If the appraisal comes in low for various reasons, your buyer may not be able to secure the loan to buy at the price agreed upon. You will now need to negotiate a new price. That is if the buyer wants to negotiate a new price.

Generally the bank will loan on the ratios they have agreed upon, but now on the current appraised price and not the contract price between the seller and the buyer. You and the seller are now in a very bad predicament. The buyer can ask for a new appraisal, but the new one may not be better than the last, and many banks will take the two and average them. The buyer also has a problem. He has paid to have an inspection on a property that he may not wish to buy.

Is there an easy solution to this scenario? No. Top attorneys say that this real estate law procedure is not going away. Appraisals are going to be at a distance from the lenders and agents. What sellers need to do is have their home priced as close they can to current comparable properties if they want to see a sale go through.

Special amenities of listed homes will not carry as much weight has they have in the past. Short sales and foreclosures will be included in the comparables used by appraisers.

Things will get tougher before they will get easier. We need to be sure our sellers are aware of what the appraisers are going to use for comparables. The information is available, and may make the difference between sale and no sale.