Neighborhood Blogs
Day 6 – 365 Things To Do In Bellingham, WA – Artwood Gallery
March 19, 2010 by Michael Eisenberg · Comments
Artwood is a cooperative woodworking gallery that is in the heart the Bellingham’s Historic District of Fairhaven. There are 13 active members of the cooperative and over 70 other artists that show there work here, most of it is fine woodworking that are complemented by a variety of other media. You can find beautiful furniture, wooden instrument, toys and all sorts of useful and artistic pieces in the gallery.
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Day 4 – 365 Things To Do In Bellingham, WA – Go for a Swim
March 16, 2010 by Michael Eisenberg · Comments
Go for a swim at the Arne Hanna Aquatic Center .
Go inside for a swim at Bellingham’s public pool. There are is something here for everyone with four swimming pools, “which include a beach-entry instructional pool with a 135 foot water slide ending in it, a 25 yard, eight-lane lap pool, a dive tank with a one-meter springboard and a hydrotherapy pool for those 16 years of age and older. ”
The Arne Hanna Aquatic Center offers loads of programs, including lap swims, American Red Cross swim lessons and training courses. If you want to exercise in the water there are three different intensity levels of shallow water aerobics, deep water running, deep water aerobics.
They also offer water child care, kayaking and preschool, family and open swims.
You can check out there schedule here.
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Day 3 – 365 Things To Do In Bellingham, WA – Go for a hike in the Chuckanut’s
March 15, 2010 by Michael Eisenberg · Comments
The Chuckanut Mountains are small compared with the Cascades or Olympics, but they hold their own when it comes to beauty.
This mountain range was formed about 55 million years ago and fossil remains are still found in rock cuts along Chuckanut Drive. I saw one of a giant palm frond there myself many years ago.
You can access a series of trails from the North Chuckanut Mountain trailhead, just south of Bellingham on Chuckanut Dr. You can get to lakes, view spots of the Bay and San Juan Islands, or enjoy the solitude of the forest.
Day 2 – 365 Things To Do In Bellingham, WA – Boulevard Park
March 14, 2010 by Michael Eisenberg · Comments
Boulevard Park is truly one of Bellingham’s gems. Our waterfront playground! On a beautiful day like the one I took this video, it is a great place to go for a walk, ride a bike, throw a Frisbee, read a book, have a picnic or anything else you like to do in a park.
If your interested in the history of the park you can read about it in “Boulevard Park, and Taylor Avenue Dock on the Old Bellingham Waterfront.” by local historian, author, artist, and civil activist Brian Griffin.
Day 1 – 365 Things To Do In Bellingham, WA – St Patrick’s Day Parade
March 13, 2010 by Michael Eisenberg · Comments
Welcome to 365 Things to do in Bellingham Washington.
I’ll be introducing you to the parks, trails, events, restaurants and beauty of Bellingham and the surrounding area in this new series. If you have any suggestions let me know.
Day 1 – Bellingham’s 1st Annual St Patrick’s Day Parade is Saturday starting at Noon. The parade is to honor Bellingham’s brave and hard-working Law Enforcement and Fire Departments. Our Mayor Dan Pike will be the Grand Marshall. Performances will include: The Snohomish County Firefighters Pipes and Drums with traditional bagpipe music, The Boundary Bay Regulars kazoo band will perform whatever kazoo bands perform, and Bellingham’s own folk icon Robert Blake. There’ll be green- and human-powered floats and high-stepping Irish dancers parading through downtown Bellingham
The theme is Green. The parade is encouraging creative use of alternative sources of energ, Decorate float’s with reclaimed, recycled, reusable materials, making a leprechaun costumes with green gear from Bellingham’s many thrift stores, biking to the parade or biking in the parade!
The parade starts near Bellingham High School in the parking lot of Cool Beans Espresso at the corner of Cornwall Ave. and Ohio street, then South on Cornwall Ave., turning left at Chestnut St., and right on Railroad Ave. It will march past Depot Market Square and turn right at E. Maple St., ending at the parking lot at the Northeast corner of E. Maple and Cornwall Ave. The festivities will continue at Boundary Bay Brewery with live music throughout the afternoon and evening. There are even plans to open Boundary’s popular outdoor seating area and courtyard, weather permitting.
