Northwest Living | Bellingham Real Estate Market

During the whole month of December we have been developing a brand new Whatcom County real estate web site in order to better serve our buyers and sellers for the Whatcom County area.  The site will also provide services to the Skagit County, Island County, and San Juan County real estate market as well.

Our new web site will provide extensive information about the Whatcom County area to better inform buyers relocating to our area. 

The search real estate capabilities will be built out over time and we have joined the REW web site capabilities on our WhatcomRealEstate.com site with our WhatcomHomeSearch.com to create a Dynamic web site of the future. The combination of these two sites together will serve our current clients and future clients needs in so many ways, that we feel we will be providing them with many advantages over the competition.  

 Lynden, WA - The Northwest Washington Fair has announced earlier than usual it’s grandstand lineup by naming the legendary band Chicago for its Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008 headline performance.  Chicago will probably be one of the biggest appearance’s for the mid August fair in many years.

Tickets for the Aug 14, 2008 Chicago Band performance can be purchased by going to Lynden Northwest Washington Fair web site. I just checked, and tickets are still available as of today. Ticket prices for this show, are $30 each for reserved grandstand seats and $40 for preferred seats.  That doesn’t include admission to the fair.

The Northwest Washington Fair will be held next summer from August 11-16, 2008.  Jim Baron, General Manager of the NWWA Fair wanted to make the tickets available early as holiday gifts.

According to the Lynden Tribune, Chicago is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The band has surpassed 100 million in record sales and 25 of its 30 albums have been certified platinum.  Chicago has recorded five No. 1 singles and 21 Top-10 singles, including “25, or 6 to 4,” “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?,” “Saturday in the Park,” “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” and “(I’ve Been) Searchin’ So Long.”

The eight-person band includes Robert Lamm (keyboards and vocals), Lee Loughnane (trumpet), James Pankow (trombone), Walt Parazaider (woodwinds), Bill Champlin (keyboards, guitar and vocals), Jason Scheff (bass and vocals), Tris Imboden (drums) and Keith Howland (guitar). Four of the members date back to the band’s creation 40 years ago.

That should be an exciting nite in Lynden this coming August and probably one of the busiest days in fair attendance over all.  Lets all hope for a beautiful sunny evening for this awesome performance.

 Lynden, Washington’s Mayor Jack Louws was recently quoted that Lynden may be at a “financial and social crossroad,” and  challenged the city to reinvigorate its retail base to provide enough tax revenue for a growing population needing city services.

The mayor said the Lynden’s City Council and citizens could choose a status-quo approach or one that is proactive with vision and commitment. Louws asked, “Are we ready to reclaim Lynden’s status within the greater community of Whatcom County as the North Whatcom hub of commerce?”

As an addition to his five-page message, which he read, Louws asked if it may be time to reconsider lifting Lynden’s 65,000-square-foot limit on the size of retail stores, as people go elsewhere to buy their clothing, appliances and more.

The city, he said, could change regulatory impediments to retail business; try to maximize tourism opportunities; and work with the Chamber of Commerce and the county Small Business Development Center to do a market analysis as a blueprint.

Louws also mentioned land west of Guide Meridian Road as a possible place for “core retail not currently available in our community,” and doing the rezoning to accommodate it.  “I would like our community to debate and decide a clear direction for our future, and I’m personally inclined toward taking action,” the mayor said.  Lynden may have a “narrow window of opportunity” to move forward with an action plan, as neighboring communities also consider their situations, Louws said.

I think the Mayor might have been referring to the big decision the City of Ferndale is weighing currently with the Pioneer Plaza project proposed for the area near Axton Road and Barrett Road. If Ferndale’s Pioneer Plaza project were to become a reality, that would certainly have an effect on Lynden’s retail sales.  The Pioneer Plaza project, in it’s proposed state, would include about 160 condominiums, 775,000 square feet of retail space, 234,000 square feet of office space and several four-story parking garages.

This amount of retail next to I-5 and about 7 miles north of Bellingham, Washington’s largest retail outlets would create some competition for retail dollars.  Currently Ferndale takes in one of the lowest retail percentages for cities in Whatcom County when figured against their population base.  Lynden, however has done much better than Ferndale and other Whatcom County cities, except the bigger Bellingham, when it comes to taxes that come into the city budget based on sales dollars.

