http://janetburchfield.com/Musings about life on Whidbey Island, the Whidbey Island real estate market trends, life In Coupeville, Whidbey Island special events and attractions, living the Island dream.en-usSun, 16 May 2010 21:35:00 GMT10GDRSSFeeds v1.0http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/05/16/come-sit-a-while-with-island-friends<img alt="" align="left" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/FieldViewLane_002_02.jpg" width="580" /><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/05/16/come-sit-a-while-with-island-friends" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/05/16/come-sit-a-while-with-island-friends#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/05/16/come-sit-a-while-with-island-friendsSun, 16 May 2010 21:35:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/27/whidbey-island-real-estate-news<div>Mark your calendars for some great upcoming Whidbey Island events... a great time to enjoy a slice of Island life while looking at some of our beautiful properties currently on the market.&nbsp; Some of my favorites follow:&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;Mother's Day concert, May 9th,&nbsp;at Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens between Greenbank and Freeland.&nbsp; Last year my daughter packed a picnic, and we stopped at Greenbank Pie Cafe for some of their fabulous strawberry-rhubarb pie to share, and enjoyed an afternoon of strolling among gorgeous blooms and listening to a harp concert.&nbsp; Check out <a style="color: red" href="http://www.meerkerkgardens.org"><strong>www.meerkerkgardens.org</strong></a> for more info.&nbsp; If you love rhodies and woodland walks, this is a don't miss way to treat Mom to a beautiful day.&nbsp; </div> <div>Penn Cove Water Festival, May 22nd, Coupeville Historic Waterfront District at Front Street.&nbsp; Watch tribal canoe races from the Wharf and the many great eateries along Front Street.&nbsp; (The railing outside of my office where the boardwalk wraps around is prime viewing...so come join me!)&nbsp; Arts &amp; Crafts, dance and crafts, storytelling and children's art projects at the Historical Museum.&nbsp; Go to <a style="color: red" href="http://www.penncovewaterfestival.org"><strong>www.penncovewaterfestival.org</strong></a> to learn more.</div> <div>May 29th, Coupeville's Memorial Day parade, charmingly small-town and refreshingly honoring both veterans and community groups.&nbsp; I loved the tractors, bassett hound club, dog agility group, 4H riders,&nbsp;pony cart, bagpipes and school bands...as well as classic cars with waving veterans.&nbsp; Go to the chamber site<strong>,</strong>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.centralwhidbeychamber.com"><strong style="color: red">www.centralwhidbeychamber.com</strong></a> &nbsp;for more&nbsp;events, too!</div> <div>June 12th, Old Time Radio broadcast show, to be performed at Fort Casey and broadcast on Whidbey Island's own Community Radio Station, KWPA in 2 performances.&nbsp; More info on that to come!</div> <div>June 26th &amp; 27th, Wharf Fest, at the Coupeville Wharf.&nbsp; Pirates, classic boats, model ships at the museum, food and fun for the whole family.&nbsp;&nbsp;Check out&nbsp;<a href="http://www.coupevillehistoricwaterfront.com"><strong style="color: red">www.coupevillehistoricwaterfront.com</strong></a> to learn more.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>That should get you started!&nbsp; Oh, too, Whale Watchers were delighted with their trips aboard the Victoria Clipper that shuttled between Seattle and the Coupeville Wharf via Saratoga passage.&nbsp; Gray Whales and Orcas were seen by daytrippers, and all seemed to enjoy their shore leave in Coupeville.&nbsp; Next year you'll have to work that in, too.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In the real estate world, folks interested in the tax credit have been busily looking, writing contracts and getting inspections.&nbsp;&nbsp;The stimulus effect intended may not have been quite as large as policy makers had hoped, but it still has been felt on Whidbey Island, as elsewhere in the nation.&nbsp; </div> <div>&nbsp;Lots of choices, great rates, and an Island lifestyle that remains&nbsp;enchanting.&nbsp; Come live the Island Dream...</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img alt="" align="left" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/knf10.jpg" width="160" /><img alt="" align="left" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/knf8.jpg" width="160" /></div> <div><img alt="" align="left" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/coffeehouse1.jpg" width="160" /></div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/27/whidbey-island-real-estate-news" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/27/whidbey-island-real-estate-news#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/27/whidbey-island-real-estate-newsTue, 27 Apr 2010 13:54:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/26/whidbey-island-real-estate-newsWhew!&nbsp; Lots has been going on in the local real estate market over the past month, as interest rates started to fluctuate a bit, apparently on the rise, and the tax credit for new or move-up or down-sizing buyers is due to end.&nbsp; More homes have gone into pending status, and the sales have heartened sellers, agents and lenders along with buyers who have snapped up some good buys.&nbsp; Lots of bank-owned and distressed properties have drawn interest,&nbsp;mid-range properties&nbsp;have started to move off market once again,&nbsp;and even a few luxury homes have started to receive attention.&nbsp; With today's rates at 4.875%, prices&nbsp;attractive and the number of homes on the market high,&nbsp;prospective&nbsp;Whidbey Island homebuyers are being treated to a "buyer's market" that&nbsp;shows little sign of&nbsp;flagging.&nbsp; Best buys I saw were in early spring last year, before our&nbsp;main influx of buyers from out of the area increased demand.&nbsp; At an open&nbsp;houses two weeks ago, I was amazed by the qualified and earnest buyers searching for just the perfect place here.&nbsp; Some retirees, yes, but also working couples, families, singles... all in love with Whidbey Island, all loving the scenic beauty and small town charm of Coupeville and other communities.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/26/whidbey-island-real-estate-news" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/26/whidbey-island-real-estate-news#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/26/whidbey-island-real-estate-newsMon, 26 Apr 2010 18:59:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/26/spring-on-whidbey-island<p>What lovely days we've been blessed with over the past weeks.&nbsp; Cherry &amp; apple trees are in blossom, the grass is vibrant green, and the beginnings of new crops have sent forth chartreuse-tinged shoots.&nbsp; Looking out from this classic farmhouse, built in 1995, the contrast of chocolate brown earth with spring green is stunning.&nbsp; This is the kind of porch that just makes one want to "sit a spell", perhaps rocking in a sturdy family heirloom.&nbsp; Lilacs scent the air.&nbsp; The sky is best blue, but even in a spring shower the view here is fine.&nbsp; I've been enjoying having open houses at this lovely Field View Lane home in Coupeville.&nbsp; It's been fun to watch folks wander the 5 acres, make friends with the horse, marvel at the sheep and a few curious steer.&nbsp; What a great place to call home!&nbsp; Island life at its best...<img alt="" align="left" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/FieldViewLane_002.jpg" width="580" /></p><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/26/spring-on-whidbey-island" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/26/spring-on-whidbey-island#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/04/26/spring-on-whidbey-islandMon, 26 Apr 2010 18:31:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/03/10/mussel-fest-2010<div><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt">Oh my!