Northwest Living | Bellingham Real Estate Market

Whatcom County - The Whatcom County Association of Realtors (WCAR) are promoting a huge County Wide weekend of open houses through out Whatcom County with well over 600 homes open to the public on both Saturday and Sunday.

One of the biggest open house events being held this weekend will be in the community of Liberty Park in the North Bellingham area of Ferndale, WA. Custom home builder Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction will have seven brand new homes open to the public and for sale. Besides the homes being open to the public R/H Construction will also be putting on a free barbecue for guests & offering some pretty nice door prizes to those who enter a ballot.

Mike Kent will be broadcasting Saturday with his “Radio Real Estate” show live from Liberty Park from 10 AM to 1 PM as well. Mike is also an experienced Realtor that works at the local Windermere Real Estate Company. With this event, the builder is expecting well over 200 people to attend the open house and visitors will be able to view seven of his quality built homes.

If your going to attend any of the open houses this weekend from the County Wide event around Bellingham or Whatcom County, I would definitely put this one on your list. In one stop you can view seven finished homes, enjoy a barbecue, and enter win some great prizes.

Peoples Bank will also be on site as well as Whatcom Land & Title. The builder will be on site to answer any questions about their new homes or if your considering having one built. I will also be at this event as well, because I’m proud to say I have represented Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction new home sales for the past 15 years.

Liberty Park is located just off of W. Smith Rd. between Northwest Rd. & I-5. For more Directions to Liberty Park & a quick Google map visit Liberty Park for Directions. The Liberty Park community is just inside the new city limits of Ferndale, WA.

Update Saturday April 18, 7PM: We had a huge turn out with between 300-350 people in attendance. Here is a link to the Podcast of Liberty Park’s open house on Mike Kent’s Radio Real Estate show conducted Saturday April 18th. Mike thanks for doing your Real Estate Radio show at our Liberty Park open house.

Jerry Campbell - The Muljat Group - Bellingham, WA New Homes

Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction, Inc., a Whatcom County general contractor, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with an open house Saturday, April 18. The public is invited to enjoy food and beverages from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 18 at Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction’s Liberty Park residential community in Ferndale, just a  half mile west of the intersection of Northwest Rd and West Smith Road.

Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction is owned and managed by lifelong county residents Gary Honcoop and Roger Roosendaal. The company offers experience in residential construction, both homes and remodels, commercial, industrial and pre-engineered steel construction.

Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction has successfully completed several residential communities in the Ferndale area: West 54th Lane, Byers Lane, Bellaire Estates and Myers Estates. The company has also built 14 homes on Westview Drive in Lynden and now is focusing on Ferndale’s latest flat-lot neighborhood, Liberty Park. Visit libertyparkhomes.com on line today.

With both partners still active in the business, Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction now has 30 employees. By developing and implementing educational programs and safe operating practices, company employees have worked more than 10 years without a time-loss injury. Via the Bellingham Herald. 

The company headquarters is at 5977 Guide Meridian in Bellingham. For more information, call (360) 398-2800.

Jerry Campbell - The Muljat Group - Bellingham WA - Bellingham Home Builders

Orcas Island, WA - Rosario Resort in beautiful San Juan County was sold at auction for $5.45 million. Olympus Real Estate Partners, former owners of the resort, decided to use the auction format for selling the historic property because of the prestigious and unique value of this high end property.

The new owner of the property was not disclosed shortly after the auction, but it was said the successful bidder is from the area, though not the islands, and loves Rosario. According to the Island Sounder News, Deborah Hansen, niece of former owner Sarah Geiser, said the new buyer told her aunt that he thought of himself as the caretaker of Rosario, not the owner. The sale should be a very good thing for Rosario and bring new life to the historic resort on Orcas Island. The property is expected to remain a resort.

For more high end properties for sale in San Juan Island County consider searching for luxury homes with our San Juan Islands WA luxury homes site. For more information on the islands that make up the San Juans also visit San Juan Islands Real Estate.

Jerry Campbell - Muljat Group - Bellingham WA - San Juan County Homes For Sale

Bellingham, WA - March is traditionally when homeowners thinking of selling their homes prepare their property for listing in the local Whatcom County real estate market. The winter holidays are usually the slowest time of the year because of the cold weather and holiday events. As soon as buds start to appear on trees it seems to be the real beginning of the listing season and for sale signs pop up in yards.

The last two years there have been a few more for sale signs than usual and they have stayed longer than the boom years from a few years ago. To stay competitive in this ever changing market most homeowners thinking of selling need an edge to get noticed. The best thing a homeowner can do is make sure their home is in show condition. I’ve posted about the importance of staging a home for sale before, so I won’t go into to much today. Our viewers might want to visit an article we posted called selling your home in a buyer’s market to get an edge in selling their home. There are also some good articles under our Seller Tips category that should help as well.