Come on down and Enjoy the parade.
Image courtesy of flickr.com by cygnus921
Sudden Valley Real Estate Market – February 2010
March 5, 2010 by Michael Eisenberg · Comments
The following is a quick analysis of the Sudden Valley Real Estate Market.
There are currently 96 homes for sale. Homes are priced from $109,900 – $789,000
- Average Asking Price is $302,759 Average Days on Market is 112
- Median Asking Price is $272,450 Median Days on Market is 77
- Sold in February: 9
- Average Listing Price $252,021
- Average Sold Price $246,055 Average Days on Market69
- Median Listing Price $239,000
- Median Sold Price $239,000 Median Days on Market 67
- Pending Sales Last Week: 6 Total pending sales: 29
- Average Sales Price February, 2009: $293,784
- Median Sales Price February, 2009: $312,450
- Sold in February, 2009: 10
The Average Sales price is down 16.2% compared to February, 09 and down 12.9% compared to last month – January, 2010.
The Median Sales prices is down 23.5% compared to February, 09 and down 12.8% compared to last month – January, 2010.
The number of sales down 1 compared to February, 09 and is up 2 units compared to last month – January, 2010.
Condo Analysis for Sudden Valley
There are currently 12 condos for sale. Condos are priced from $62,500 – $325,000
- Average List Price $180,467 Average Days on the Market: 131
- Median List Price $183,700 Median Days on the Market: 98
- Sold in February: 0
- Average Listing Price $139,500
- Average Sold Price $132,500 Average Days on Market 67
- Median Listing Price $139,500
- Median Sold Price $132,500 Median Days on Market 67
- Pending Sales Last Week: 1 Total pending sales: 1
- Sold in February, 2009: 0
The First Time Home Buyer’s Tax Credit of $8,000 available to anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the past 3 years has been extended until April 2010. The new program has also expanded the tax credit to include existing home owners who have owned a home for at least five of the last 8 years. You will be able to apply for tax credits of up to $6,500 when you purchase your next home. You might want to talk to your banker to see what you can afford. Meanwhile interest rates are still extremely low and there are some great values in the Bellingham market right now. You might want to take a look at what it would cost you to purchase one of these homes at today’s rates. You might be surprised at what your monthly payments would be, maybe less than your paying for rent right now if you are renting a comparable sized house.
If you have any questions or want to see any Bellingham Property feel free to email me at or give me a call at 360-739-6981
Highland Heights Park Renovation to begin in March
March 1, 2010 by Michael Eisenberg · Comments
Highland Heights Park on Vining Street is getting an upgrade with new playground equipment and other improvements, according to Bellingham’s Parks and Recreation Department.
The playground which was built in the early 1970’s, doesn’t comply with current safety and accessibility standards. The new equipment to be installed includes a swing, slides, climbers, a spring toy and a spinning toy as well as restriping the basketball court and adding a new picnic table, park benches, and a wheelchair-accessible path to Illinois Lane.
The Alabama Hill Neighborhood Association began the effort for renovating the park in 2007.
The neighborhood feels lucky the project is happening and didn’t get the ax due to budget restraints.
Much thanks to Brian Walker for spearheading the efforts to renovate the park.
To learn more about the project, click here.
Custom Chuckanut Home with a Stellar View
Recently, I stopped by an open house on Chuckanut Drive. It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon with clear blue skies and a cool 65 degrees. My plan had been to drive down Chuckanut to Larrabee State Park to get some pictures of the San Juan Islands across the bay. I noticed the open house and decided to drop in.
The place looked very cool from the outside, obviously a custom design intended for its hillside perch overlooking the dark blue waters of Chuckanut Bay. At the very least, I figured, I could get some great pics of the bay from the deck, which looked to be a good 60 feet higher than the road, offering unobstructed views of the water and the islands beyond.
Once inside, I was so impressed with the creative custom design and the impressive flood of natural light, and of course the view, that I thought I’d better write about it. The design does an impeccable job of maximizing the West-facing view by integrating several large windows with a large, entertainment-sized deck. The layout is open, with the kitchen and main living area flowing together nicely with the deck space wrapping around the North and Western sides of the house.
Click the thumbnails below for full-sized pictures. Click here to see the full collection.
