tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70537953171900131742009-06-12T13:45:46.396-07:00Bellingham Real Estate BlogGabe Hoggarthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03240234132305552032noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-62636853586320796542009-03-12T09:12:00.001-07:002009-03-16T09:34:59.664-07:00Whatcom County Real Estate Market Report for February, 2009 The following is a quick analysis of the Whatcom County real estate market. There are currently 1374 homes for sale. Homes are priced from $12,000 - $6,995,000 Average Asking Price $437,110 Days on Market: 136 days Median Asking Price $338,875 Days on Market: 99 days Homes sold in February: 91 Average Listing Price $331,950 Average Sold Price $307,992Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-66431084580093408512009-03-10T12:43:00.001-07:002009-03-11T10:19:34.809-07:00First Bellingham Real Estate VlogI'm giving my first Vlog a try. I think its a given that everyone knows that video is coming to the real estate profession, the question is how is it going to be done in a way that makes sense to one produce (easily) provide valueable commentary to those who are watching the video and for that matter be engaging enough to come back and watch over and over again.Over the last couple of months Glenn Sanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17895321235280836794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-91082726145202815382009-03-05T15:18:00.000-08:002009-03-05T15:40:22.921-08:00Staging is NOT an artStaging seems to have re-surfaced in this tough economy. I'm not talking place-mats, candles etc. (not that there's anything wrong with that). Real staging is the creation of space where you didn't think it existed. Don't be offended but have you looked at your kitchen, garage or bedroom lately? Our own clutter and yes, dirt, don't really bother us, we kind of get used to dull tiles in the Valerie Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10064922322488074780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-85056161897193058022009-03-05T11:15:00.001-08:002009-03-14T16:59:58.242-07:00Bellingham Real Estate Market Report for February, 2009 The following is a quick analysis of the Residential Bellingham real estate market. Currently Active Listings: 475 Price range of active listings - $103,900 - $3,575,000 Average List Price $531,882 Days on the Market: 129 Median List Price: $399,900 Days on the Market: 94 Sold in February: 38 Average List Price: $370,062 Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-78146496032158170002009-02-18T17:58:00.001-08:002009-02-18T18:10:47.146-08:00President Obama announced the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan President Obama announced his Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan today. The plan is designed to help up to 7-9 million families avoid foreclosure. This large task will be accomplished by restructuring or refinancing their mortgages. The plan not only helps responsible homeowners that are behind on their payments or at risk of losing their homes, but prevents neighborhoods and Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-72385424194783198592009-02-16T14:32:00.001-08:002009-02-16T20:58:25.087-08:00First Time Home Buyer - $8,000 Tax Credit To talk is that President Obama will be signing the new economic stimulus bill today. For that bill includes a $8000 first-time home buyers tax credit. It is similar to the recent $7500 tax credit recently passed by Congress with a few changes. The most notable is this is a true tax credit and doesn't have to be repaid unless you don't live in the house for first of three years, or sell Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-36329133591835700512009-02-16T11:29:00.001-08:002009-02-16T11:51:17.508-08:00Short Sales are the Plague... Avoid them as such!Here's something you won't read on most listing centric real estate websites, however I'll post it here. Short Sales are phantom listings. You've read it right. Short Sales are phantom listings. They look like regular listings, they smell like regular listings, they even taste like regular listings when it comes to reviewing the information provided via the Northwest MLS.As far as consumers Glenn Sanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17895321235280836794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-59889563870927183862009-02-11T10:29:00.001-08:002009-02-11T10:42:26.569-08:00WTA opens new Cordata Bus Station Yes it's true, Bellingham has grown into a two bus station town. With the opening of its new Cordata Bus Station last week the Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) now has two bus stations. The new Cordata Station will service the fast-growing Cordata neighborhood. With the growth of Whatcom Community College and the area in general, it seems like a natural place for the extension of the bus Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-31991057408247207012009-02-06T17:32:00.001-08:002009-02-06T17:32:51.425-08:00The Legendary Banked Slalom - Snowboarding at Mt Baker The Legendary Banked Slalom takes place Friday February 6 thru Sunday February 8 at the Mt Baker Ski Area. Mt. Baker has been a kind of Mecca for the snowboarding world ever since they first opened their chairs to snowboarders in the early’80s. The early boarders there started a contest. In 1985, 14 snowboarders raced on Superbowl Sunday to avoid the crowds, and a tradition was born.Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-81126615704038742972009-02-05T17:29:00.001-08:002009-03-11T11:20:53.693-07:00Bellingham Real Estate Market Report for January, 2009 The following is a quick analysis of the Residential Bellingham real estate market. Currently Active Listings: 440 Price range of active listings - $159,900 - $3,575,000 Average List Price $538,464 Days on the Market: 136 Median List Price: $399,000 Days on the Market: 113 Sold in January: 38 Average List Price: $306,638 Average Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-59490875353894716882009-01-25T20:20:00.001-08:002009-01-25T20:37:00.158-08:00Center StageThink of it as Interior Curb Appeal . STAGING. How a house is presented to potential buyers and those first few impressions can make all the difference when selling a home. How your home is marketed and DISPLAYED will have an effect on a buyers perception and how they see themselves in your house.I use the word display because as Webster describes it you do want " to exhibit to advantage". Just Roberta Soareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343596328855284361roberta@buyertours.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-45835043538778447332009-01-24T10:40:00.000-08:002009-01-26T11:08:28.751-08:00First Time Home Buyer - $7,500 Tax CreditDid you know that you may be eligible for the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit that is part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. This tax credit is designed to encourage first-time home buyers to purchase their first homes. Combine this tax credit with the fact that home prices are relatively lows and interest rates are at historical lows, it may be an ideal time for many Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-4527602717731938482009-01-23T16:03:00.001-08:002009-01-23T16:03:07.482-08:00The Eagles Are Here The season for watching bald eagles has arrived. They come down from Canada and Alaska every winter to feed on the abundant salmon available to them in the Nooksack and Skagit Rivers. I saw an eagle just the other day flying over Fairhaven. A great place to see the Eagles is along the Skagit river along Highway 20, the North Cascades highway, between Concrete and Marblemount. There is a Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-81784562481093413262009-01-15T13:43:00.001-08:002009-01-15T13:43:25.802-08:00Bellingham's Heritage Flight Museum Bellingham's Heritage Flight Museum is moving into their new home at 4165 Mitchell Way, near the Bellingham Airport on Saturday, 17 January 2009. There will be a formal program scheduled to begin at 1:00pm. The museum was founded in 1996 by Maj. General William Anders an Apollo 8 astronaut. The Heritage Flight Museum is dedicated to the preservation and flying of historic military aircraft. Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-42863044074585637282009-01-14T16:47:00.001-08:002009-01-15T14:11:56.160-08:00Bellingham's Community Food Co-op Opens Second Store Bellingham's Community Food Co-op, our natural cooperative grocer is opening their new store on January 15. The 'second store' will serve the north side of town, located in the fast growing Cordata neighborhood. It is conveniently located across the street from Bellingham's new Cordata Bus Station and down the street from Whatcom Community College. It is not the prettiest building I have ever Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-73289690270334896932009-01-12T19:51:00.001-08:002009-01-15T18:29:19.334-08:00Bellingham Real Estate Market Report 2008 The Average Bellingham Home sale price for 2008 is down 4.2% compared to 2007. The Median Sales prices is down 5% compared to 2007. The number of sales is down by 342 or 28% compared 2007 Sold in 2008: 883 Average Sales Price: $359,231 Days on the Market: 93 Median Sales Price: $299,500 Days on the Market: 63 Sold in 2007: 1225 Average Sales Price: $374,991 Days Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-48548064583321001962009-01-05T18:23:00.001-08:002009-01-05T18:23:52.294-08:00Bellingham Real Estate Market Report for December, 2008 The following is a