Last year about this time it was announced locally that Lynden was the fastest growing town in Whatcom County.  Lynden has grown by 1,730 people over the last 6 years, a 19.2% increase, bringing the population to 10,750.  I have to say Lynden’s Mayor is doing his job and looking after his city by looking forward.  How can one argue with hard facts like a 19.2% increase in your population and realize where are the tax dollars going to come from to provide services.  The west side of the Guide would have the least negative affect on Lynden’s population growth and far from where Lynden WA Neighborhoods are growing.

So…Id have to say that Mayor Louws is forward thinking for the city of Lynden.  I’m quiet certain that once Guide Meridian road improvements is completed over the next couple years, that will help tremendously with folks wanting to drive north to visit and spend dollars in the Gorgeous town of Lynden, Washington. 

Mayor Louws went on to acknowledged that any path has an impact on the quality of life, but said, “With some changes, I feel we, as a city government, could reap a greater financial reward that would allow us to provide more services in the future, without materially impacting the quality of life in our residential districts and without raising taxes.”

Lynden’s preliminary 2008 budget included the following:
     • No anticipated property tax rate increase.
  • A revenue increase from new construction and reassessment within the 1 percent legal limit, plus $132,648 banked levy capacity.
  • Sales tax estimated the same as 2007.
  • Salaries and benefits according to negotiated increases.
  • Support of seven community organizations, including the Lynden Chamber of Commerce, Lynden’s senior center, Lynden YMCA, and the museum.
  • Completion of a public restrooms building in downtown Lynden.
  • A Police Department patrol sports utility vehicle (still in discussion).
  • In Public Works, a west Lynden utility extension and replacement of a water line along Guide Meridian to River Road.
  • In Streets, replacement of the 14th Street bridge, Benson Road rebuild design, West Main Street construction (grant funding), and reconstruction of the 17th Street culvert.
  • In Parks, field renovation at Bender, parking improvements at City Park, possible park land acquisition. Via partially by way of Lynden Tribune.

Brought to you by Jerry Campbell - The Muljat Group - Lynden WA real estate - Northwest Living

 Today I went out to the Everson area of Whatcom County and visited Stoney Ridge Farm and was amazed at the depth and quality of what this farm has to offer.  I’ve heard from friends and neighbors about Stoney Ridge before, but until I actually went out their today, I didn’t realize they had so much to offer to the public.

Stoney Ridge Farm is open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in October from 10am to 5pm. Their address is located at 2092 Van Dyk Rd; Everson, WA 98247.  You can call them as well at 360-966-3919.  They will also be open from November 24 to December 15 for some Christmas celebrations as well.  I was totally amazed to find out these guys didn’t have a web site, but the ladies said someone is designing one for them.  They really need one, because this place is awesome! 

My family and I have been to many harvest time festivals here in the Northwest over the years, but there’s very few that have as much as this farm has to offer.  They have the largest pumpkin patch fields in all of Whatcom County. To get to this huge field you take a hay ride on the back of a long covered wagon with bales of hay on both sides.  All the kids that took the ride really enjoyed it and so did all the adults as well.  Once the farmer drops you off…you have an entire field of pumpkins to scout around to find that perfect one. 

They also have a couple apple orchards in the same area of the pumpkins where one can pick a variety of apples for around 60 cents a pound.  After you load up on your apples, just take them and your pumpkin back onto the wagon and the farmer will give you a ride back to the pay station.

 But if that’s all you did, you would have missed about 75% of what one could still do at this beautiful farm. Stoney Ridge is a very entertaining place to visit and the kids will just love the atmosphere here. From the little choo choo train ride, to the goats in the sky, to the endless animal exhibits, it’s just great. The place is covered in pumpkins, there’s this huge field of corn made into a maze and the forests of apples.

With the two events that they have here’s what they offer first for “Its Harvest Time At” Stoney Ridge Farm during October:

• Largest pumpkin patch in Whatcom County!
• Craft and gift shop
• Fresh pressed pasteurized cider
• A hot dog stand
• Awesome pumpkin and carmel apple pie (wow…that apple pie with ice cream was good).
• Fresh cider donuts
• U-pick and we pick apples
• Hay and train rides
• Farm animals and Goat walk
• Corn and bin maze
• School and private tours by appointment
• Decorations and more

The second event is called “Its Christmas Time At” Stoney Ridge Farm and here’s whats going on November 24 to December 15th:

• Fresh Noble, Grand, Doug Fir, Frasier, and Nordman Christmas trees to purchase.
• U-cut, pre-cut, and live trees as well.
• Awesome caramel apple, pumpkin, and berry pie!
• Homemade cider donuts and other goodies
• Free coffee and hot chocolate
• Christmas crafts and garland
• Fresh handcrafted wreaths
• Bonfire and hot dogs
• Tree bailing Available.