This home sits just off of Chuckanut Drive about 5 minutes south of Bellingham’s Fairhaven neighborhood and features 2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, with a total of 2200 square feet. The 2006 design is eco-friendly, featuring abundant natural light and radiant heat under the polished concrete and bamboo flooring. Just behind the home is the Bellingham inter-urban bike and walking trail that extends connects Fairhaven to Larrabee State Park. The current list price is $779,000.
For more information on this home, or other Chuckanut or Fairaven real estate, please give me, Rob LeRoy, a call at 206.883.6668, or e-mail me at rob.leroy@exprealty.com.
Also, please take a look at my website, www.TheRealEstateNovelist.com, or find me on Facebook!
The Winding Wonder of Chuckanut Drive
Chuckanut Drive is, hands down, my favorite place to drive in the World. Admittedly, I haven’t had the chance to take the James Bond chase-scene route into Monte Carlo, but I’m pretty sure it would only be a close second.
Chuckanut Drive
Chuckanut Drive’s winding roadway hugs the hills between Bellingham’s Fairhaven neighborhood South to the wide valley North of Mt. Vernon. Regardless of the weather, the 30+ minute drive shows off the absolute best of Northwest Washington’s geographical character, including incomparable views of Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands, and a peak at Mt. Baker at the Southern end.
Of course, words fail to capture the wondrous majesty of this truly unique highway. So, I took some pictures. This past week, in spite of the fact that the Winter Olympics have been happening right up the road, has been unbelievably beautiful. With clear blue skies and temperatures in the mid 60’s, conditions were set to get some truly fabulous pictures.
Click on the thumbnails below to see full-size pictures. You can also click here to see the complete collection of pictures I took.
The pictures are in order from South to North, between Mt. Vernon and Bellingham.
Thanks for reading!
For more information on Chuckanut Drive or Chuckanut Drive real estate, please e-mail Rob LeRoy at rob.leroy@exprealty.com, or call me directly at 206.883.6668.
Sudden Valley Real Estate Market – January 2010
February 19, 2010 by Michael Eisenberg · Comments
The following is a quick analysis of the Sudden Valley Real Estate Market.
There are currently 96 homes for sale. Homes are priced from $109,900 – $789,000
- Average Asking Price is $293,932 Average Days on Market is 114
- Median Asking Price is $269,900 Median Days on Market is 81
- Sold in January: 7
- Average Listing Price $300,243
- Average Sold Price $288,914 Average Days on Market 47
- Median Listing Price $279,000
- Median Sold Price $274,000 Median Days on Market 35
- Pending Sales Last Week: 6 Total pending sales: 29
- Average Sales Price January, 2009: $293,784
- Median Sales Price January, 2009: $312,450
- Sold in January, 2009: 10
The Average Sales price is down 1.7% compared to January, 09 and up 27.7% compared to December 09.
The Median Sales prices is down 12.3% compared to January, 09 and up 21.3% compared to December 09.
The number of sales down 3 compared to January, 09 and is down 7 unit compared to December 09.
Condo Analysis for Sudden Valley
There are currently 11 condos for sale. Condos are priced from $69,900 – $298,000
- Average List Price $159,364 Average Days on the Market: 131
- Median List Price $164,900 Median Days on the Market: 98
- Sold in January: 1
- Average Listing Price $139,500
- Average Sold Price $132,500 Average Days on Market 67
- Median Listing Price $139,500
- Median Sold Price $132,500 Median Days on Market 67
- Pending Sales Last Week: 1 Total pending sales: 1
- Sold in January 2009: 0
The First Time Home Buyer’s Tax Credit of $8,000 available to anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the past 3 years has been extended until April 2010. The new program has also expanded the tax credit to include existing home owners who have owned a home for at least five of the last 8 years. You will be able to apply for tax credits of up to $6,500 when you purchase your next home. You might want to talk to your banker to see what you can afford. Meanwhile interest rates are still extremely low and there are some great values in the Bellingham market right now. You might want to take a look at what it would cost you to purchase one of these homes at today’s rates. You might be surprised at what your monthly payments would be, maybe less than your paying for rent right now if you are renting a comparable sized house.
If you have any questions or want to see any Bellingham Property feel free to email me at or give me a call at 360-739-6981