&nbsp; Another fantastic Coupeville Mussel Festival...<img alt="" align="left" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/coffeehouse1.jpg" width="160" /></span> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Rumor has it that David Day, local paella master and chef, cooked up nearly 400 pounds of the rightfully famous Penn Cove mussels over the past weekend, using his special huge outdoor paella pan.&nbsp; Mussels were everywhere, from a mussel eating contest at the Rec Hall to 11 local restaurants competing for the mussel chowder contest's top prize.&nbsp; </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>So many people ventured to Front Street and the surrounding historic waterfront district, and seemed to be&nbsp;completely enjoying themselves, according to all accounts.&nbsp; Kapaw's ice cream sold all the waffle cones they had made for the weekend the 1st day, and had to cajole a kind friend into making cones most of the day Sunday.&nbsp; William Bell at Local Grown, the great little coffee shop out on the Wharf, said he was inundated with folks needing&nbsp;mexican lattes, mochas and his great baked goods.&nbsp; Mosquito Fleet apparently needed a vacation after their busy weekend, but will be back for St. Paddy's day, promising to&nbsp;have&nbsp;something decidedly non-mussel-y on the menu.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The weather was warm and sunny Saturday, a bit cooler and cloudy on Sunday, but the Mystic Sea and John Stone's sailing tours of the mussel rafts seemed to be drawing boatloads.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Love how local merchants and&nbsp;community builders team up to make a festival like this absolutely superb.&nbsp; </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Make a note to be a&nbsp;"local" at the Friday Mussel Mingle at the&nbsp;Rec Hall next year!&nbsp; Where&nbsp;else can you enjoy friends, mussels, great libations,&nbsp;lively music and brats in a laid back setting?&nbsp; Or kick up&nbsp;your heels at the Saturday &nbsp;Dance in the big tent.&nbsp; Or heck, just do both!</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Penn Cove's beaches are blanketed here and there with carpets of lovely black mussels, but the ones that Penn Cove Shellfish grow&nbsp;on long strands hanging from rafts are, well, simply the best.&nbsp; You can enjoy them at most all our local restaurants throughout the year, whether garlic, wine &amp;&nbsp;cream or marinara-bathed at Christopher's, classically prepared with the Oystercatcher's subtle twist, green curry &amp; coconut milk-infused at Cove Thai, jazzed up with cilantro pesto or another inventive preparation at the Ship of Fools at Captain Whidbey Inn, or even simply steamed up with herbs, wine &amp; garlic&nbsp;and hoisted on &nbsp;the&nbsp;tables at Toby's Tavern, you'll have no trouble finding the blue-black bivalves here.&nbsp;&nbsp;Trouble is deciding on a favorite!&nbsp; Tree Top baking company even baked up some amazing "mussel" cut-out cookies for Beth to sell at bayleaf, and Angela from Mariti Chocolates whipped up some of her chocolate mussel "shells".</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Thanks to all the wonderful&nbsp;sponsors, organizers and volunteers who made this year another great one for Mussel Fest!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Don't forget to get your new and "vintage" Mussel Fest t-shirts from Windjammer Gallery, my neighbors on Front Street.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Come visit soon!</div> <div>Janet</div> </div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/03/10/mussel-fest-2010" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/03/10/mussel-fest-2010#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/03/10/mussel-fest-2010Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:19:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/01/30/whidbey-island-real-estate-is-now-the-time-to-buy<div><span style="font-family: Verdana">Great homes, lots of them, at very, very good prices.<br /> Interest rates that are compelling.<br /> A location that many creative and fascinating people dream of one day living.<br /> Bank-owned bargains peppering the mix.<br /> <br /> So, to buy now or wait?<br /> <br /> For those who have counted down the years to retirement, and now are in a position to live their dream of Island life on Whidbey, the fall in local real estate prices for the choice mid- and upper-end homes they seek has helped to soften the hit many investment portfolios have take over the past few years.<br /> <br /> Savvy and still-youthful seniors have made my work a joy.&nbsp; Knowing good value when they see it, and delighted that the bubble that spiked prices upward in '05 &amp; '06 burst along with the national housing trends, retiring singles and couples are picking up view homes, small hobby farms, custom built estates&nbsp;and choice parcels of view property at at least 25% markdowns.&nbsp; Some have snapped up places for even less than that, but all seem to be very happy with their new homes.<br /> <br /> Economists have long noted that those who wait for the bottom of the market rarely achieve their goal, as they typically&nbsp;can't react quickly enough, especially in imperfect markets, where&nbsp;there are&nbsp;so many variables, like real estate.&nbsp;&nbsp;Naturally, no one wants to make an imprudent investment, but unlike shares of coffee or steel companies,&nbsp;homes&nbsp;offer use and enjoyment.&nbsp; I've been thankful that my clients have a longer term perspective, and while wanting to make their best buy, don't want to wait to enjoy Whidbey's beaches, trails, community life and small town pleasures.<br /> <br /> So, come visit and take a look around.&nbsp; Give me a call and I'm always happy to educate you about our different communities, amazingly varied landscapes and why I am happy every day that I live on this spectacular Island.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Maybe you'll even become a friend and neighbor!&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;<br /> <img alt="" align="left" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/dreamkitchen.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/01/30/whidbey-island-real-estate-is-now-the-time-to-buy" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/01/30/whidbey-island-real-estate-is-now-the-time-to-buy#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/01/30/whidbey-island-real-estate-is-now-the-time-to-buySat, 30 Jan 2010 20:04:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/01/16/coupeville-sunrise-to-delight-you<div><span style="font-family: Verdana"><img style="width: 459px; font-family: Arial; height: 312px" height="312" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/BuckWay_040b.jpg" width="459" align="left" alt="" />Whidbey Island sunrises can be as inspiring and dramatic as the sunsets.&nbsp; </span> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Seen here from Pheasant Farm Acres community, looking East to the Cascades over Camano Island, the morning sky is glorious. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Photographed by a wonderful homeowner whose waterfront home sold in just&nbsp;two months, despite all the havoc in the real estate market, this view promises peace and reassurance in the beauty of creation.&nbsp; The new owner, an avid sailor and outdoorsman, was drawn to this scenery and will certainly be first to know when the day looks auspicious to head out for a sail.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Thanks to my great clients for starting off 2010 with such a lovely transaction.&nbsp; Everyone was trusting, appreciative, kind and generous with one another.&nbsp; Who says the market is beastly when there are homes and people like this to work with!