Well that about does it for the tour of Stoney Ridge Farm, they got me hooked that’s for sure.  Have fun, you’ll enjoy this place for sure.  Oh…plan on at least an hour or two to see everything…it’s time well spent.

Search real estate in Lynden, Everson, Nooksack, and Deming with Lynden Real Estate. 

  The Liberty Park neighborhood located in the North Bellingham area of Ferndale, Washington has announced their Fall 2007 Ferndale open house schedule. The Ferndale community will have open houses every Saturday and Sunday from Noon to 5pm.  Liberty Park will have four brand new two story homes and two one story homes open to the public.

The new Ferndale homes are also open Monday thru Friday from 10am to 5pm during the week.  At the open houses buyers will be able to experience several finished homes by Roosendaal-Honcoop Const. and all the fine finishes the homes builder provides.  The Quality of an RH Home is unmatched in the price range that they compete against in the Ferndale and North Bellingham new homes market.

The Ferndale New Homes can also be found under the Bellingham Herald open house section of the Sunday newspaper. Go to the open house section and look under The Muljat Group ad for the Bellingham Herald.  The Bellingham Herald also has open house ads on-line by going to Bellingham Herald, then Real Estate, Open Houses and finally click on Home Finder.

Roosendaal-Honcoop Const. have been building fine homes since 1979 and have built close to 150 homes in the North Bellingham area alone.  Some of their finished communities include Bellaire Estates, W. 54th, Byers Lane, Myers Estates and many custom homes in this area of Ferndale, WA.

Stop by one of their open houses and pick up a Liberty Park Packet, home plans, plat map, and much more to help you in your new home buying descisions.  They encourage buyers in the new home market to compare their homes to the rest of the market and you’ll see why they are rated as one of the best builders in Whatcom County.

Brought to you by Jerry Campbell, Realtor - The Muljat Group - Bellingham, WA 98225

 Fall has finally arrived here in the Northwest, one of my favorite times of the year.  There are so many things to do here in Whatcom County even as our warm weather slowly slips away. 

In writing this post I was thinking of putting together a to do list of things my family and I enjoy doing during the fall and see if we could work some of them into our schedule.  Then I realized that if someone were to travel to our beautiful area of the country during this time, maybe they would like to know what locals enjoy doing as well.  So here is a list of just some of the things one could also do while visiting our Northwest corner of Washington state:

