Localism: Bellingham's Fairhaven

Pay Off Your Mortgage Early

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:54:34 -0600

How would you like to save 7 1/2 years of mortgage payments from your thirty-year fixed mortgage. That means you can pay off your home in 22 1/2 years instead of 30.

It is easier than you think. All you have to do is make one extra payment per year.

One very easy way to do this is to make bi-weekly payments. Some banks and credit unions will set up bi-weekly payment systems for you.

When I had my loan with the Whatcom Educational Credit Union, they were very obliging and set me up so that payments would automatically be made every other week.

Here is an example with round numbers.

If you you are making monthly payments of $1000 per month, that means you make 12 payments per year or pay $12,000 per year. If you pay bi-weekly you make 26 payments of $500 each. At the end of the year you've paid $13,000 instead of $12,000.

At this rate you can literally cut 7 1/2 years off your mortgage and save many thousands of dollars.

This is a great system for somebody with a steady paycheck, that way is easy to allocate the correct amount of money every two weeks. If your income isn't as steady just try to make that one extra payment a year toward principal and you'll save a ton of money. Most people aren't disciplined enough to do this on their own, so she can get set up with your lender to do it automatically it's like a forced saving plan.

If you don't have the disciplined to do this yourself and your lender won't do it for you, there are companies that call themselves mortgage acceleration companies that will do this for you. They will charge an up front fee of anywhere from $150 to $500 and $3 to $6 charge with every payment.

If you have any questions or want to see any Fairhaven Property feel free to email me at or give me a call at 360-739-6981.

Fairhaven Kicks Off the Holiday Season

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:57:06 -0600

This weekend will be the beginning of the holiday season in Fairhaven's historic district. Fairhaven's century old buildings and streets will be lit up and decorated for the season. Some of the shops will have their windows painted by kids from the Fairhaven Middle School Art Club.

The weekend festivities in Village Green will include musicians, carolers, a Victorian Santa who will arrive at 1 PM in a horse drawn carriage on both Friday and Saturday. At 4:30 PM on Friday you can come dressed up as Ebenezer Scrooge for the best Scrooge contest on the Village Green stage.

There will be a magic forest of evergreen trees in front of the stage were carolers will be singing around 5 PM on Friday. There will be horse drawn carriage rides around the neighborhood, from 1 to 4 on both Friday and Saturday.

The annual holiday Tour D'art will also take place on both Friday and Saturday from 5 to 9 PM. There will be artists in many of the shops and galleries.

Image courtesy of flickr.com by gadi

Philanthropy Award for Fairhaven's Village Books

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:59:45 -0600

Fairhaven's Village Books as well as Colin Flynn and Anders Crabo two recent Sehome High School graduates, were among this years Philanthropy Awards Honorees.

Outstanding Philanthropic Small Business: Village Books

Village Books has been a community leader through philanthropy, education, and activism for many years. Much more than an independent book store, Village Books is owned by Chuck and Dee Robinson. The Bellingham book store is large part of the Fairhaven and larger Bellingham community, connecting individuals and causes through the store’s newsletter, and many book signings and fundraising events they do. As well as traditional fundraising this small business often plays a leadership role in efforts to strengthen and enhance the Whatcom County community. Village Books helped lead the way for Bellingham to become the number one “Green Power” city in the country and to become a national leader in the area of sustainable living. Village Books also led the way in establishing the Fairhaven Village Green Fund, the Korean War Children’s Memorial Fund, and the Depot Market Fund. Chuck and Dee Robinson maintain the public trails near their store and contribute to numerous community non-profit organizations that help preserve salmon habitat, wet lands, working farms and clean water. They also teach children and adults how to read – and even feed them when they’re hungry.

Outstanding Young Philanthropist: Anders Crabo & Colin Flynn

Colin Flynn and Anders Crabo went beyond mere fundraising for their senior year culminating project to literally leave a legacy for the future. The Sehome High School students graduated in June 2008. They spent 15 days during the summer of 2007 biking 1,200 miles throughout Washington state to raise money for an endowment fund they established at the Whatcom Community Foundation. They pair created the Bellingham Youth Philanthropy Project with a goal of strengthening the bond between high school students and their community through charitable giving. After raising $14,000 by having businesses pledge money per mile of their bike trip.they established a committee of Sehome High School students and faculty, to advise the community foundation on how to disperse the funds for environmental projects in future years. Woodstock Farm Conservancy, a nonprofit working to restore farm property acquired by the city of Bellingham was one of the first to be granted $550. Their endowment fund has transcended the norm of youth philanthropy by integrating two fundamental components in their creative effort – true commitment and the traction of legacy. Flynn, is now a freshman at Pitzer College, and Crabo, a freshman at Pomona College.

The Philanthropy Awards are give by The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the largest organization of professional fundraisers in the world.

Find places to stay in Fairhaven Washington

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:19:50 -0600

Find places to stay in Fairhaven Washington

Are you planning to visit Fairhaven WA? There are only three places to stay the night in Fairhaven. I have listed your options below.

Fairhaven Village Inn

The Fairhaven Village Inn is located in the heart of Fairhaven directly across from the Village Green park. The Fairhaven Village Inn is an ideal location for someone that is passing through town by bus or train, as it is just a few blocks from the Fairhaven Terminal. The Fairhaven Village Inn is also right next to the many wonderful Fairhaven restaurants.

Rates range from $159 to $269 per night

The Chrysalis Inn & Spa

The Chrysalis Inn & Spa is a very nice place to stay. The inn overlooks the Taylor St boardwalk and Bellingham Bay, with bay and island views. The Chrysalis is located on the fringe of downtown Fairhaven and is just a short walk away from the many restaurants located in Fairhaven.

Rates range from $199 to $299 per night

The Fairhaven Bed and Breakfast

The Fairhaven Bed and Breakfast is a Victorian style bed and breakfast that is located just two blocks south of downtown Fairhaven. This is the perfect place to stay if you are looking for an old world vacation. The rooms are large and patrons are given access to an entire floor including a kitchen and two bathrooms.

Call 360-734-7243 for rates

Ryan Martin - Realtor®, e-Pro®

Your Bellingham WA Real Estate agent

Keeping you informed about Bellingham WA

Boulevard Park Bellingham's Most Popular Park

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:06:25 -0600

Bellingham's Most Popular Park is Boulevard Park (in my opinion)

Recently I have become more and more intrigued with video blogs, podcast, or whatever you want to call them. In any event, I created this short video about Boulevard Park in Bellingham. Being one of the most popular parks in Bellingham, a lot of people have written articles and blog posts about this park (myself included). I chose to create this video for those people that have not been to Boulevard Park and for those who may not get the change. Here is my treat to you.

Ryan Martin - Realtor®, e-Pro®

Your Bellingham WA Real Estate agent

Keeping you informed about Bellingham WA