&nbsp; </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Owning a home on Whidbey Island is a dream come true for many people, and with great interest rates, very good buys in long supply, many folks are choosing to start living Island life now.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Surely the newly extended and expanded homebuyer's credit helps a bit... the new $6500 credit for move-up&nbsp;or relocating buyers who have owned their home for the previous 5 years is a&nbsp;factor for&nbsp;some...but I think it is more about price and quality of homes on the market&nbsp;now.&nbsp; </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>This weekend has been superb, if a bit chilly.&nbsp; Can hardly wait for the Alasdair Fraser/Natalie Hass concert at Ft. Casey's quaint auditorium tomorrow.&nbsp; Amazing&nbsp;that we can host a Scottish fiddle workshop with a duo that has performed world-wide as well as at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Hope to see you soon on Front Street!&nbsp; </div> <div>Janet&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> </div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/01/16/coupeville-sunrise-to-delight-you" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/01/16/coupeville-sunrise-to-delight-you#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2010/01/16/coupeville-sunrise-to-delight-youSat, 16 Jan 2010 17:03:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/12/31/happy-new-year-from-whidbey-island<div>&nbsp;Mt. Baker as seen from Rhodena&nbsp;Beach, Coupeville&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </div> <div><img style="width: 394px; height: 295px" height="295" alt="" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/buckwayview.jpg" width="394" align="left" />Wishing everyone a joyful, serene, and caring 2010!&nbsp; </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>We've been through quite a lot in the past year, as a people, but I know many, like me, are counting their&nbsp;blessings.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>It was fun to end the year with putting a sale in escrow today for wonderful clients.&nbsp; The buyer knew their home was his dream place the moment he walked through their door.&nbsp; Other nice folks relocating here to Whidbey were able to get the thumbs up on a fantastic beach place.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>I love my work, and it feels great to help others reach their goals.&nbsp;&nbsp;Celebrating the last day of 2009 is easy,&nbsp;with sincere thanks and appreciation for everyone I've had the pleasure to work with over the past&nbsp;year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>2010 is starting to feel like it will be a great year for Island real estate.&nbsp; Motivated Sellers have tried hard to price their properties to sell&nbsp;quickly, and Buyers are amazed by the quantity and quality of available properties.&nbsp; Prices haven't been this low on&nbsp;Whidbey for years, and their are some absolute steals to be had for those&nbsp;folks staying alert to the market.&nbsp; 2009 saw some sad stories, homes going back to the bank that might have sold if priced more in tune with the market, and other foreclosures as&nbsp;people lost the struggle to keep mortgages paid.&nbsp; The much-touted Hope for Homeowners helped a few people hang on, and lower interest rates enticed some to refinance.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>It seemed that this past year reconfirmed my long-held belief that&nbsp;deep and current market knowledge is one of the ways I can best serve my clients.&nbsp; Two of the sales I made this year were written before the listing agents had&nbsp;gotten around to adding more than one photo on the multiple listing site.&nbsp; Both were waterfront, and&nbsp;both were absolutely priced to sell immediately.&nbsp; I&nbsp;was able to send off photos to my clients, and get the properties in contract before&nbsp;competing buyers&nbsp;figured out how great they were.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </div> <div>Another of my beliefs about doing business is that it is important to be nice to people.&nbsp; A listing agent let me know that it was one of the reasons my buyer was chosen out of competing offers on a short sale.&nbsp; Going into a new year, it is good to reflect on ways I can better serve my clients, and also on the things that are working well.&nbsp; I'd love to hear from anyone who has suggestions or comments, always.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Tonight I'm heading to a party at the nearly-ready-to-open refurbished Ebey Bowl,&nbsp;which should be fun.&nbsp; I loved having the opportunity to help some of my very favorite clients buy a fantastic&nbsp;commercial property, in dire need of tlc, on the edge of the beautiful Prairie in Coupeville.&nbsp; &nbsp;The community is so excited at the prospect of the little 6 lane bowling alley reopening,&nbsp;especially our youth.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Again, thanks for a great year, everyone!&nbsp; Drop by my office near the Wharf&nbsp;and say hello....I might even treat you to a latte&nbsp;out at Local Grown on the Wharf.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Wishing you the best&nbsp;year, with each day lived like it's the one you'll always be remembered for!</div> <div>Janet</div> <div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/12/31/happy-new-year-from-whidbey-island" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/12/31/happy-new-year-from-whidbey-island#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/12/31/happy-new-year-from-whidbey-islandThu, 31 Dec 2009 18:41:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/09/13/september-<div><span style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/coffeehouse1.jpg" width="160" align="left" />&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &nbsp; <br /> This week's Plein Air Painters' Open&nbsp;is one of the&nbsp;reasons that I love Whidbey Island so much.&nbsp; For the past 5 days, talented Landscape Artists who work from nature, outdoors, graced our Island with their easels and canvasses, working at responding to and interpreting our gorgeous scenery and historic structures.</span>&nbsp;&nbsp; </div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana"><br /> Fruit is heavy on the boughs of apple, pear and plum trees, and it seems nearly daily someone is offering me&nbsp;fruit.&nbsp; Cider pressing can't be too far away, and the bit of&nbsp;nippiness in the air has started to color the leaves a bit.</span>&nbsp; <span style="font-family: Verdana">Dahlias and sunflowers are in full showy bloom, and I can't resist bestowing bouquets on friends daily.</span> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-family: Verdana">Patient real estate buyers have been snapping up well-priced properties, with more sales pending at once than I've seen for a while.&nbsp; The $8000 tax credit&nbsp;for 1st time homebuyers (or those who have not owned a home for 3 years) has&nbsp;picked up the sales of modestly priced homes.&nbsp; I've seen people from Canada, Sonoma, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, New York, Wyoming, Texas, as well as&nbsp;Northwest residents looking for&nbsp;homes here on the Island.&nbsp; Some want an idyllic spot to raise a family, others are seeking the perfect place to spend their retirement years.</div> <div style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-family: Verdana">Sellers often feel that we have a "selling season" that coincides with the tourist and boating season here, and so remove their homes from the market for a "rest" if they weren't sold.&nbsp; With so much inventory off-market but still available, buyers are very appreciative of knowing of homes that might perfectly meet their needs and dream, but are no longer showing up on the internet.&nbsp; Most area brokers feel that this fall is going to see very&nbsp;strong sales&nbsp;activity, and I agree.&nbsp;&nbsp;We are likely to see more bank-owned properties hit the market, more "deals".