It was a grey, drizzly Saturday on San Juan Island.  I had been at my home office computer the better part of the afternoon, when I finally looked outside to see blue skies, shimmering sunlight, and tree branches dancing in a fresh breeze.  I got up from my desk, slipped in a lively CD, and threw open the windows, preparing to work on some art projects, when I glanced at my refrigerator thinking I would grab a cool beverage.  But, as I opened the refrigerator door I saw a drawing I did when I was six years old… read full article

Not too long ago I received my SRES® designation. The Seniors Real Estate Specialist designation is awarded to REALTORS® who have successfully completed the required education course. SRES® designees learn how to lead senior clients through real estate transactions and draw on the expertise of a network of senior specialists, such as CPAs, estate planners, lawyers, clutter and staging experts as well as community resources and services. The SRES® designation is the only one of its kind recognized by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. More than 15,000 REALTORS® have earned the SRES® designation.

In my next few blogs… read full article

For March:  Whidbey Island:  some very interesting statistics that are worth sharing….

YTD 2010          YTD 2009
New Listings:           459      424
TOTAL ACTIVE:        703      718
Pending:                 217       199
Closed:                   148       121

In the 811 area of Whidbey Island (Clinton, Langley, Freeland,) the average days on market for sold properties and the median price:

156 days           205 days
$348,000         $300,000

For 812 (Central Whidbey) Greenbank and Coupeville the average days on market for sold properties and the median price:

104… read full article

The federal Home Buyer Tax Credit ends in less then 1 week!  If you haven’t acted on this great opportunity then you have a little time left!

As part of its plan to stimulate the U.S. housing market and address the economic challenges facing our nation, Congress has passed legislation that grants a tax credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers and $6,500 for existing homeowners who have lived in their home consecutively for 5 of the previous 8 years.

To take advantage of the program home buyers must sign a purchase agreement by April 30,… read full article

Mt. Finlayson

Another hike that you must do while on the island is on the south side of San Juan commonly known as Mt. Finlayson (some refer to it as Jackle’s Lagoon also). Once you finish skipping rocks at South Beach head just a bit farther south on Cattle Point Road and turn (left) into the parking lot above Jackle’s Lagoon. From there you head up the trail, that at times, skirts surprisingly close to the road, but, trust me, your perseverance will be rewarded soon enough!

Once you head up, and succeed in making it to the… read full article

Glistening midnight blue mussel shells attached to rocks and pilings are a common sight here in the Pacific Northwest with low tide revealing layer upon layer of these enchanting little morsels – so healthful, versatile, and readily available! Harvest these little gems in the Winter and Spring when the water is good and cold. You need but a sturdy knife and a bucket! The ideal size for mussels is 1 ¾” – 3” in length. There is some controversy as to how to preserve mussels after harvesting, but I am of the school that nothing works better than… read full article

According to epodunik.com, the San Juan Islands have a 19% population of people over 65. 35.7 percent of the population is between 45-64. That means that over half of the people that live in the islands are over 45. I am sixty-six. When I was 21, in the youth-worshipping culture of the sixties, I used to think that 66 was really old. I studied various cultures and decided that it would probably be a good idea to move to Japan when I got older, a place where people respected the wisdom of age.

But I am going to… read full article