Bellingham and Whatcom County home owners have it a lot better than many real estate markets in southern states across the nation. According to the statistics, Whatcom County only had 19% of all loans in the sub-prime market, with 81% in prime lending. That number most definitely has dropped even more, now that the mortgage industry has returned to more normal loans. Just because Whatcom County has 19% of mortgages in the sub-prime market does not mean all of these will fail. It’s estimated that only about 5% of these will go into some form of foreclosure. By checking out the following national subprime mortgage map, county by county, home owners can get a better feel for where the real problems are across the nation.

If one were to look at the subprime map, you can see that the Northwest really doesn’t have the same problem that the many areas of the country are experiencing. I mention this because It’s really the negative chatter and consumer sentiment that is making our real estate markets tough in the Northwest. Because we are a national economy it does effect us locally, but certainly not like those in parts of California, Arizona, Texas, Mississippi, Florida, and many more states.

The thing most home owners should take to heart is that if your selling in a buyers market and planning to buy right away, then on the buying side you will gain that advantage. Actually no matter what market your in, as long as your selling and turning around and buying again…you’ll do fine. Happy Saint Patrick’s day everyone and may you find good luck in all your housing needs this year.

Jerry Campbell - Muljat Group - Bellingham WA - Bellingham WA Real Estate

Bellingham WA - The National newspaper USA Today posted this little stat the other day in their paper showing that Bellingham, Washington home values were holding up well against other markets nationally. In fact it was the second best area in the country during 2007 with that distinction.

I Believe that since the Whatcom County housing market is so close to the Canadian market and the fact that our Canadian neighbors are buying purchasing property down here helps contribute to our real estate. Ever since the Canadian Looney and the American Dollar achieved parity with each other, more and more home buyers from British Columbia have been buying property in Bellingham and Whatcom County.

When you compare the geographical areas where most residents of lower mainland British Columbia and the areas of Whatcom County the population is nearing three million in BC and just 180,000 in Whatcom County. A home in Whatcom County would be 2-3 times it’s value if it was located in the more demand driven British Columbia markets.

But nevertheless its always nice to see yet another national magazine touting Whatcom County, this time on home prices.

Jerry Campbell - Muljat Group Realtors - Bellingham Real Estate

 The popular online Craigslist, is being used more and more by Realtors and some for sale by owners alike as an effective tool for advertising homes for sale in Whatcom County.  The centralized network of online communities, featuring free classified advertising for most anything one can think of and yes even homes for sale. 

 The service was founded in 1995 by Craig Newmark for the San Francisco Bay Area. After incorporating as a private for-profit company in 1999, Craigslist expanded into nine more U.S. cities in 2000, four each in 2001 and 2002, and 14 in 2003. As of September 2007, Craigslist had established itself in approximately 450 cities in 50 countries. The Photo to the left is their actual offices in San Francisco.

Vancouver, Canada, was the first non U.S. city included. London, England was the first city outside North America. As of September 2007, 450 cities in 50 countries are represented.

The site serves over five billion page views per month, putting it in 51st place overall among web sites world wide, ninth place overall among web sites in the United States (per Alexa.com on November 10, 2007), to ten million unique visitors. With over ten million new classified advertisements each month, Craigslist is the leading classifieds service in any medium. The site receives over 500,000 new job listings each month, making it one of the top job boards in the world. The classified advertisements range from traditional buy/sell ads and community announcements, to personal ads and even erotic services.

One nice thing about advertising on sites like Craigslist is that you don’t have to worry about abreviating as you do in the print media with local newspaper ads. You’re not posting in the newspaper anymore. Craigslist and other classified sites let you write as much info as you’d like. Use that ability. Everyone does not know what dw, cac, and other abbreviations mean.

First glance at the site and it’s hard to see how craigslist can be so popular.  Her case in point, don’t let the appearance fool you, these guys are giants in advertising in what ever city they set up in.  It seems like almost a weekly or daily experience where someone is telling me that they got a great response from just advertising a free ad on craigslist.

After posting this article in fact I’m actually heading over to my real estate web site to post some new listings on to…you guessed it… CraigsList. Search Bellingham real estate on CraigsList.

Jerry Campbell - Muljat Group Realtors - Bellingham WA - Bellingham Real Estate

Inman News recently released a list of the 100 most influential people associated with the real estate business that reflects the industry’s best and brightest this business has to offer.  The list also includes some people outside the business who were considered influential to the home buying and home selling business of real estate.  According to Inman the people of this list embraced leadership, innovation, ingenuity, power and persistence.

The list was categorized into six categories that included: Brokerage, Technology and Online Real Estate, Trade associations and goverment agencies, media heavyweights, economist and Academics, Mortgage and ancillary services, and a bonus area called notables.