&nbsp; </div> <div style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-family: Verdana">Folks in a position to buy at present&nbsp;can make some very attractive purchases.</div> <div style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-family: Verdana">Still, most people buy on Whidbey for our lifestyle.&nbsp;&nbsp;Whether in a $200,000 cottage or a $2,000,000 estate home, our glorious Island landscapes, villages, wildlife, forests, gardens and views of mountains, water, coastlines and&nbsp;prairies delight.&nbsp;&nbsp; Whenever I board a ferry or drive across Deception Pass bridge to come home, I experience&nbsp;the same sense of being lucky to live someplace that offers close community, incredible beauty, clean air,&nbsp;sunsets and moonrises and&nbsp;seemingly endless&nbsp;beaches.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </div> <div style="font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-family: Verdana">So far, looks like plenty of others hope to feel&nbsp;that good fortune&nbsp;soon, too.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> </div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/09/13/september-" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/09/13/september-#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/09/13/september-Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:32:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/11/august-days-on-whidbey-island<div><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">I love August!&nbsp; <br /> <br /> Is it because the roadside flower stands are graced with enormous bouquets of colorful dahlias, lilies &amp; sunflowers?&nbsp; Because blackberries are ripe along the side of the road, and kind folks drop by offerings of perfect rosy plums or blueberries from their yards?&nbsp; Because gardens are so abundant that people share more generously with others this time of year?&nbsp; Because the outdoor pools are open, luring me for an after work dip?</span> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">I think it is all these things.&nbsp; </div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">For my fellow Front Street business owners, August means lots of visitors, lots of purchases, lots of energy and laughter on the street.&nbsp; </div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">Lately I've noticed so many people really looking at the&nbsp;whale skeleton that hangs from the ceiling at the Wharf,&nbsp;reading information about&nbsp;our area's marine life, asking questions of the friendly BeachWatchers volunteers.</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">Children explore the beach, amazed by the appearance of a seal, a heron or an eagle&nbsp;combing the beach for a low tide meal.&nbsp; Kayakers glide by.&nbsp; Sailboats anchor in the Cove, skiffs run about looking for the perfect spot to set out crab pots, a Dad and daughters&nbsp;show off their little bucket of fish just caught.</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">Even today's coolness and&nbsp;brief rainshower feels good.&nbsp; A little rain waters those dahlias I so love.</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">Yes, yes, I know, a bit about real estate is in order, so I must say that offers and closings have been encouraging, Island-wide.&nbsp; My agent friends are energetic, working long hours showing properties, writing offers, meeting new clients, keeping in touch with folks.&nbsp; My experience has been that savvy buyers feel now is a pretty good time to buy.&nbsp; Interest rates are still low, even if they did creep up a bit.&nbsp; Inventory of homes is at a near-glut level, with so many options at prices anywhere from 15% to 20% off peak prices, and very motivated or bank-owned properties are going for what can only be described as "screaming deals".&nbsp; </div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">Examples?</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">How about 2 homes, each assessed for over $1,200,000, selling for less than half that amount?&nbsp;&nbsp;Or a brand new home on 10 acres selling for a short sale at $320,000?&nbsp; Yet, when these have&nbsp;been plucked up by those ready to act quickly, there are still very solid buys to be had.&nbsp; Large custom-built high quality homes with all the sought after details:&nbsp; gourmet kitchen, main floor master with fabulous bath, enough acreage for privacy, craftsman details, beauty inside and out, these can be had for just under $500K.&nbsp; 3 bedroom, 2 bath family homes in communities with private beach access, pool and clubhouse for under $300K.&nbsp; View-to-forever high bank waterfront homes under $700.&nbsp; Estate and waterfront luxury homes that once would have fetched much more priced&nbsp;for the times.</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">I love showing properties, and seeing what our Island has to offer.&nbsp; </div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">I'm always amazed by the homes that get people really excited.&nbsp; Just the other day a lovely couple from Bellingham were thrilled to discover a cute and quirky A-Frame by Greenbank.&nbsp;&nbsp;The nicest folks from Wyoming couldn't belief that they could be a quick walk to a beautiful beach for $329K in a newer home, or enjoying Westside sunsets in Sierra for $389K or less.&nbsp; </div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> </div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/11/august-days-on-whidbey-island" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/11/august-days-on-whidbey-island#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/11/august-days-on-whidbey-islandTue, 11 Aug 2009 19:19:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/03/island-dream-tour-8109<div><strong>The 2009 Island Dream Tour was a wonderful success, with lots of&nbsp;appreciative home fanciers touring a special selection of homes ranging in price from&nbsp;the $500,000 range up to nearly $3,000,000.</strong>&nbsp; </div> <div><strong>The brainchild of my dear frend Linda Casale, the Dream Tour opens some of the Island's finest homes to those fortunate enough to&nbsp;attend.&nbsp; This year there was much buzz among attendees about the state of the economy, and the housing market, naturally, but I detected much optimism about investing in exceptional Island properties.&nbsp;<br /> Prices are certainly down from a couple years ago, and the inventory of homes is at its peak.&nbsp; Retirement and second home buyers, especially, were delighted to see the array of lovely grounds, fabulous floorplans, gourmet kitchens, exquisite craftsmanship.&nbsp; <br /> The party at the end of the tour, at a gorgeous Sunlight Beach home rewarded all of us for a long day of&nbsp;touring:&nbsp; Peter Casale, chef extraordinaire, put on a feast of marinated mussels, salad&nbsp;of local greens, kabobs, melon, gourmet pizza, chilled wine and much more.&nbsp;<br /> A raffle&nbsp;to benefit Hearts &amp; Hammers (a local non-profit that helps area residents, especially&nbsp;senior citizens,&nbsp;out with home repairs and maintenance they might not otherwise be able to afford) added to the great day.<br /> Kudos to all involved!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong></div> <div><img alt="" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/dreamhousebeach.jpg" width="400" align="left" /></div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/03/island-dream-tour-8109" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/03/island-dream-tour-8109#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/03/island-dream-tour-8109Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:06:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/02/arts-crafts-festival-weekend<div><br /> <strong><img alt="" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/newposter_09.jpg" width="205" />&nbsp; Festival Poster by Randy Emmoms<br /> </strong><br /> <br /> <strong>Art Festival Weekend</strong> <strong>in Coupeville</strong> once again brought out throngs of people wanting to roam through streets filled with pottery, jewelry, musicians, food booths, artists busily crafting baskets, watercolors, metal sculpture, leatherworks and more.