1. Harvest time is a great way to visit one of our local farms and buy some fresh apples, pears, pumkins, squash, sweet corn, and many more vegetables fresh off the farm. Try this link for a list of local farms that sell their fruit, vegetables, jams and nuts at their farm stands - Whatcom County harvest time.  Another great source for local fruits and vegetables would be for one to visit the Bellingham Farmers Market located downtown. Lynden, WA has their annual Lynden Harvest Festival October 18 & 19, 2007.
2. Visit Mt. Baker and the beautiful drive along Mt. Baker Highway.  During the month of October one can enjoy all the autumn colors that fills the trees. The road travels along the Nooksack River at several points and on many occassions in September, thru November you might be able to see schools of salmon make their way up the river to spawn. Check the weather reports for Mt. Baker snow reports if you plan to travel farther up the mountain.  However, if your planning to go skiing or boarding, enjoy Mt. Baker Skiing because its one of the best ski areas in the Northwest.
3. Tour Western Washington University campus. The fall brings the arrival of  12,000 WWU students and the campus comes to life in activity. Once you find some parking, tour some of the architecture and art that covers this gorgeous campus and find out why its rated as one of the best universities on the west coast.
4. Take in live theatre at the Bellingham Theatre Guild. The fall is usually when things start to get busy at the Guild, so go check out their web site and take a show in. Mount Baker Theatre would be well worth checking out as well. Before the show try dinner downtown or nearby on the water front at one of the fine restraunts.  The Downtown Bellingham web site can help you on dining and shopping.
5. Visit Historic Fairhaven and all that it has to offer. So much has happened over the last ten years that if you had visited then and now, there would be a noticeable difference. The skyline has changed thats for sure, with a lot of buildiing going on in the District.
6. Walk around Lake Padden or hike one of the several trails that line Bellingham including the interurban trail, Whatcom Falls trail system, and more at Bellingham walking trails. Fall time is a great time to hike and take in all the wonderful colors of the fall in this beautiful area we call home.
7. Lynden Craft and Antique Show is held every fall during the month of October.  The event is held at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden, Washington and will be going on from October 18, 19, & 20, 2007.
8. Whatcom Artist Studio Tour will be held from Oct. 6 to Oct. 14, 2007.  52 artists participate in the 13th annual Whatcom Artist Studio Tour. They open their studios to the public for two weekends. The tour is a perfect venue to shop for fine art and craft, and see artists at work.
9. Try the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra which is celebrating 32 years of harmony with Whatcom county.
10. Lighted Christmas Parade and Sinterklaas, the patron saint of the Dutch, welcomes in the holidays each year as he enters Lynden at 1 pm atop his white horse, accompanied by his helper, Zwarte Piet, and Lynden’s Youth Klompen Dancers. Children of all ages are delighted by Sinterklaas’ visit the first Saturday of each December. The highlight of the day is the annual Lighted Christmas Parade at 6 pm.
11. Jingle Bell Run - 20th Annual Jingle Bell Run/Walk in Downtown Bellingham on the corner of Cornwall & York. Two-mile Walk; four-mile Run, held Dec. 8, 2007.
12. Enjoy some fresh sea food at one our local restaurants. Fall is a great time to enjoy fresh salmon, halibut, tuna and of course Northwest clam chowder.  There’s so many restruants to recommend and I really don’t want to leave any out. So, try the following: Anthony’s at Squalicum Harbor, Cliff House, D’Anna’s Café Italiano, Harborside Restaurant, The Oyster Bar, and The Keg Restaurant. Here are some links to other Restraunts in the Whatcom County area: Bellingham WA Restaurants, Taste of Whatcom, and Bellingham Restaurants.
13. For even more things to do this fall in Whatcom County visit Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism.
14. Nearby you might want to attend the Leavenworth Octoberfest, the Skagit Valley Farm Tour, and just over the border in British Columbia one could easily put together another list with 50 more things to do. Instead of putting it here, just go to Vancouver, British Columbia Tourism and have fun.

Even though this article is written in the Fall of 2007, any of these ideas can be done in years that follow or at any time of the year for that matter although the festivals will vary. Most of the event items are at or about the same time every fall. What ever you choose to do while visiting our home here in Whatcom County, enjoy yourself and be safe. And although this area is just one little corner of the world it has a wealth of beauty and depth which changes with each season. So enjoy and have a wonderful adventure this autumn!

We also have some nice links to more local information including area towns, Bellingham neighborhoods, shopping, restaurants and much more at the Bellingham WA Homes web site.

 Lynden, WA - The annual Raspberry Festival was held this past weekend in Lynden, Washington. The raspberry festival is held every year on the third weekend in July. Much of Front Street was closed for the annual event, which featured a popular three-on-three basketball tournament, vintage vehicles, local vendors and plenty of Whatcom County’s tasty raspberries.

Local raspberry farmers in the Lynden area produce approximately 65 percent of all the raspberries grown in the United States — According to the Washington Red Raspberry Commission, also headquarters in Lynden, WA.

It’s truly amazing to travel the country sides of north Whatcom County and see hundreds of acres, row after row of fresh raspberries growing on neatly formed rows.  Driving thru any of the back roads of Lynden, during the month of July when raspberries are in season, with your window down, and you can literally smell the fresh berries.

Washington is surely known for its apple crops in Wenatchee, but slowly the word is getting out about Whatcom County’s Berry production as well. 

The festival attracts hundreds of people each year including folks that drive up from Seattle and from over the border in British Columbia as well.  While over at the busy McPhail Berry Farm, west of Lynden, I saw at least 10-15 vehicles that were from out of the area.

McPhails Berry Farm is a good place to enjoy the festival and get a feel for raspberry country. Every year the festival organizers provide a free shuttle from downtown Lynden to McPhails Berry farm, where there is live music and plenty of raspberry-related desserts. McPhails Farm also has plenty of varieties of raspberries, black raspberries, currants, and at least 10 other berries to pick fresh from their family farm.  Bring the kids as well to enjoy the goats, chickens, ducks and play areas in a fun atmosphere.  They also have a wonderful farm kitchen to buy full pies, slices of pie with ice cream, and jams with an eating area inside and out.