quick analysis of the Residential Bellingham real estate market for December 2008. Currently Active Listings: 418 Price range of active listings - $119,900 - $3,575,000 Average List Price $532,500 Days on the Market: 137 Median List Price: $399,000 Days on the Market: 112 Sold in December: 49 Average List Price: $337,994 Average SalesMichael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-87159005362077072212008-12-29T21:58:00.001-08:002008-12-30T19:50:05.022-08:00Bellingham's Polar Bear Plunge If your idea of starting the New Year off is with a cold swim, come on out to this year's Lake Padden Resolution Run & Polar Bear Dip. The run will begin at 11 a.m. on New Years Day, with a run or walk around Bellingham's Lake Padden. The official dip into the chilly lake is set for noon. Lifeguards will be on duty,as well as hot beverages, snacks and warm showers for those brave souls who makeMichael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-23558346515506877312008-12-24T16:13:00.001-08:002008-12-24T16:13:32.365-08:00Snow Fun Bellingham has been a winter wonderland for the past week and a half. The white stuff has been with us nonstop and it's been growing by a number of inches every few days until today when the temperature got up to the mid-30s and the snow turned to rain. It might be a white Christmas here yet as predictions vary. Some are predicting more snow, others are predicting a combination of rain mixedMichael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-26327285738666456342008-12-17T11:06:00.001-08:002008-12-17T11:09:22.943-08:00Good News for Buyers - Fed Cuts Rate With the holiday shopping season in full swing many stores they are having big sales. It looks like money itself has gone on sale!There has been yet another rate cut by the Federal Reserve and it is promising that home mortgages will be less expensive now and hopefully into the future. The prime interest rate has come down to a historical low of 3.25% and it has trickled down to the to the Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-524123331898776572008-12-07T12:53:00.001-08:002008-12-16T14:08:33.161-08:00Bellingham Real Estate Market Report for November, 2008 The following is a quick analysis of the Residential Bellingham real estate market. Currently Active Listings: 489 Price range of active listings - $106,900 - $3,450,000 Average List Price $525,102 Days on the Market: 127 Median List Price: $399,000 Days on the Market: 109 Sold in November: 36 Average List Price: $336,534 Average Sales Price: $320,973Michael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-23861886863166583852008-12-02T11:57:00.001-08:002008-12-16T14:09:53.328-08:00Pay Off Your Mortgage Early 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 IMichael Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08396460272778193635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-9687339833626980982008-07-29T15:27:00.000-07:002008-07-31T14:54:11.747-07:00Low Offers in a Declining Market: Whatcom CountyAnyone been in a cave? In the outback of Alaska? Both, possibly? Good, thanks for the show of hands.If you haven't heard, read, or had suth-sayed (past tense of sooth?) for $1.99 a minute, nationally the housing market is experiencing a "management restructuring." This is a politically savvy way of saying that the earth is righting itself, lending has returned to Planet Earth, and bidding wars onChris McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00168807443741143964chrismcnamara1975@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-70410411460617012222008-07-26T15:49:00.000-07:002008-07-26T16:35:14.686-07:00FHA Downpayment Assistance Soon To Be GoneNow that both the House and Senate passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, and with President Bush likely to sign the Bill, you can wave goodbye to Downpayment Assistance Programs (DAP) like Nehemiah and AmeriDream for FHA loans. This law will go into effect Oct 1 2008.If your a Buyer thinking of using a FHA loan, now is the time to buy! Along with baring the use of a DAP, the BuyerJohnny Ray Howesnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053795317190013174.post-26472063165121755282008-04-24T12:01:00.000-07:002008-04-24T14:23:42.524-07:00Inspiration from inspiration: 29th Annual Mayor's Art Awards CelebrationPositive-thought provoking. Awe-inspiring. Inspirational. Like a town crier calling for an approaching circus. But the circus you marvel at as a kid, not the media-circus connotation I carry now as a 32 year-old man.And while the margin between the two is a country song waiting to happen, I was treated to nothing short of these feelings last night at the 29th Annual Mayor's Arts Awards Chris McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00168807443741143964chrismcnamara1975@gmail.com0