The list included some Northwest people and you can find them by going to 100 most influential real estate leaders.

For all your Bellingham real estate needs visit Bellingham WA Homes.

Frontier Financial Corp. has acquired Whidbey Island Bank in a move to improve its position in the Northwest area of Washington State.  The deal to purchase Whidbey Island Bank will cost Frontier about $191.1 million.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Washington Banking join our organization,” stated John Dickson, Frontier Financial’s President and Chief Executive, in a prepared statement. ”Whidbey Island Bank is a high-quality organization that operates with a philosophy very similar to our own.”  He went on to say, “We believe this will be an outstanding combination of highly talented employees who bring with them a solid customer base, and we look forward to welcoming the Washington Banking team into the Frontier family.”

The holding company for Frontier Bank, Frontier Financial is headquartered in Western Washington. The terms of the agreement call for Frontier to pay approximately $21.40 per share to Washington Banking Co., the holding company of Whidbey Island Bank.

Frontier already owns 782,506 shares of Washington Banking common stock at a cost basis of $3.1 million. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008.

Frontier operates 47 offices in Washington and plans to open its 48th location in October in Gig Harbor. Whidbey Island Bank has 20 branches in San Juan, Skagit, Island, Whatcom and Snohomish counties.

“The professionals on the Frontier team are amongst the finest bankers in the region, and I am confident that our organizations will both benefit from this combination,” said Michal Cann, chief executive of Washington Banking Co. “As we considered all of our strategic growth options, it became obvious that choosing to partner with Frontier would provide the greatest benefits and opportunities for our shareholders, employees, customers and the communities we serve.”

Following the merger, Cann will continue as senior vice president and regional manager. Additionally, one member of the Washington Banking board will be selected by Frontier to join the boards of Frontier.

Frontier previously announced a merger with the Bank of Salem that it is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2007. Following the mergers with Bank of Salem and Washington Banking, Frontier’s total assets will be approximately $4.6 billion.

Jerry Campbell | Muljat Group | Bellingham WA | Whidbey Island Real Estate

What are the changes taking place today that will influence our business tomorrow? Learn what the experts at Real Estate Connect think the future of real estate will be like.

I’ve always admired Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist.com. He has a terrific sense of humor, especially when he referred to himself at this year’s Connect as “eye candy.” He is an amazing model for our industry. For a man who is worth billions, he describes himself as “just the customer service guy who answers the phone.” I have every confidence that Newmark takes customer service calls. At the heart of what our business should be, even in light of all the technological innovation, is being of service to those who elect to do business with us. Our business is not about just the numbers, it’s about making a difference to those who lives we touch.

Craigslist is in a sense, like a huge blog, because it’s constantly being added to and updated with unique content.  Since Craigslist is so interactive with millions of users it definetly is part of the wave of Web 2.0.  Craigslist founder says that what Web 2.0 offers is a chance for those who are “normal” to have a louder voice than the “crazies.” What does this have to do with real estate?

Newmark says that advertising today is about authenticity; it’s not about scripts or Madison Avenue advertising tactics. Instead, it’s real people telling real stories. It’s time to stop apologizing for who you are and connect with the world out there. Ultimately, it’s the personal chemistry that gets you the business, not how fancy your Web site or advertising copy is. Especailly with the real estate business, where it’s how a Realtor connects on a personally with their clients.

Hugh MacLeod in his keynote echoed similar sentiments. According to MacLeod, “The market for something to believe in is infinite.” MacLeod spoke extensively about “social objects.” A group of 1,000 baseballs could be identical. However, the one that Barry Bonds hits to set a new world record has extreme value. It’s not the object that has value, it’s the story. What matters are the conversations that we have with others about the social object.

This dovetails with the work of Clotaire Rapaille, the marketing guru for 50 of the Fortune 100 companies. Americans are not really buying the bricks and mortar — what they’re really buying is the dream of home ownership.

Web 2.0 is about sharing our experiences. Coca Cola and Doritos elected to have their customers compete to see who could create the best commercial. Customers voted for their favorite. They talked to their friends, argued for why their choice was best, and ultimately created more buzz and word-of-mouth marketing than any well-executed advertising campaign from an agency could generate.

We are already being inundated with stories and pictures from numerous sources. A great video can give you an international reputation in just hours. Sites such as Flickr.com allow us to share our photos. YouTube.com, HelloWorld.com, BlipTV.com and Blinx.com are places to share our videos. Blogs and social networks such as Facebook.com, Linkedin.com, RealTown and MySpace.com are creating international communities of like-minded people where they share their experiences and seek advice. Sites such as Twitter.com allow people to share what they’re doing this moment.

