Good Morning America from Leavenworth WA
This morning The Good Morning America show featured the gorgeous town of Leavenworth, Washington as part of it’s segment called “Good Morning America Lights Up The Holidays“. They did a live feed to begin the Good Morning America’s show in New York.
Leavenworth with it’s Bavarian village like town is celebrating the beginning of it’s Christmas time events. They were selected as one of the top 5 spots in the US for for the Christmas celebration.
Good Morning America host Sam Champion was live in Leavenworth. To do the show though and have it live back in New York most of the people that wanted to be on the show had to arrive at 3am this morning and then taped it from 4am to 6am. the show was live here on the west coast at 7am this morning.
On Wednesday the Good Morning show visited Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for the first town in it’s Morning Holiday series. From here until Christmas, the Good Morning Show will visit several other towns, but their locations are kept under tight wraps until the morning of the show. So I wonder where Sam is off to next…
Well…there goes my shot at buying a small chalet somewhere in that beautiful Leavenworth valley…(smiling). Actually in all fairness the Leavenworth WA real estate market has seen decent price appreciations over the last few years compared to the rest of Washington State. Nearby Wenatchee had the highest home price appreciation rate in the nation, jumping 15.7 percent in the past 12 months. But even with that said, it seems that home prices for Chelan County real estate seem to be pretty decent when compared to the average home prices in Western Washington.
Leavenworth really is a great little town to visit and with the Cascade mountains as a back drop, you really do feel like your in Bavaria. If your planning to visit the area go to Leavenworth, WA - The Bavarian Village.
Jerry Campbell - Muljat Group Realtors - Bellingham, WA 98225 - Northwest Living
Hello there. I am a long time local resident from Leavenworth and was one of the crazy people out and about at 3:00 this morning. It was pretty exciting for our town and the folks at GMA were very gracious and truely impressed with our little corner of the world. Sam best described the setting when he said it was like being in a snow globe. We had a fresh snow fall last night and this morning to make the setting just perfect.
I am an Electrical Contractor here and like most of Western Washington, we have been riding a building wave like none we have ever seen. Because of density issues here and the prices of vacant lots, Condo construction has been booming. Our company has wired over 70 new units in the downtown core in the last 18 months, many that still sit vacant because of the recent downturn and current pricing. We joked to ourselves that events like GMA and the nationwide exposure should take care of the current flood in the market.
It could be worse, we could be the people answering the phones at the local Inn’s that will be flodded with calls to come see our town only to be told it takes a year to book for the Christmas Lighting season.
Best wishes and Happy Holidays from Leavenworth!
Comment by Jim Cook — November 29, 2007 @ 9:48 am
Hi Jim,
Yeah, I was up early myself around 6am getting ready for the day, making some coffee, and then the local ABC station mentioned it on air. So, I went on-line and read a little bit about the show by going to the Leavenworth WA Chamber of Commerce site to see what was going on.
That dusting of snow we got last night probably played up pretty good for you guys as well in Leavenworth for the Good Morning Showing. Sometime Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning were suppose to get some snow accumulation up in the Whatcom County area. Which means…you guys should be getting more snow over the weekend.
Your probably right that a lot of the Inn’s in the area will get their fair share of calls because of the Good Morning America publicity. I wasn’t kidding though when I said it would be much more difficult finding a decent price on Chalets for sale in Leavenworth. I bet Realtors in Leavenworth WA and the surrounding areas will end up getting a few more calls through the weekend than normal.
My family and I usually visit the Leavenworth area a couple times a year. Being life time residents of Western Washington, we usually make it over to Leavenworth every year for the annual Oktoberfest held in early October. I like the fact that Leavenworth expanded the event to the first three weekends in October, instead of just one weekend. Life’s pretty good when your in Leavenworth and enjoying a stein full of beer and a good bratwurst along with it.
