A Realtor’s Dilemma

Who lives on Shaw Island?  Some very private people who wish to maintain their privacy.  Who buys property on Shaw Island?  Usually people with friends or family  on Shaw Island.  Where do they go if they want to market their property?  Obviously, since they do not have  a real estate office on Shaw they go to a Realtor from another island.  And that would be me.

How do you find Buyers for Shaw Island? The answer must be:  very discretely.  There is a kiosk across from the one general store on Shaw where islanders can leave messages.  A standard piece of paper with a colorful ad would be totally unacceptable as a posting there.  Perhaps just a small Realtor business card?

There is a tasteful Sotheby’s For Sale sign, which could be used:  “Oh, no,”  say the Sellers.  I drive around Shaw.  Clearly there are no signs.  The road signs look hand made, they are uniform only in their aged natural wood color and uniform tasteful size.  I come to “The Intersection” on Shaw, where the schoolhouse, historical society, and library are located.  The weathered old boat there speaks to my heart.  I snap a photo quickly, certain that an island that chooses to have no tourist facilities would find my behavior amusing.

My listing on Shaw, how will I advertise it?  I write to the website for Shaw Islanders to share information.  Would  they mind if I submitted not an ad, but merely a simple description and price of the house for sale on Shaw?  They vote, then politely tell me that I will not be able to use their website. (Thanks for asking.  Good luck on selling that lovely home.)  They are very kind.  But I hear the whispered message loud and clear:  “Shhhhhh, it’s Shaw Island.  We are keeping it our secret.”  How do you find Buyers for Shaw Island?  Very discreetly.

Shaw Island is a place that you might make up in your head.  Have you ever thought of finding like-minded people who value both privacy and a sense of community, then living in harmony with them?  Do you dream of a place where the weather is fine and there are walking trails and lovely beaches? Would you love having no traffic lights, very little traffic, and two lane roads where you knew the drivers of most every car? Do you long to be far away from the maddening crowd and separated from the rest of the world by…a moat, maybe, or a sea?

Discover the secret of Shaw Island, a step back in time.  The population of Shaw hovers at close to two hundred people, rising slightly in the summer.  Shaw Islanders, when creating their vision of the future in planning for growth did the exceptional for San Juan County:  they chose not to have any tourist facilities.  The ferry will take you to Shaw and it will get you to the mainland without those dreary lines of cars the other islands suffer.

When you arrive at Shaw you will find the welcoming and unique general store and small marina.  The store carries local specialties as well as basic staples.  There is a small eating area behind the stove.  In front of the store is a long bench where people leave things for each other, gifts of special plant starts, packages from “the mainland,” and other surprises.  There is a cat that will greet you as you wait for the ferry in the main landing area.  Across from the store is a small kiosk  to leave notices of meetings and messages.  Now that you are on Shaw Island, you know that you are truly away from it all.  You can stand at the ferry dock and see across the way to Orcas Island, just a five minute inter-island ferry ride.  There at the Orcas ferry landing you will find a large grocery store, cafes, hotels, and commerce.  You can go there whenever you like if you wish to remind yourself of what you have chosen to leave behind.