&nbsp; For many locals, the festival means volunteering at the Methodist Church parking lots collecting donations to help fund youth programs.&nbsp; For others, it meant selling the great t-shirts, magnets and posters featuring&nbsp;the beautiful work of&nbsp;<strong>artist Randy Emmons</strong>. Others helped direct traffic, answered questions about where to buy a latte, and many just joined in the general milling about people-watching.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Me?&nbsp; Well, I find a bit more refreshment just taking in our town's incomparable scenic delights.&nbsp; A walk with a friend,&nbsp;a lovely view, a bit of time out from my current very busy days...yes, that is what I long for.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>I enjoyed having friends pop in my office for a quick hello and to show off their newly acquired "treasures" over the weekend.&nbsp; The sunny weather and cooling breezes off <strong>Penn Cove</strong> made this one of the best festival weekends ever.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>All the vendors, merchants, volunteers and shoppers combined to make this a memorable, and agreeably mellow weekend.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Come see recent work by Randy Emmons at my office/gallery located at 22B Front Street.&nbsp; My personal favorite is his colorful chicken farm landcape called "Free Range".&nbsp; It makes me smile every time I look over at it!&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/02/arts-crafts-festival-weekend" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/02/arts-crafts-festival-weekend#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/08/02/arts-crafts-festival-weekendSun, 02 Aug 2009 18:55:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/25/memorial-day-weekend-in-coupeville<div><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana"><strong>Whidbey Island's smaller towns offer some soul-satisfying celebrations for those seeking a return to&nbsp;closely knit community life.&nbsp; Coupeville's Memorial Day Parade was a fantastic chance to see friends and neighbors parading, lining the street and all-in-all having a great day.</strong></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana"><strong style="font-size: 10pt">&nbsp;</strong></div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana"><strong>Among my very favorite sights of the day were the following:&nbsp;<br /> A big green John Deere Tractor rig ridden by a local farmer chariot-style, followed up smartly by a brigade of little tykes riding their miniature versions, all doing amazingly proficient "parade waves".&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana"><strong>A little pony cart that decided to stall out part way through the route, graced by&nbsp;little unflappable Thora Iverson, whose dad was ahead on the route, looking plucked from the&nbsp;pages&nbsp;of a Dr. Seuss book.&nbsp; Mom Heidi was also parading with the dog agility team, putting her dog through some impressive paces.</strong></div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana"><strong>Hunter Newton in his Navy dress whites, carrying baby Eva in&nbsp;a little sailor dress, proudly exiting military service after 24 years!</strong> <div>&nbsp;</div> </div> </span><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/25/memorial-day-weekend-in-coupeville" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/25/memorial-day-weekend-in-coupeville#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/25/memorial-day-weekend-in-coupevilleThu, 18 Jun 2009 15:28:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/17/sunny-days-are-here-again<div><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana"><strong>Another sunny day in our little corner of Paradise!&nbsp; Lots&nbsp;of smiling faces and&nbsp;visitors to town.&nbsp; We're a perfect day trip for Seattle-area&nbsp;dwellers, Bellingham residents and&nbsp;other Northwesterners.&nbsp; The Keystone Cafe, located near the ferry terminal that serves passengers bound for Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula has been very busy, as the Hood Canal bridge is currently closed for construction.&nbsp; With their smashing view of the ferry dock,&nbsp;Puget Sound, Admiralty Head and Crockett Lake, friendly service and great food (try their fish &amp; chips with a&nbsp;cold NW beer, or full espresso bar menu &amp; goodies, or an ice cream cone scooped from a case full of&nbsp;choices).&nbsp; Family-run and a big supporter of community life, especially our schools and sports programs, the Kellison's cafe is welcoming whether you're waiting for the ferry or just looking for a great new place to try out.&nbsp; During Dungeness Crab season, they have fresh&nbsp;crab available, too! Prices are modest, and it is always impeccably clean.&nbsp; Ok, enough already, just&nbsp;go see for yourself!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Meawhile, down on Front Street, the most curious sighting of the day has been a gaggle of teenagers braving the water next to the Wharf.&nbsp; They chose a nice area where it is sandy and shallow out for a long stretch, and&nbsp;they were&nbsp;actually swimming!&nbsp; Two sitting on on a log bouncing up and down on their way out deeper took&nbsp;me back a few years.&nbsp; I was&nbsp;one of those kids who never could resist wading, which usually turned into a full on swim eventually.&nbsp; But the&nbsp;water is still a bit chilly for my taste...&nbsp;think I'll wait for August.&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /> Here is a view looking down Front Street.&nbsp; Coupeville is the 2nd oldest town in Washington State, Vancouver being the oldest.&nbsp; Our love of history and preserving it is apparent when you look around.&nbsp; A mom &amp; daughter just popped in to see the gorgeous art of Gary Shallock hanging in my office...they'd hopped in their boat in Oak Harbor and buzzed over just for shopping and lunch.&nbsp; Maybe you'll be here next weekend!&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong></span></div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/17/sunny-days-are-here-again" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/17/sunny-days-are-here-again#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/17/sunny-days-are-here-againSun, 17 May 2009 15:17:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/16/water-festival-may-16-2009<div><map name="AutoMap1"> <area shape="RECT" coords="280,141,300,161" /> <area shape="RECT" coords="280,141,300,161" /></map><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">What a wonderful&nbsp;day for Coupeville's Annual Penn Cove Water Festival!&nbsp; </span> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>It was so lovely to see friends out and about today.&nbsp; People were listening to drumming, chants, the Shifty Sailors singing sea shanties and&nbsp;a violinist who talked about native traditions in his pauses between tunes.&nbsp; Volunteers were selling t-shirts, helping children build boats or make native american themed crafts, helping things run smoothly.&nbsp; Vendors had art, crafts, musical instruments, jewelry, bbq salmon, fry bread and more.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The merchants were happy, enjoying more browsers, shoppers and&nbsp;sales.&nbsp; </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The weather couldn't have been more cooperative.&nbsp; I actually am sporting a bit of a sunburn after standing outside along the railing at Gillespie's Pier, where my office afforded a front row seat for the tribal canoe races.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The races were definitely the day's highlight, and ran from about 1pm 'til nearly 4.&nbsp; I especially loved the women's races, and the&nbsp;youth&nbsp;teams.