If a San Juan Islander ever wanted to leave the island for a vacation, it would likely be during the winter, when the days are shorter and it rains or snows more. However, there are many reasons to enjoy this time of the year: it’s easy to find a parking place, no lines at the grocery store, a real small town feeling of appreciation for place. For these reasons, we suggest that this is a good week to visit to see how San Juan Island might fit into your future. Start your plans!

1. Plan for your future retirement or second home. Some people like to visit the islands during these quiet times to see the “off-season” island lifestyle. For them, it makes perfect sense to see what the San Juans are like on a year-round basis before they come to any decisions. They are not disappointed.
2. Plan a stress-free weekend in a place that is unique. Here in the islands you will not find a McDonalds, a Rite-Aid, or a Macy’s. Since the rates are less during the off-season, you can pick a comfy bed and breakfast in town, see some good live theatre or a movie, visit galleries and museums, and eat some great food. Drive down to South beach off of Pickett’s Lane at American Camp, if it is a windy day; see the waves roll in and crash on the beach. Wear a parka and try your skills at flying a kite. You deserve a break today!
3. Plan to see a few properties with a knowledgeable Realtor. (http://www.sanjuanrealestate.idxco.com/idx/3151/roster.php) This is the time of year when Realtors have more time to spend with you, and their knowledge is invaluable. Any of us would be happy to help you begin your search process and we understand that many people are not ready when they start looking.
4. Plan an event. Does your family have a reunion or a big birthday coming up? How about a wedding? Wedding providers in the island have gotten together recently to offer their services and suggestions. There are many places where you can have a unique wedding here in the islands, and now is the time to start checking out venues and dates for Spring and Summer events.

Islanders are planning; too, they are planning for the Spring Garden. It is hard to resist on a cloudy day, sitting down with a cup of tea and a seed catalog and making goals about the garden. Visitors or non-gardeners will want to visit our farmer’s market for seasonal delights. If you decide to come up this week for a visit, check out our Calendar of events. http://www.sanjuancalendar.com/ Have a great week!

128 years later it is our turn. Realtors at Island Group Sotheby’s International Realty are confident that this is an ideal and welcoming location for marketing island properties.  Some places are known as spots where people gather, and this is one.  A warm and welcoming interior reflects through the wavy windows of the past and reminds one of our intimate ties to the sea.  Here is where all-night festivities known as “fishermen dances” occurred when the fishing fleet was in, a place with an excellent pool table that beckoned travelers.  In real estate it is said that the three most important elements of value are 1.Location  2.Location and 3.Location.  It is also said that the only constant is change.  We embrace both of these concepts now that the boxes are all unpacked and the files have been tucked away.  Here is a picture of how our office and Spring Street appear today. Our signage will go up soon on the building with the curvy top, and a new era will begin.

First, know that most Buyers nowadays go to the internet to search out their properties, not the local classifieds. Start by typing in the name of your town, the state, and the words real estate or houses for sale. You can also go to a real estate site like Zillow.com or Trulia.com and check out the listings in your area. You will want to use a Realtor who shows up on these web pages with listings. Should you pick the Realtor with the most listings? That depends upon how much individual attention you want. Select a few names, at least three, then add any names that may have been recommendations from friends.

The next step is to meet with each of these three Realtors. Tell them each you are meeting with three Realtors; let’s be fair. Have you ever had an acquaintance that tells you something that you do not comprehend? People have different ways of communicating and the only way to find out if you “click” with a Realtor’s communication style is to sit down and talk to them face to face. Ask some questions and see if their answers seem clear to you rather than jibberish. See if they are actively listening to what you say. Look at their desk and their office and see if it presents the image you like.

When you visit a Realtor, the expectation will be that you are asking for a comparative market analysis (CMA) to set a price for your property. This is a service offered for free by most Realtors who want to get a listing. It is appropriate at the face to face meeting to share information about your property with the three Realtors you choose, but do not tell them the price you want for your property yet. You do not know which one you will pick and regardless of the choice, you will want independent input from all three. Ask them to email you their CMA’s and emphasize that you want to set a realistic price in today’s market. You will probably be asked to show them the house or lot first.

