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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 th... Read Full Post

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 minim... Read Full Post

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, hig... Read Full Post

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... Read Full Post

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 ... 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 ... Read Full Post

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 increas... Read Full Post

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 pr... Read Full Post

Bellingham Real Estate Market Update For 2/17/08 - 2/23/08 This week a steady rise in inventory continued in Bellingham. 30 new listings came on the market, which is the most for any week this year. The average price was $507,555 ($211/sq.ft.), with a median price of $416,750 ($232/sq.ft.). The average price was a bit skewed this week due to a couple of $1,000,000+ listings. Currently there are 494 residential homes on the market in Bellingham. Bellingham Residential Pending and STI Not only ... Read Full Post

Bellingham Condo Market Update for Feb 10th - Feb 16th This week in the Bellingham condo market we noticed a significant upward shift in activity. While only 5 new listings came on the market, 13 condos pended and 10 closed. The average price of the new condos was $329,080 (265/sq.ft) with a median price of $274,500 ($235/sq.ft.). There are currently 266 condos on the market in Bellingham. Bellingham Pending Condos 7 of the 13 pending condos this week were in Darby Estates. The average price ... Read Full Post