As computers expand from dual processors to 64 processors or even more, our ability to access full-length, high-quality video and even three dimensional communications will follow. The new “maplets” from Google allow you to populate those maps with gas stations, museums, your listings, or just about any other information that you would like to include. Microsoft’s Virtual Earth is also moving into providing the equivalent of 3-D imagery.

Here’s the bottom line: our clients need us to provide them with a stellar customer experience. They want us to be their trusted advisor and a trusted source for timely information about current market conditions. They want to interact with us in a fast, fun and easy-to-use environment. We must be credible; we must be authentic. We need to help them manage their expectations about what they’re buying. They want their information now and they expect us to be mobile. The business of the future belongs to those who are willing to step forward and integrate these innovations in their business.

Perhaps this seems like a tall order for an industry that has been slow to adapt to the Web. If Craig Newmark believes Web 2.0 may be the vehicle for peace in the Middle East, then is it too much to hope for that our industry will embrace these changes to create an entirely new way of conducting business in the 21st century?  Via Bernice Ross, a national speaker and CEO of Realestatecoach.com, the author of “Waging War on Real Estate’s Discounters” and “Who’s the Best Person to Sell My House?” Both are available online. She can be reached at bernice@realestatecoach.com or visit her blog at www.LuxuryClues.com.

New local firms help consumers find environmentally friendly homes.  Kathryn Crawford’s concern for the environment influenced where she decided to work and what she does for a living.

It’s not surprising, then, that when Crawford decided to buy a home in Everett, she wanted a real estate agent who understood a “green” home means more than energy-efficient appliances and solar panels.

“I didn’t think a traditional agent would understand what I was looking for,” said Crawford, a community planner with a strong environmental ethos.

She became one of the first clients of a new Everett-based real estate brokerage focused on helping clients buy and sell properties built with green practices and products.

The business, Greening Properties, is the first of its kind in Everett. A handful of area agents at traditional brokerages specialize in green properties, and a company with similar aims, GreenWorks Realty, operates in Seattle.

Green agents aren’t the only sign the Northwest real estate industry is getting greener. The Northwest Multiple Listing Service recently added environmental check boxes to its listing forms, so homebuyers and agents can identify homes with certain features or third-party certifications. A homeowner can now tell, for instance, if a home offers Energy Star appliances, renewable bamboo floors or a drought-tolerant landscape.

Greening Properties operates like a regular brokerage, representing both buyers and sellers and providing standard services such as market analysis for sellers and presenting offers and negotiating on behalf of buyers.

What differs is knowledge of green practices and products, say owners Valerie Steel and Mary Ehrlich. Both have a history of community involvement, particularly on local environmental issues. Both were founding members of the Everett Shorelines Coalition, formed to protect shorelines, and Historic Everett, focused on preserving buildings with historic significance.

The term “green building” covers a lot of ground, including design, materials and building practices. One client may be interested in energy efficiency while another may be concerned about building materials that could exacerbate a child’s asthma.

Green encompasses a home that’s smaller and more energy-efficient, and it also can apply to older homes, since buying one doesn’t require the use of new resources. Sustainable homes also include touches a homeowner may never see, such as recycled materials, and paints and finishes that emit fewer toxic fumes. It may also mean the land was developed in a way that minimizes erosion, or workers recycled materials at the job site.

The specialty knowledge includes the ability to cut through what’s green and what’s marketing, Ehrlich said. The pair saw a recent listing where an agent misrepresented the greenness of a property, describing a home as green because it had a brick facade.

The company also differs from a traditional brokerage by providing clients with a livability checklist based on criteria by various green certification agencies such as Built Green and the American Green Building Council. For buyers, that checklist compares the features of properties they might wish to buy.

For sellers, the company rates sustainability of property and recommends how to make it more sustainable before it’s listed. For instance, if a client planned to spruce up his home with new paint and carpet before listing it, the agent might recommend using low-fume paint and a renewable flooring such as bamboo instead of carpet, Ehrlich said.

Demand for homes with green features is growing, and it can be difficult to find homes with certain green features, Steel said. Finding a home with Energy Star appliances is easier, while finding a home on land that hasn’t been “slashed and scraped” by developers is more difficult, she said.

Crawford, one of the company’s first clients, didn’t expect to find a green home ready for her to move in. Instead, she asked Steel to find an older home with “good bones” that she could remodel. She settled on a solid 2,220-square-foot home in the Port Gardner neighborhood, and she is already making plans to add solar roof tiles, replace windows and add bamboo floors. Via HeraldNet

If any of our viewers want more information on green homes visit Tree Hugger, these guys post an amazing 20-25 articles a day and have a ton of resources living green.

Jerry Campbell - Muljat Group Realtors - Bellingham WA -Bellingham Green Homes supporter