&nbsp; The paddlers were swift and strong, and the photographers, including local panoramic&nbsp;specialist Denis Hill and&nbsp;the Whidbey Examiner's owner &amp; editor Kasia were out snapping great shots.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The real estate market was, as always, a topic of conversation.&nbsp; Many are interested in whether the seasonal turnaround has begun (it definitely has), where market values are, and how sales are in various price ranges.&nbsp;&nbsp;Definitely buyers for&nbsp;higher end properties have continued to be elusive, but the mid-market buyers are stepping up to&nbsp;take advantage of peak inventories, lowered prices and great interest rates.&nbsp; First time home buyers, as well as those&nbsp;who haven't owned in 3 years are being enticed by the $8000 tax credit as well as&nbsp;low interest rates.&nbsp; </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Actually have seen some fellow real estate agents smiling and enjoying some family time today!&nbsp; That's a sure sign Whidbey Island's&nbsp;market slump is&nbsp;reversing.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Days like today make us feel blessed to live in such a gorgeous place, in a close-knit small community rich in history and fascinating traditions.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> </div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/16/water-festival-may-16-2009" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/16/water-festival-may-16-2009#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/16/water-festival-may-16-2009Sat, 16 May 2009 12:16:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/08/low-tides-full-moon<div><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana">Today was an incredibly lovely day, although still a bit cool, with a bit of breeze in the afternoon and this evening.&nbsp; At present the full moon is shimmering on the ripples at high tide on Penn Cove.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> So many new faces in town this evening... a pleasure to see&nbsp;people out and about and enjoying themselves.&nbsp; Our many B&amp;Bs here on the Island attract people from around the world.&nbsp; This evening,&nbsp;I overheard a couple discussing where to eat in french!&nbsp; They&nbsp;were from Aix-en-Provence, in southern France, and were excited to hear that our Penn Cove mussels are fabulous, rivaling the best Bretagne&nbsp;offers.&nbsp; We have many good choices, but&nbsp;since they confessed to being "foodies", I walked them up to the Oystercatcher, where Dea was happy to find them a table after greeting them warmly.&nbsp; When she asked if it would be a table for 3, I nearly said yes, as the food is so wonderful there.&nbsp; Subtly garlic-scented Mussels, Local greens, beautifully dressed, perhaps duck breast in some ethereal reduction&nbsp;sauce, a perfect wine, a&nbsp;perfectly delicious dessert and a bit of coffee.&nbsp; Yes, that did cross my mind.&nbsp; But since we'd only just met, and they were here for an evening at Captain Whidbey Inn and a post-dinner stroll on a moonlit wharf, a bid them an adieu and headed upon my way.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> It's been fun to be quite busy showing homes and previewing the new listings, some of&nbsp;which seem to be almost underpriced.&nbsp; Because the market was in a lull over the winter while&nbsp;buyers reevaluated their budgets, and sellers trimmed their expectations in line with market reality, some agents have overreacted and lopped&nbsp;prices.&nbsp; It's a nice time to be working with buyers, who can pick up some really fine buys at present.&nbsp; Closing next week will be a great Madrona Way home that only stayed on the market a&nbsp;few days.&nbsp; With over an acre,&nbsp;more than 300 feet of waterfront with stairs to the beach, mature landscaping and a lovely view of Mount Baker and Penn Cove, it was an exceptional buy, even if it will need a remodel.&nbsp; Had to be ready to pounce before the pictures were even up on the mls.&nbsp; My clients are thrilled, and show me not to ever&nbsp;get to certain that I know what home will appeal most to&nbsp;people.&nbsp;&nbsp;I joked with the&nbsp;husband the other day that I'd not have imagined they'd move to the Island and start their retirement here with a big project.&nbsp; Actually, they seem to be having fun picking out appliances,&nbsp;meeting with contractors, and&nbsp;learning the native plants.<br /> <br /> I was pretty stunned to see one of my favorite&nbsp;Coupeville homes, a&nbsp;remodeled schoolhouse&nbsp;that is a bit of a landmark along Madrona Way come back on the market at $540,000.&nbsp; It is big, at about 3,000 sf, comfy and a bit elegant at the same time, and has the most magnificent Madrona tree, complete with kid-friendly tire swing!&nbsp; Certain homes get me so enthused I just have to get on the phone and try to bump one of my favorite clients into action.&nbsp; Having sold&nbsp;the two homes headed back toward town, I feel&nbsp;right in my element, and hope to find perfect neighbors for Harry &amp;Terry, Cindy,Stu &amp; Melody.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> </div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/08/low-tides-full-moon" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/08/low-tides-full-moon#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/08/low-tides-full-moonFri, 08 May 2009 22:06:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/02/may-2-2009<div><img height="120" alt="" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/knf10.jpg" width="160" align="right" border="0" /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">Wandering on Front Street and around Coupeville's Historic Waterfront District, there are&nbsp;delightful surprises every few feet!</div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">Today there was lots going on "downtown", but one of the highlights of the day was the Student Art Show sponsored by the&nbsp;local chapter of the Association of University Women (AAUW).&nbsp; Held at the Rec&nbsp;Hall at Coveland &amp; Alexander, just a block up from the Wharf, it featured&nbsp;wonderful art by High School students from all&nbsp;three&nbsp;Whidbey Island High&nbsp;Schools.&nbsp; Ceramics, jewelry,&nbsp;drawings, painting, statuettes and photographs proved that the next generation of local artists is very talented and coming on strong!&nbsp; I was greatful that one of the AAUW organizers of the event, Babette, popped into my office on the waterfront to make sure I had seen it.&nbsp; I wandered over&nbsp;and had a great time seeing art teachers, young artists and&nbsp;art lovers mixing it up.&nbsp;&nbsp;I couldn't resist a photo by a South Whidbey&nbsp;junior, Anna Lennon,&nbsp;B&amp;W close up of a young girl's face.&nbsp; Amazing!</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">Popping down the street a bit, it&nbsp;looks like the venerable Knead and Feed bakery/cafe is getting ready to&nbsp;take over the&nbsp;street level space soon.&nbsp; As always, the little jewel-like shop Aqua lights up the end of Front &amp; Main with the loveliest of girly gifts, decor items, card and accessories.&nbsp;&nbsp;Aqua's gift wrapping makes even the most modest splurge look lavish.&nbsp; </div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">Back by my office, the Windjammer Gallery is floor to&nbsp;ceiling fine art, with fascinating gift items, cards,&nbsp;jewelry and porcelain pieces.&nbsp; They are my neighbors, and yet every time I enter through their veil of corks-as-streamers at the front door, I see something&nbsp;new they swear has been there.&nbsp; Today I met some local folks who had just purchased a lovely painting of the&nbsp;Deception Pass bridge that was&nbsp;beautifully framed at the adjacent custom framing shop.&nbsp;&nbsp;My office was a former gallery, so I have local artists show their work, and currently (as of this afternoon) am so lucky to have the vibrant and gorgeous large watercolors of Goss Lake area&nbsp;artist Gary Shallock.