A sign advertising those desserts is what attracted Blaine resident Linda Fox, who was enjoying the music with her husband, Walt Fox, a lifelong county resident who worked picking berries and other agricultural products as a young man. Linda Fox said she’s glad parts of the county still have the charm of an agricultural atmosphere.

“If you lose the agriculture, you lose the quaintness and all the local products,” Fox said. “You can only do so much developing on agricultural land.”

Chris Limbach, a Bellingham resident, said he and his family often pick raspberries themselves and freeze them for future use.

“Raspberries are one of those things that you have to have fresh,” Limbach said. “It changes the taste when they’re not fresh. Plus they’re so expensive when you buy them from the store.”

Next years three-on-three basketball tournament will honor legendary raspberry grower Curt Maberry by naming the tournament the Curt Maberry Memorial Classic. The Maberry family is one of the largest raspberry growers in the world.  Jake Maberry, another legend in Lynden for his Lynden High School Basketball, teams that won four state titles, makes up the other half of Maberry & Maberry Berry Associates or MMBA.

I’ve been picking raspberries, black-raspberries, blueberries, black currants, and many others for over twenty years now. In Whatcom County the first berry crop of the season are the strawberries and are usually ready to be picked during the first week of June and can run to the end of July. Raspberries are usually ready during the last week of June and all of July. All the black-raspberries which include loganberry, marionberry, boysenberry, TayBerry, and others vary, but most are ready during the whole month of July. Blueberries are available to pick from about mid July to mid August…it just depends on the plant and the amount of sunshine they receive. Finally…there are the wild blackberries, which seem to be everywhere, and are available from July through September even. I hope this helps all the readers wanting to know when berry’s ripen in Whatcom County WA. 

Goto the local Lynden real estate site for Lynden WA area real estate and information.

Jerry Campbell - Muljat Group - Lynden WA Real Estate

 The Liberty Park new homes community of 52 brand new homes is now underway in Ferndale, Washington.  Custom Home builder Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction has nine two story homes available to the public, ranging from 1,871 to 2,891 sqft homes.  They also are offering seven one story homes ranging from 1,607 to 2,060 sqft homes.

RH Const. has been building fine homes in Whatcom County since 1979.  They just completed the very successful Myers Estates project in Ferndale WA, consisting of 42 brand new homes. Prior to these two ferndale projects, they also built most of the homes in nearby Bellaire Estates community, home to 62 upscale homes.  They like to say, “we build communities one home at a time”.

They currently have one home already Sold and completed, two more pending and set to close in early January 2007 and have six homes under construction and listed for sale.  They have a complete web site full of information about Liberty Park Lots, Liberty Park Floor Plans, North Bellingham information, builder info, and lots of home photos.

Their 2007 Schedule of open house’s was just anounced at Liberty Park Open House Schedule.  They also recently released their welcome to Liberty Park announcement at Liberty Park News blog site. 

Brought to you by Jerry Campbell, Realtor - The Muljat Group - Bellingham, WA 98225

 Lynden, WA is currently the fastest growing town in Whatcom County, over the last 6 years.  1,730 people moved to Lynden during that span, a 19.2% increase, bringing the population to 10,750.  Blaine, WA came in second at 18.8% increase.

All told, Whatcom County added 17,474 people in the last six years, for a rate of 10.5 percent, making the county eighth in Washington in terms of population growth. Most of those people — 13,011 — moved here from somewhere else.

Lynden has worked hard to put new people inside city limits or in urban growth areas, and it has been welcoming to the national businesses that have been attracted to the increasing population, Mayor Jack Louws said.

“With the increase in population and the businesses that have been developed to support that, I think Lynden’s economy is very healthy,” he said. “I think that we’re still a very desirable place for people to locate in. And it’s my goal that we continue to have the welcome mat
out.”

Nearly 7,000 people moved into rural areas in the last six years, for a 9.2 percent increase. That’s more than twice the rate in rural areas elsewhere in the state.  via the Bellingham Herald.

Once you’ve visited Lynden, WA it’s very easy to see why this town is so desireable.   Driving thru town, your drawn in by it’s treed lined streets, well maintained yards and homes, championship golf course at homestead and the Dutch heritage that thrives strong in this great community.

Brought to you by Jerry Campbell, Realtor - The Muljat Group - Lynden WA real estate