The other great attraction that draws us to the area, besides the annual Oktoberfest, is the apple season. That whole Chelan, Wenatchee, Cashmere, and Entiat area produces some of the best Apples in the world. We usually take the North Cascades Highway down thru Winthrop, and then down to Wenatchee and back up through Leavenworth. I think It’s called the North Cascade Loop if you finish by going back over Highway 2, jump on the ferry to Whidbey Island, cross over the Deception Pass area and back to I-5 and finish the loop near Sedro Woolley. That is a really nice trip when the weathers right for sure.
Well…take it easy Jim. That was pretty cool seeing that surprise this morning.
Comment by Jerry — November 29, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
We just purchased a 10 bedroom lodge outside Leavenworth and were very nervous about the high prices in the area. With Good Morning America coming and the Wenatchee River opening up for steel head after 15 years it just gives me additional confidence in this market. Come stay at our new place! www.dirtyfacelodge.com
Cheers
Comment by Cory Sonnen — November 29, 2007 @ 8:36 pm
Hi Cory
I’ve been up to Lake Wenatchee a few times camping. That is a great spot indeed. If I remember right, Lake Wenatchee is about 15 miles north west of Leavenworth, just off Hwy 2. Well next time were heading that way, we’ll have to consider the Dirty Face Lodge. With a cool name like that, thats the kind of lodge that would fit right into the Winthrop, WA area with their wild west theme they have going on.
Take care.
Comment by Jerry — November 29, 2007 @ 9:33 pm
Jerry - Thank you for your kind words about Leavenworth. We depend on people like you coming to see us here in Chelan County and having nice experiences to share with others.
Corey - Don’t worry, you just bought a gem. My parents still live across the Lake Wenatchee Hwy from your Lodge and on holidays our overnight family has “overflowed” to Dirtyface often. My office is near you, let me know if you need any support. I will add a link to Dirtyface Lodge on our website www.snowisgone.com.
Best wishes!
Comment by Jim — November 30, 2007 @ 8:55 am
Hello
We are thinking about relocating to the Wenatchee, WA area early in 2008. Actually were looking at the Chelan, WA area as well. Were going to put our house on the market in March and I was just wondering if you know of a good real estate agent in that area. I’m sorry to bother you with this, but you seem to know a lot about that area and maybe you could let me know who we should call to help us.
Comment by Connie — November 30, 2007 @ 6:12 pm
Hi Connie,
Yes I do know a couple of real estate agents that are full time Realtors in the Chelan County WA area. I will send you an email to the email address you supplied with your post. My family and I took a trip over to Lake Chelan this last summer and toured several areas along Lake Chelan. Being a Campbell, we also had to visit the Campbell Resort at the very eastern end of Lake Chelan. The Campbell Resort is actually located right in the City of Chelan, in a beautiful spot on Lake Chelan. One of the Realtors I’ll refer you to, works full time in the Lake Chelan area. Have a nice day Connie.
Comment by Jerry — December 1, 2007 @ 9:17 am
Hi Jerry, Nice post. Everyone was excited that Good Morning America came. And, it was a beautiful snowy morning to show off the fabulous Bavarian Village of Leavenworth. If you know of anyone looking for property in the Wenatchee area, just 25 miles east of Leavenworth, I’d LOVE to help! Wenatchee has been #1 on the OFHEO price index for the highest appreciating market in the nation for three quarters in a row! My assistant and I pride ourselves on our knowledge, experience and integrity! To stay current with Wenatchee real estate news, info and trends, visit my blog at www.CarolsWenatchee.com or my website at: www.TopPropertiesWenatchee.com Happy Holidays!
Comment by Carol Williams — December 5, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
Thank you for the comment. Nice post! What an awesome town. I’d love to visit.
Comment by DD — December 7, 2007 @ 10:43 pm
Jerry-
Thanks for the spotlight on our wonderful village. I am a Realtor in Leavenworth and you are correct that we have seen some great appreciation over the past few years. We saw a slow down this summer with a huge gain in inventory over past years, especially in the condo market. I don’t expect to see depreciation as in other parts of the country, but I expect we will be back to a balanced or even a buyers market in 2008. I think some great deals can be had right now, especially for buyers looking to buy right in the village. www.MyLeavenworth.com
Comment by Geordie Romer — December 13, 2007 @ 4:58 pm