About Whatcom County, WA

Sometimes it is funny how the mind works. As part of the home inspection training class at Bellingham Technical College, I maintain some online practice tests that help students prepare for various inspection related state or national exams. Here is the scoop.

I was at an inspection today and one sprinkler head was buried down in the soil.

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

• There are currently 1387 homes for sale
• Homes are priced from $12,000 - $4,500,000
• Average Asking Price $409,010 Days on Market: 139 days
• Median Asking Price $320,000 Days on Market: 102 days
• Homes sold in October: 183
• Average Listing Price $299,098
• Average Sold Price $289,807 Days on Market 94
• Median Listing Price $262,900
• Median Sold Price $258,000 Days on Market: 52
• Homes Pending this week: 91 Total Homes Pending: 431

• Average Sales Price October 2008: $301,847
• Median Sales Price October 2008: $275,395
• Sold in October 2008: 146

The Average Sales price is down 4.0% compared to October 08 and up 9.2% compared to last month.

The Median Sales prices is down 6.2% compared to October 08 and up 6.2% compared to last month.

The number of sales is up by 37 compared to October 08 and down by 16 compared to last month.

Condo Analysis for Whatcom County

• Currently Active Listings: 429
• Price range of active listings - $22,000 - $1,565,000
• Average List Price $248,926 Days on Market: 170
• Median List Price $194,566 Days on Market: 119
• Sold in October: 47
• Average Listing Price $210,852
• Average Sold Price $204,557 Days on Market: 147
• Median Listing Price $193,000
• Median Sold Price $190,000 Days on Market: 97
• Condos Pending (went under contract) last week: 12 Total Condos Pending: 79

• Average Sales Price October 2008: $247,208
• Median Sales Price October 2008: $177,000
• Sold in October 2008: 22

The Average Sales price is down 17.3% compared to October 08, and down by 1.0% compared to last month.

The Median Sales prices is up by 7.3% compared to October 08 and up by 8.5% compared to last month.

The number of sales is up by 25 compared to October 08 and up by 14 compared to last month.

Great news the First Time Home Buyer's Tax Credit of $8,000 available to anyone who hasn't owned a home in the past 3 years has been extended until April 2010. The new program will also expand the tax credit to include existing home owners who have owned a home for at least five of the last 8 years will be able to apply for tax credits of up to $6,500 when they purchase their next home.

You might want to talk to your banker to see what you can afford. Meanwhile interest rates are still extremely low and there are some great values in the Bellingham market right now. You might want to take a look at what it would cost you to purchase one of these homes at today's rates. You might be surprised at what your monthly payments would be, maybe less than your paying for rent right now if you are renting a comparable sized house.

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

Whatcom Museum's latest addition The Lightcatcher has just opened this week.With the buildings architectural design and it's exhibits, the museum will be bridging the gap between art and nature, showing the beautiful simplicity of nature's form and function.

The building's name comes from the Lightcatcher wall. Designed in an arc, the 37-foot-high and 180-foot translucent wall surrounds the courtyard capturing, filtering and translating the light of the sun. The building has an interesting shape but I find it's dull sand color exterior a little boring, some vibrant color or a mural would make it a lot more interesting.

The Lightcatcher is the first museum in Washington State built to LEED Silver standards and it includes a green roof and rainwater harvesting strategies that will be used for public education.The roof manages stormwater, their is a natural ventilation systems in the Lightcatcher wall, and a cistern for harvesting rainwater, as well as a rain garden in the courtyard,

One of the premier exhibits is John Grade's architectural installation of sculptures that he calls "Bloom: The Elephant Bed," 10 bell-shaped sculptures hanging from the 26-foot high ceiling. A type of organism called coccolithophores that forms algal blooms, was Grade's inspiration for the sculpture. After millions of years of decay and deposit, their calciferous skeletons have became the basis of England's chalky white cliffs of Dover. The "elephant bed" is a layer in the chalk deposit that holds the fossilized bones of ox, deer and even mammoth. The sculptures are made of water-soluble materials and over the course of the exhibit, a few will be lowered into a pool of inky-black water where they will slowly dissolve. On Saturday, April 10, 2010 the remaining pieces will be cast into Bellingham Bay after a public procession where they will dissolve and spend eternity.

Grade's exhibit honors the natural world's state of impermanence, death and renewal; the cycle of birth and decay is nature's way of creating a sustainable habitat.

The museum's art gallery, has works that explore political, social and gender issues and show how ordinary materials and ideas can be transformed into art. The Lightcatcher building's inaugural exhibition "Out of Bounds" features more than 80 compelling works in all media - painting, sculpture, drawing, Out of Bounds is the collection of Driek and Michael Zirinsky.

The Family Interactive Gallery (FIG), formerly the Children's Museum is the Pacific Northwest's newest family attraction. Art-based activities in a dramatic setting connect visitors to our region's history and environment, the FIG promises to be a fun and engaging experience for the whole family.

The Whatcom Museum Lightcatcher is a welcome addition to the city of Bellingham.

The old passenger railway cars departed Fairhaven via the flatbed trailer of a semi truck.

After 34 years of residing around the old Bob's service station at the intersection of 12th & Harris Avenues the cars were loaded on to awaiting trucks with a huge Sickelsteel Crane. It was quite the site watching all the activity from my condo windows. Many people gathered around the site to watch as the crane hooked up to the cars, lifted them overhead and dropped them down on to the trailers.

This end of an era change in Historic Fairhaven goes right along with all the other changes that have been happening the past few years. To include renovation of 1890 buildings, construction of new mixed used commercial buildings, which increased the residential density in the district core. The future plans for this site is the possible creation of a modern replica of the Historic Fairhaven Hotel.