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Located on the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Whatcom County has housed various oil refineries, power plants and shipyards which found many uses for asbestos. These facilities relied heavily on the substance as a guard against the toxicity of chemicals often found with petroleum and machinery. Once asbestos fibers become airborne, it places workers and civilians at risk for possible exposure.

If you are a home owner and believe you may have asbestos insulation, any disturbance has the potential to release its fibers in the air. Exposure to asbestos can be prevented by taking easy precautions. With the proper knowledge and assistance from professionals, you can assure you and your family is free and clear of asbestos.

There are many things…

A lot of people would love to buy their first home right now, but are terrified about financing crisis. It seems that everywhere we look right now there is bad news about real estate and nobody can get a home loan. While it is true that it has become more difficult to get a loan, there are still loan programs available for first time home buyers right now.

Here is a common scenario that is allowing first time home buyers to buy homes with no money down. FHA still has a program where the minimum required down payment is 3.5%. FHA also allows the down payment to come from a third party in the form of a gift. We are finding that a lot of first time home buyers are borrowing the 3.5% down payment from their parents and then repaying their parents back when…

10 major changes in financing that occurred during the 1st half of 2008. All of these changes were made at a National level, although not all of the changes directly affect Bellingham.

1.    Minimum down payment 3% (no more 0 down payment) can use conventional products with income limitations but FHA better pricing.

2.    Minimum down payment on other owner occupied products is 5%.

3.    Minimum down payment with piggy back 2nd 10% (80/10/10)

4.    FHA risked based pricing 3% down, lower financed MI, high monthly MI based on credit score.

5.    ARM and Interest Only products must qualify at full payment (not interest only payment).

6.    Refinances, must have continuity of title and obligation (i.e. one person on original loan must remain on…

Bellingham Home Prices Increase 9% from March to April.

The Bellingham real estate market took a turn up during the month of April with 78 home sales. The average price of homes sold in Bellingham increased 9% from $345,735 to $377,083. The median price of homes sold also increased from $290,000 to $338,000 during April. While the local real estate market is fighting an increase in short sales and foreclosures inventory, the market is showing brief signs of recovery by posting gains in prices.

While most of the real estate news in Bellingham is positive this month, the days on market have continued to rise with the inventory. Fortunately the inventory and time on market have not increased dramatically. The days on market increased from 95 to 102…

10 great reasons that people should NOT buy real estate today.

1)    The market is down, but you like to buy high and sell low.
2)    There is a slim chance that interest rates could fall 0.25% this year.
3)    Saving money on taxes is overrated.
4)    Just too many beautiful homes available that you are overwhelmed.
5)    Building equity and credit is not really your thing.
6)    Homeownership brings pride, which is one of the 7 deadly sins.
7)    Living in an apartment is a life choice.
8)    There is always next year.
9)    The real estate market will NEVER recover.
10)  Spite


Call me if you are not interested in buying or selling real estate in Bellingham… Read Full Post

Best Place to Live & Launch a Business - Bellingham Ranks #27

According to CNN Money, Bellingham Washington is the 27th best place to live and start a business.

Read the Article 

Why Live in Bellingham…

The two biggest attractions to Bellingham, Washington are the outdoor life and proximity to Seattle and Vancouver, BC. Bellingham provides a host of outdoor recreation including; easy access to the bay, lakes & mountains. Bellingham offers a great community to bike, sail or hike. The real estate market is stable and the median home price is affordable at only $325,000.


On the Business Side…

There little question why commercial real estate is currently booming in Bellingham. Business is good. The local economy is thriving on tourism,…

Bellingham Real Estate Market Update for March 2008

The Bellingham real estate market continues to rise. While the average sales price has bounced up and down in 2008, the number of homes sold each month has continued to rise. 77 homes sold in Bellingham this March, compared to 66 in February and 60 in January. 61 homes are also currently pending in Bellingham. It is expected that home sales will continue to increase throughout the spring and into summer.

While the number of sales has increased, so has the total inventory. The number of available homes in Bellingham has increased from 489 to 522 since the end of January 2008. The average days on market for sold homes in Bellingham has been around 95 days.

60 Homes Sold in January

Median…

Weekly Review of Bellingham’s Real Estate Market 2/24/08 - 3/01/08

Bellingham’s real estate market is still holding up quite well. There were 27 homes listed this week. The average price of new listings was $366,649 with a median price of $310,000. There were no foreclosures listed in Bellingham this week. Currently, there are 490 homes on the market in Bellingham, WA.


Bellingham Homes Pending and STI

12 homes pended this week in Bellingham. The average price was $312,713 with a median price of $284,900. The average days on market for pending homes this week was 133. Overall the market has really picked up since the beginning of 2008. The number of weekly new listings and weekly sales has held fairly steady and the market is on pace to have a…