Elaine A. Cook-Bellingham Real Estate

The First American Title report for Whatcom County came out today! Wow! This is a market report on Bellingham Homes sold. New home sales were up 75% for Jan of 08 vs. Jan 07!

Re-sell homes took a different turn, down over 17%. We are feeling the crunch, but still holding our own. The average price was slightly down.

I have noticed that homes I was looking at with clients over the last 6 months...most have actually sold! It is just grinding away at a much slower pace.

With the number of Bellingham homes for sale, now is the time! Your choices are incredible!

If you are thinking about selling right now.....I will say it again...plan ahead! Don't wait until April. Don't foil your own plans by not getting on the market NOW! And make sure you have a great REALTOR with a great web presence and marketing plan!

Thinking about relocating to Bellingham, WA. There are some questions you need to ask yourself. Why?

"Cause I said so." Just kidding. Because in Bellingham WA, there are so many different types of neighborhoods. Each offering it's own unique qualities. Some are neighborhoods filled with older craftsman homes, some have primarily new construction, some have creeks and parks running through them...some are close to specific retail areas, or the night life, or close to Western Washington University. The distinctions go on.

So, ask yourself, what things are important to me and mine? Good schools, parks, trails, close proximity to the freeway for commuting, close to shopping? Do you want to be close to a bus line, one of our great higher learning institutions; WWU, Bellingham Technical College, Whatcom Community College? Do you wish to be close to medical services or the hospital? Perhaps close to a Golf course is important? Maybe you want to be able to walk to church on Sunday? Maybe you want to be able to ride your bike to work, or take the bus? Perhaps you must have a water view...lake, bay, creek...

What kind of homes do you like? New, Victorian, Tudor, Craftsman, Contemporary, Condo, Urban Village?
These types of homes are often found clustered in certain neighborhoods.

Think about your lifestyle. For example. Would you want to live in 20 minutes from town because it has trees, a lake, golf course...IF you had to drive back and forth to work, then the kids soccer games, and then to the store. You not have anytime left to enjoy the area you live in. Or let's say you love Fairhaven, and you want to be close to WWU, but you don't want to live surrounded by rowdy students...some one better help you determine a good area of Fairhaven for you...or research it...drive by the area you are thinking about at various times of the day and week...you will get a clear picture of the "hood!"

Honestly there isn't much you can't have here in Bellingham. Perhaps those looking for a desert scene, won't find one...unless they cross the mountains to Eastern Washington!

Get as much information before you relocate to bellingham! As you can tell by the questions I posed...you have a lot of options here in Bellingham, WA, especially when it comes to homes for sale in Bellingham

So what's new in our neck of the woods.

Well, Our Kitchen is Your Kitchen, baked goods....decorating parties...fun stuff.
It is located under the new Drake Bldg.

The Bellingham Public Library will soon have an outreach branch located in the same building.

A community room will also be made available for hanging out, reading, eating baked goods, neighborhood meetings etc.

There is a new hair removal company coming to Barkley as well. Don't have the name yet!

Golf Savings has moved to their new home in the Drake Building, and a graphic artist...marketing company will be joining the retail space of the Drake as well.

The Bank of the Pacific will be moving out to Hannagen, and WECU will be vacating their space for the new building on Orleans. Bob's Burger and Brew will be taking over the WECU space...bigger bar! Woo-Hoo!

Drake condos are still for sale, Sales have been steady.

The City has agreed to split the Mount Baker Neighborhood into 2 neighborhoods...although the process could take over a year!

There is no restaurant signed for the new Laurel Bldg, next to the Drake. I keep emailing PF Chang...no response! What would you like to see as the new local restaurant?

As a member of the MBNA I am trying to spread the word. It was only through my affiliation of the Barkley Business Association did I learn that I live and work with this neighborhood. The name never lead me to believe they were talking about my neck of the woods!

The name conjures up visions of snowy mountaintops and lush alpine meadows. Actually, the Mount Baker Neighborhood is nowhere near Mount Baker. Perhaps you are among the thousands who live, work, shop, or play in the Barkley District- which just happens to be a part of the Mount Baker Neighborhood (MBN). Bellingham's neighborhood designations were made over 30 years ago, and this area most likely got its name because the Mount Baker Highway that runs right through it. Our neighborhood is one of the largest in the city; bounded by the railroad trail to the south, I-5 to the west, Bakerview to the north, and the top of Barkley Hill to the east.

The MBN is one of 23 neighborhood areas as designated by the City of Bellingham. Each of these neighborhoods has its own association, or citizen group, that looks out for the interests of its own residents, property owners and businesses. Neighborhood associations are important because the City has increasingly looked to these associations to help chart the course of City planning and policy.

Most Bellingham neighborhoods, such as Downtown, Fairhaven, Edgemoor, York, Alabama Hill, etc. are quite cohesive, and generally engage a good number of their constituents to participate and get involved. The MBN is different, garnering little interest and few participants in its meetings.

The problem with the MBN as it stands now is two-fold:

One, the area is too large and spread out, and will be growing larger with upcoming annexations to the north and continued residential growth. We are working with the City right now to split this monstrous neighborhood in two. Barkley area, and Sunset areas are the proposed thinking at this point.

Two, the name itself has no common historical basis. No one commonly refers to any area called the "Mount Baker Neighborhood".

Recently, many people have proposed renaming and splitting the neighborhood into a "Barkley" area and an "Irongate/King Mountain" area. This would address both of the issues mentioned above.

In a recent letter to the editor of the Bellingham Herald, Elaine Cook, who both lives and works in the MBN's Barkley District, expressed this same sentiment: "How can we create an emergency plan, and effectively implement it with such a large number of people over such a vast area? How can the issues of my (Barkley) neighborhood be the same as those of the Sunset, James Street or Bakerview neighborhoods?"

If you are interested in joining us in helpingthe City of Bellingham to give us a more manageable neighborhood area along with a better name, please attend the next quarterly meeting of theMBNA

Over-priced home rankings, increases in foreclosures, flooded inventory...what does it all really mean to you?

Over Priced homes? To a degree yes. The ranking is based upon the average income, and the average home price. Well, with over 12,000 students and a service based employment arena our average income is low. Also, monies made from another state, or country do not figure into the average. (This is due to change soon!)

While we are ranked very low for number of foreclosures, our area is still experiencing a significant increase. If you find yourself looking at this scenario, do not just throw in the towel, and leave equity sitting on the table. There are many options available to you to resolve the issue, or at least get your money out of it. Consult your lender, and a Real Estate Professional experienced with foreclosures and short sales.

Flooded inventory, means lots of choices on the market! A Buyer's market! Again, this depends upon which price range you are shopping in! Over 300k you will find more options than you do under $300, and there are still not many great choices in the $250k range. These properly priced homes are going on the market and selling.

So, what does it mean to you? If you are buying a home you have lots of choices, good prices, and flexible sellers!

If you are selling, plan ahead! It is taking longer for homes to sell, our average days on market has gone up to 99 days! Listen to your Real Estate Agent regarding staging, and low cost home improvements. There are still buyers out there, so plan ahead and get as many people through your home as you can. A recent listing I had, had 28 ready willing and able buyers go through it! I wish I had 27 more listings for them!!!

Last year over 3400 homes and condos were sold in Whatcom County. It looks like we will be close to 3200 for this year! Down a tad, but still rolling along! Recent news states we are down in price and sales.

You have to think of it this way...If the market didn't correct itself every few years, just imagine how high the prices would be. It has to auto correct to keep things in balance. If you had 6% appreciation for 20 years running...who could afford to buy your home. A home investment is for the long haul. A 5 year commitment will make you money!