You will likely have a favorite Realtor in mind when you complete this process, even before you see the CMA’s. You have in the process had the opportunity to deal with the office receptionist, the phone messaging system, and the length of time and work involved on your behalf from each of the agents. You have been able to see if they are on time for an appointment. You know how long it takes them to return a phone call. Even if your favorite choice had a price you didn’t like, you can now discuss in detail why you think the price should be different with a person who will listen and respond to your needs. You will be signing a listing agreement with your favorite but the day that you do that, you should call the other two Realtors and thank them and tell them your price. They still have an opportunity to sell your property, and it is a nice thank-you for them to be the first to know it is listed so they can contact their buyers.

Horses by nature do not like to go in a trailer and be pulled by a car down the freeway. Ladybug was old enough so that her years of experience had taught her to be unafraid of the horse trailer; she would walk right into the big metal box. Her stable mates would often take a month or so of training to gain the confidence to go into the trailer. This process involved a lot of encouragement, some hunger, and plenty of grain, hay, or carrots.

At our farm on San Juan Island, our little girl soon outgrew her pony. She was on her way to six feet of height and becoming familiar with the basketball court. It was time for Ladybug to be passed on to other young children who wanted a little pony. We put an ad in the Journal for the San Juans and hoped to get a call.

The phone call came from a woman who lived on Stuart Island! She said that there was a little black pony on Stuart and a little white pony friend would be perfect for the children who lived there. She sounded very well informed about horses and she came out that week to look at Ladybug to check her out. She liked what she saw and agreed to buy her for a modest price. Here was the problem: there were no ferries that went to Stuart Island, only boats and planes. Her idea was for me to drive our horse trailer downtown to Friday Harbor, unload Ladybug, and turn over the lead to her. She would walk Ladybug in her halter onto a BARGE, stay on the other end of the line all the way out past the end of San Juan Island and on the Stuart. When the barge reached the shore of Stuart, the pony would then step off. I was so nervous about this adventure that I tried to talk her out of it. I told her I did not want to be there to see the pony walk onto the barge. I was certain that the water would freak her out and she would be running home to our pastures along the main road from Friday Harbor, her lead flying out behind her. I had been on many trail rides where my mount decided not to set foot in the two inch creek of moving water in order to reach the other side. The Buyer assured me that everything would be just fine, not to worry. She could handle it, etc.

I slunk home in my car, feeling guilty and imagining all sorts of crazy barge-horse problems. As I unhitched the trailer I saw the other horses staring at it with curiosity. What had become of Ladybug? Had she entirely disappeared? Back at home I tried to get calm as I remembered Marguerite Henry’s book about the ponies of Chincoteague which swam from the island to the mainland. I thought of the island deer that would swim from one island to another. I anxiously awaited a call from the new owner to tell me that Ladybug had safely reached the yonder shore. And, of course, she did. If I had been on the barge, she probably would not have for she would have sensed my fears and acted out upon them. For the new owner, who expected no such accidents, she behaved perfectly as expected. Ladybug and the little black pony lived out their lives giving pleasure to the children of Stuart Island.

We learned that Halloween wasn’t the same here. For one thing, the owner of many of the stores downtown dressed up in costumes for the business day. The owner at King’s Market, Vi King, was always a witch in black gown and high pointy hat. There was a funny attitude all the costumed people seemed to have, like it was perfectly ordinary and nothing was unusual in their dress.

Next, because many of us lived on acreage away from each other, it was necessary to go to our trick or treating exercises in a car. We would carefully plan on when each of us would be home, then work our car visits around that. The result was that we maybe went to somewhere between three and six places at the most.

Mostly, on Halloween, I remember taking the kids to Clyde and Ruth Sundstrom’s farm. They had such a great sense of humor they had named their barn the Barn Marche and that’s where they’d have garage sales. Clyde was one of the Sundstrom four brothers who had lived on the land since he was a boy. He married Ruth Guard, daughter from another farm family. Their turn of the century farmhouse was the scene of much family activity year round. Clyde was still farming then, and he had some nice horses. Every now and then he’d hitch up the horse to the cart and drive to the town of Friday Harbor, taking the cart down San Juan Valley Road. The special thing about Halloween was that Ruth would always make homemade donuts that night in honor of Clyde’s birthday which was on Halloween. There was no getting around the fact that you’d have to go into their warm kitchen for a spell and then each of your children would get a good teasing from him.