&nbsp; I don't&nbsp;think anyone walked around the boardwalk at Gillespie's Pier without taking a good long look at his paintings.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">Deb Crocker, owner of 3 Front&nbsp;Street Shops,&nbsp;including One More&nbsp;Thing and By the Sea, is the reigning national queen of sales of a&nbsp;hilarious little flying&nbsp;"screaming monkey" toy.&nbsp;&nbsp;She has sold 3000 or so, and is busily organizing a drill team to run riotously&nbsp;about flying monkeys about in the annual Coupeville Memorial Day Parade.&nbsp;Should be worth busting out a folding chair for! </div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">Noticed that Mariti Chocolate is opening up more, with Angela's elegant sweets beckoning temptingly anyone who had the willpower to walk past both the&nbsp;extensive candy counters at the Honeybear or&nbsp;Kapaw's ice cream.&nbsp; For those looking toward the water, the stairs leading down to Mosquito Fleet Galley are heading toward some&nbsp;very tasty chow.&nbsp; Chris &amp; Rita (yes, she is lovely, although we have no meters in Coupeville) opened just a&nbsp;bit ago, and have big windows looking out onto the Cove, a huge deck, and the best chili I've sampled in a long while.&nbsp; They bake pies, make specials like pulled pork sandwiches and salmon-asparagus quiche, and are so heart-meltingly sweet you will want to skip&nbsp;the to-go option and settle into their comfy booths.</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">I think George at Elkhorn Trading needs his own entry, but suffice it to say that he is the treasure hunter's shop, favored by anyone loving antiques, collectibles, kitschy-cool stuff, memorabilia, and Island estate gleanings.&nbsp; My daughter loves chatting up George and learning tons.&nbsp;&nbsp;I overheard a fellow chatting with&nbsp;a fellow that it is the shop guys gravitate to on&nbsp;Front Street, especially if their wives have fallen into Collections, mesmerized by the great fashion finds&nbsp;there.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">The real estate market is definitely picking up, too.&nbsp; My little Front Street Realty office has&nbsp;seen lots&nbsp;more folks dropping in to talk about what's new and a great buy at&nbsp;present.&nbsp; There have been a&nbsp;great crop of May Day listings, as folks bring on some well-priced surprises just before the main "selling season" for Island properties.&nbsp; A few have been&nbsp;priced assertively low enough to actually get&nbsp;multiple offers.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">Even though we've had a bit of cooler weather today, and a sprinkle of rain, it's been a great day to take in Front Street.</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">See you soon!</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">Janet&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/02/may-2-2009" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/02/may-2-2009#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/05/02/may-2-2009Sat, 02 May 2009 23:23:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/25/saturday-musings<div><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">Another Perfect Whidbey Island Day! </span> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>A good low tide at noon had the clammers&nbsp;out digging today, so folks will definitely be combining some wonderful produce from the farmer's market with clams, mussels and perhaps even a few chanced-upon oysters for a local feast this evening.&nbsp;&nbsp;I'm betting that Georgie from WillowWood Farms had baby greens, spring onions and other delights at her booth today.&nbsp; I was at my little office looking out across Penn Cove to Lovejoy Point and beyond, so didn't get a chance to buy anything today. I was able to pop into the Coupeville Garden Club's&nbsp;Plant sale early, though, to buy some choice tomato plants.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/knf8.jpg" width="160" align="left" alt="" />&nbsp;This is a photo of Lovejoy Point, but the&nbsp; tide is still headed out a bit more.&nbsp; Usually clam diggers have their favorite spots to dig, and&nbsp;the stretch of beach directly in front of the old town commercial district isn't among them.&nbsp; Here, more strolling, beachcombing or landing skiffs from anchored&nbsp;sailboats occurs.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>One of the things I love best about our beautiful Island is the honor boxes located at local farm stands.&nbsp; Among the ones I frequent are&nbsp;flower stands on HIghway 20, Libbey Road, Westbeach Road, Zylstra Road, and one just north of the Payless&nbsp;Foods shopping center in Freeland.&nbsp;&nbsp;For $3 to 5 dollars a bunch, I can take home&nbsp;fresh seasonal blooms when I can't bear to pick any of my own.&nbsp;&nbsp;For&nbsp;produce, I love stopping by Bell's Farm stand on West Beach, especially&nbsp;when she has bags of early spinach or arugula,&nbsp;green and yellow beans, baby summer squash,&nbsp;sugar snap peas and of course, those amazingly flavorful strawberries.&nbsp; One year, they had a bumper crop of berries right before halloween, which made the best jam ever.&nbsp; I&nbsp;even carted two flats into Seattle to take to the restaurant Dinette and the Columbia City Bakery, who raved about them.&nbsp;&nbsp;I also&nbsp;love popping by the Muscle &amp; Arm farm on&nbsp;Hwy 20, South of Greenbank, to see what they have.&nbsp; While I'm quite addicted to their dahlias in summer, they had the best eating apples&nbsp;tiny tart grapes, among other things, in the fall.&nbsp; The old Darst farm on the corner of Libbey &amp; West&nbsp;Beach has offered net bags of purple and blue potatoes, local honey, and apples along with bouquets that vary with the seasons.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>A&nbsp;fascinating stand is&nbsp;located along&nbsp;the highway just before the entry to the Rolling Hills community.&nbsp; Rene is the healthiest senior&nbsp;citizen I've met, and has created a&nbsp;setting for her flowers that features&nbsp;painted wooden shoes (a nod to her Dutch heritage), an enclosed gazebo, a windmill, a nativity scene&nbsp;at Christmas, a little play area, and currently under construction, a small scale church complete with steeple.&nbsp; When&nbsp;peonies, and then a bit later in the season, dahlias are in bloom, it is hard to beat one of her big $4 bunches.&nbsp; They are gorgeous!&nbsp; I find it fascinating that she has supported herself always with flowers, and love her little sign that says from her heart,&nbsp; something like "every flower is an autograph from God".&nbsp; Hope you have a chance to meet her, enjoy her&nbsp;bright blue eyes and ready smile. </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>One the real estate front, things seem to have&nbsp;picked up a bit after bottoming out a bit over the winter months.&nbsp; Suddenly properties&nbsp;beyond the busy first time homebuyers market have started to go under contract.&nbsp; Sellers are relieved that things are looking up, and Buyers are feeling that selection is huge, prices are&nbsp;attractive, interest rates are at historic lows, and for some, the $8000 tax credit is too good to miss out on.&nbsp; Some people don't&nbsp;know that the tax credit is also available to those who haven't owned a home in 3 years, not only 1st time home buyers.&nbsp;&nbsp;There are short sales, and foreclosures going on, to be sure, and those properties tend to be snapped up quickly if they are in sound condition.&nbsp; I remember an old advertising slogan&nbsp;that promised "quality is remembered long after price is forgotten".&nbsp; While it is important to have an affordable home, when one is going to actually live&nbsp;there, it is equally important to be&nbsp;in a home that is solidly built, and has all systems in good working order.&nbsp; Not many of the people I meet are interesting in&nbsp;dealing with lots of problems in a home.