Bellingham Real Estate
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Alan Elzea Cell: 360-920-3777 aelzea@msn.com |
Windermere 515 W Bakerview Rd. Bellingham, WA 98226 Fax: 360-676-4694 Office: 360-734-7500 |
I think you’re smart to be considering Bellingham WA real estate. The New York Times just named Bellingham the 2nd Best Place to Live in the U.S. after Gainesville, FL. Why? Whether hiking forest trails, snowboarding down Mt. Baker, or sailing through the San Juan Islands, it's gorgeous here. Evergreens, orca whales, and deer are everywhere. (Well, maybe the whales aren't everywhere.) This area features more park space per capita than any community in the U.S. Other amenities include soccer and softball fields, playgrounds, tennis courts, swimming pools, biking trails, an ice arena, and 6 lakes: Whatcom, Padden, Samish, Silver, Emerald, & Wiser for boating, swimming, and picnicking.
The weather is temperate, so you can enjoy being outdoors year around. Summers aren’t humid and air conditioning isn't needed. The annual 35” of rain is far less than Miami, New York, Boston, or Santa Rosa, CA. We have very few mosquitoes and no poisonous snakes or insects. Termites are rare.
It's an intelligent, well-read community with more library check-outs per capita than almost any community in the U.S. Top-rated educational institutions like Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College, and Bellingham Technical College offer stimulating classes and entertainment for the community, as well.
The air, water, and justice system here are all clean. Why? At only 79 people per square mile, Whatcom County simply isn’t crowded. Orange County, California by comparison has 3600 people per square mile!
It's "Hog Heaven" with many great restaurants the Oyster Bar, Cliffhouse, Anthony’s Woodfire Grill, Chuckanut Manor, Akroteri, Mykenos, Dimitri’s, Kira’s, Syros, & Eleni’s, Taste of India & Kamal Palace, D’Anna’s, Giusseppe’s, Mambo and Italiano. Bellingham also has 40 plus coffee shops!
Cultural events and entertainment abound, as performers use Bellingham to fill in their schedules between their Vancouver and Seattle performances. Because Bellingham is just 50 miles from Vancouver, B.C., and 85 miles from Seattle you can easily do day trips to either of the big cities.
All of these factors combined with housing affordability make Bellingham a great place to live. There is no state income tax in Washington and car license tabs cost only $34 year. Although our economy is based more on small businesses than corporate America, we have almost the lowest unemployment in the state.
Golf Magazine scores the area No. 7 nationally for good public golf. Most of the best courses like Semiahmoo, Sudden Valley, Raspberry Ridge, Homestead, and Birch Bay Village are surrounded by residential communities. The temperate climate allows almost year-round golfing. It’s 45 miles to the Mt. Baker Ski Resort and the surrounding Mt. Baker National Forest for skiing, climbing, snowboarding, and hiking opportunities galore. Hikes like Artist’s Point, Ptarmigan Ridge, Kulshan Cabin, and Heather Meadows are knockouts and doable by all ages.
What’s the local real estate market like? Unlike much of the country, neither the Bellingham area nor the Pacific Northwest have experienced a real downturn. Of the 411 homes sold in the past 90 days, the median sales price was $315,000 and the average home size sold was 1682 square feet.
If you have more questions, I promise to give you the straight scoop. I’ve been helping friends and newcomers make smart Bellingham WA real estate moves for 28 years. Call me at (360) 920-3777 or email me at Elzea@Windermere.com.
