Again, remembering that I work all the islands here for real estate, there are occasions when my schedule or the nature of my trip simply prohibits the luxury of a leisurely ferry ride with Romeo or perhaps I need to be on a non-ferry serviced island in a timely fashion. Every so often I will do a real estate transaction in out of the way locales such as Port Townsend or Whidbey Island or I will face time constraints for quick mainland appointments in Skagit or Whatcom counties. On these occasions, Island Air comes to the rescue.

Since… read full article

Visitors and prospective home buyers coming to San Juan Island might wonder what sort of connectivity options are available when they arrive here. With the demand for access to email or wanting to electronically manage personal data or specific websites, it’s always good to know what the island can offer either for someone just swinging by for the weekend or perhaps looking to buy property and wanting to stay connected.
Internet access, whether it be via Ethernet or wifi is certainly available on the island. How it differs from areas like Seattle or Portland is how it’s… read full article

I had clients from Scottsdale on the island last June. In an attempt to make the property search a leisurely process, they were staying in a vacation rental. Their grandsons would be joining them for the weekend. As the weekend approached, the husband announced he would be taking the boys fishing on Saturday afternoon at which point, the wife invited me to go to lunch that day.

I accepted the invitation, but must admit there were things I would have rather been doing on a glorious Saturday afternoon in June. I struggled with it while driving around the… read full article

We’re getting ready for that big summer push here in the islands. Regardless of the increasing ferry fares, the tourists and vacationers look to be returning for yet another season. My husband runs a vacation rental management business, www.sanjuanpm.com , and bookings are looking good for yet another record season! The restaurants, variety of retail shops, and the kayak and whale watching businesses are all in full gear. The question many of us have is how will this affect our real estate market?
There’s no question that the San Juan Island market is different from mainland… read full article

As an islander who has been riding the ferries in sickness and in health ever since I first came to San Juan Island on one in 1977, I have developed a few attitudes about etiquette regarding the ferry. So, here goes with my pet peeves for your enlightenment!
1. Turn off your car alarm for gosh sakes. The rolling of the ferry will start the alarm sounding if someone doesn’t actually have to carefully brush by your car when getting out of their own. This usually happens, setting up a loud and obnoxious repeated alarm until the… read full article

Given that I work all the islands in the San Juan archipelago, I am a regular on the inter-island ferry. I recently had occasion to show property on Lopez Island, which gave me pause to ponder just how extraordinary this commute really is, yet how very typical of island life.

I view this commute as a mini-road trip – an adventure! After a brief stop for a latte to go and a treat for my faithful companion, Romeo (think big black Orcas Shelter mutt), I got in line for the inter-island ferry with scheduled stops at Orcas and… read full article

Once you have located the ferry schedule online and looked at your options and chosen a boat, you are ready to head off to the ferry terminal in Anacortes. Here’s a hint: pack some food or stop in Anacortes and get some. The food, if available on the ferry, will be limited and spendy. Riding the ferry will make you hungry, even if you have eaten. Another hint: take a good book or some knitting. Yes, the scenery is beautiful and you will most likely have a window seat on the boat. The waiting at the terminal or… read full article