&nbsp; Most all are hoping to move into a&nbsp;home and simply have routine maintenance to contend with.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>I'm heading out the door to show a couple of homes on acreage, one for a "hobby farm",&nbsp;the other for an early retirement&nbsp;haven.&nbsp; The first is definitely a fixer, but is a short sale&nbsp;and would most likely be an affordable rental for a couple with contractor or landscaping skills.&nbsp; The second is also well priced, but looks&nbsp;to be in very great condition.&nbsp; Should be fun.&nbsp; I actually love getting out as much as possible to see our "inventory" of Island properties.&nbsp; Much the way my favorite librarians are avid readers who can comment with either hesitancy or enthusiam when they see a book in my hands, I strive to be able to save my clients' time and energy by really having spent time in&nbsp;as many of the homes as possible here,&nbsp;as well as having walked the land a bit, or checked out the beach access or other amenities.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Bye for now,</div> <div>Janet&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> </div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/25/saturday-musings" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/25/saturday-musings#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/25/saturday-musingsSat, 25 Apr 2009 16:21:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/21/whidbey-island-commercial-properties<div><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana">Whidbey Island Commercial Property Investments</span> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Amazingly enough, people who are lucky enough to own some of Whidbey Island's choicest retail buildings actually decide to sell from time to time.&nbsp; Today,&nbsp; I put a great Front Street building, Mariner's Court, on the market for some clients.&nbsp; Pictured below, it is part of our Island History, located directly across from the Wharf and&nbsp;the Island County Historical&nbsp;Museum.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/marinersct1.jpg" width="400" align="left" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Last Saturday, I was treated to an&nbsp;enlightening program hosted&nbsp;by the Historical Museum at our "Rec" Hall in Coupeville, featuring 5 women who had grown up on the Island in the 1920's and 30's.&nbsp; Hearing their recollections...local characters like "Blue Nose", the entire town rushing to the&nbsp;fire at the Central Hotel (now the site of the Penn Cove Gallery), mothers&nbsp;casting&nbsp; smelt with their skirts, huge crowds at the&nbsp;early Water Festivals,&nbsp;&nbsp;a movie theater on Front&nbsp;Street that cost a dime to attend and so much more.&nbsp; Mariner's Court was part of the history, and at one point housed some freezer lockers the&nbsp;women remembered their families&nbsp;using.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>More&nbsp;on that&nbsp;to come...&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> </div><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/21/whidbey-island-commercial-properties" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/21/whidbey-island-commercial-properties#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/21/whidbey-island-commercial-propertiesTue, 21 Apr 2009 17:45:00 GMThttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/20/coupeville-april-20-2009<div>&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt"><span style="font-family: Verdana"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: red; font-family: Verdana"><img alt="" src="http://janetburchfield.com/images/coffeehouse1.jpg" width="160" align="left" />Greetings from Whidbey Island!</span></div> <div style="font-size: 10pt">&nbsp;</div> <div style="font-size: 10pt"><font face="#ce_temp_font#">Thanks for visiting my new Blog.&nbsp; I'll do my best to keep you informed, inspired, and perhaps intrigued a bit about Island life here&nbsp;in the Pacific Northwest.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Today is a gloriously sunny day here in Coupeville, and from my office I can report that the Mountains are out, the winds are light, and folks have been finding their way back to the Islands.&nbsp; Scarcely a person comes to Front Street, the row of Historic buildings&nbsp;along Penn Cove, without&nbsp;walking down the inviting Wharf shown&nbsp; here.&nbsp; Usually they have a huge&nbsp;ice cream cone in hand from Kapaw's, but if not,&nbsp;they usually can't resist a perfect&nbsp;latte or slice of&nbsp;freshly baked pie from Local Grown.&nbsp; The views are breathtakingly lovely here, so much so that a travel writer&nbsp;observed that on Whidbey Island&nbsp;one simply has to turn&nbsp;one's head to see a beautiful vista.<br /> <br /> Most&nbsp;folks just love to talk about real estate, and often pop in to my office just to&nbsp;dream a bit about a future dream retirement home or weekend getaway cottage.&nbsp; Many of our&nbsp;new "locals" enthusiastically supporting our wonderful community life began their transition to&nbsp;Island life just that way.&nbsp; We have such outstanding B&amp;Bs and Inns here on Whidbey Island, that draw people seeking beauty, a slower pace,&nbsp;beaches and trails to walk, outstanding restaurants, art galleries,&nbsp;fun shops and&nbsp;a taste of Island life.&nbsp; Many&nbsp;have been featured over the years in a book about&nbsp;the Northwest's&nbsp;Best Place to Kiss.&nbsp;&nbsp;Truly,&nbsp;Whidbey is very romantic, whether strolling Ebey's Landing hand-in-hand, kayaking side by side in Penn Cove's often tranquil waters, or simply gazing at a perfect sunset over the Olympic Mountains.<br /> <br /> Recently, out sailing, I had the great fortune to see a gray whale in the&nbsp;the Passage between Camano and Whidbey. I'd seen pods of Orcas while sailing, and love the playful Dahl's porpoise that&nbsp;leap up when you least expect them, but it was my 1st sighting of the Gray, with it's mottled gray skin and&nbsp;huge tail that seems to sink into the water in slow motion.<br /> <br /> I just had the nicest folks pop in the office visiting from&nbsp;Burlington and Mount Vernon, wondering about the real estate market here.&nbsp; Great news for them is that we have tons of&nbsp;houses&nbsp;and land on the market, enough to last about 3 years at the current rate folks are buying.&nbsp; Quite a change from a few years back.&nbsp; With prices&nbsp;reduced about 20%, interest rates at record lows, and an $8000&nbsp;tax credit for&nbsp;people who haven't owned a home in 3 years, it is a&nbsp;good time to be a buyer, definitely.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> For Sellers, being competitively priced and in really ship-shape condition makes all the difference.&nbsp;&nbsp;Being up to date on the other homes in the same price range, looking on the internet or touring open houses helps you to see your home through a prospective buyer's eyes.&nbsp; It is tough to feel that it is worth making an offer on&nbsp;a property that&nbsp;seems really overpriced for its condition&nbsp;or&nbsp;the market.&nbsp; Today's&nbsp;buyers are even more value conscious.&nbsp; Often, they have come from markets that have suffered much more than our own.&nbsp; Still, they have fallen in love with this Island, and will stretch a bit to live here.<br /> <br /> Off for a hike along the stretch of beach&nbsp;below the&nbsp;Admiralty Head Lighthouse at Ft. Casey.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Hope to see you here soon.<br /> <br /> Janet&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></div> </span><P><a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/20/coupeville-april-20-2009" target="_blank">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/20/coupeville-april-20-2009#comments" target="_blank">Comments</a></P>Janet Burchfieldhttp://janetburchfield.com/blog/2009/04/20/coupeville-april-20-2009Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:47:00 GMT