I had a inspection yesterday for a client and was checking the heating system and ducts, the home owner was there and i had asked when was the last time the unit was serviced after not seeing any evidence of prior servicing dates on the exterior of unit. His  response was " we have never had a problem and i dont believe it has been serviced" as it turned out the filters where so clogged with debris that they caved in to the pressure of the intake making the unit work "overtime" trying get enough combustion air to  heat the home.  Just a reminder to not forget about changing filters in your furnace regularly ( i do mine every three months to maximize air flow and not restrict my system) and its just good money spent to keep clean air throghout your home. 10/20/2007

  I just wanted to say how many houses I see daily in whatcom county and sudden valley area that have moss growing on the roof and siding ! Moss does thousands of dollars in damage to homes and is quite easy for the average joe to maintain. Just on my block  90 % need treatment before major damage will occur.  Dont let this eat away and rot your or your friends home. thanks. 10/20/2007

Bellingham Golf CoursesBellingham Washington offers some of the best golf courses in Washington State. For my money, Lake Padden is my favorite golf course because it is fairly priced and offers a nice round of golf. Bellingham Golf & Country Club Located at 3729 Meridian St, Bellingham, WA 98225 The Bellingham Golf and Country Club is a private golf course loacted at the north end of Bellingham off Meridian St. The Bellingham Golf and Country Club offers 18 holes with 6,473 yards of play. The Bellingham Golf and Country Club does have a driving range.Lake Padden Golf Course Located at 4882 Samish Way, Bellingham, WA 98229The Lake Padden Golf Course is a public golf course that is owned by the City of Bellingham. The Lake Padden Golf Course is located on the south end of Bellingham off ... 10/19/2007

Sudden Valley Real Estate - Sudden Valley, WAAre you looking for real estate in Sudden Valley? Do you know where Sudden Valley is? Why is Sudden Valley real estate one of the best investments in Whatcom County right now? Keep reading to find everything that you need to know about purchasing real estate in Sudden Valley. Sudden Valley is located 8 miles from downtown Bellingham and only 4 miles from Bellingham's city limits. Nestled on the southern shores of Lake Whatcom, Sudden Valley encompasses roughly 1,500 acres. Although Sudden Valley is not a gated community, Sudden Valley is organized by different "gates". Gates 1 & 2 are located at Lake Whatcom's edge. Gate 3, 9 and 13 are located in the hilly middle. While Gate 5 is located on top and can feature some stunning views of Lake Wha... 10/18/2007

Here are the numbers for the first half of the year compared to last year for Sudden Valley Resedential Real Estate .They had a 2.8% increase in average sales price and a very slight decreas if you look at the median price.The number  of homes sold decreased by 30 and they have been sitting on the market quite a bit longer than last year.These statistics are from the NWMLS.If you would like any more information about Real Estate or Real Estate statistics visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com   10/18/2007

Sanitary Service Co. of Bellingham, has begun a six-month pilot program started in September. of curbside recycling for electronics. Any old, broken or unused electronics, including cell phones, DVD players and stereos, can be left at the curb for recycling once a week as part of this innovative program. "If it has a plug and a circuit board, we'll take it," said Rodd Pemble, SSC recycling manager.There will be a fee for the service. The cost of recycling the electronics reflects two things, labor and processing, which is more time-consuming and difficult than typical recycling of cans or paper.The cost depends mainly on the type, but other factors, such as location of pick-up, can affect the price, too.FEES:$6 per item: Calculators, fax machines, laptops, computers, CD/DVD/VCR players ... 10/18/2007

 If you're up in the market via new home, you probably look at more than one. Houses come in all prices and sizes, shapes and conditions. But what makes a house home.The house that makes me feel at home and I'm sure most of you, is the one where your family is, when I was single it was where I felt most comfortable, a place I wanted to be with friends or alone. A place to cook dinner, much TV, makes movies, right blogs, or whatever else you to that makes you feel comfortable, that will be the place that you call home.When your time comes to look at houses, you may see one and know it is your home, or you may see many with different floor plans, yards, in different neighborhoods, but when you walk into the right one you will know that this is the one that you want to call home.When it's ... 10/13/2007

Accessible Homes in Bellingham especially in the lower price ranges seem to be few and far between.  Why aren't more new homes built for universal accessibility?  It seems that as our population ages more and more people will be looking for these types of homes.  Ramblers as we call them will become more popular as baby boomers age and want one level living.  There are new developments in and around Whatcom County  that are one level but not handicapped accessible.  I know it's the added cost, and the room it takes but someone needs to think about people who are disabled and helping to fill their needs. What is it like  in your town? 10/13/2007

Green Building Conference and Tradeshow 2007, will take place at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal in Fairhaven next week.October 17 from 4-8 pm is a FREE Homeowners Workshop. Learn about Green Building, the use of sustainable products and designs, how to incorporate green building and landscaping into your home. Stop by and meet some local Green builders and remodelers.October 18  from 8am-5pm is the Professional Conference with workshops including Living Roofs, Energy Star presentations and more.For a full look at the event and Schedule check out the BIA Website. 10/12/2007

The Whatcom County Centennial Story Totem Pole, which once stood outside the Whatcom County Jail will soon be available for public viewings again. Local carvers have spent close to 2 years restoring the pole.The pole which was first created in 1952 by Lummi tribe members Joseph Hillaire and Herb John, was carved  to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Russell Peabody and Henry Roeder, the first white settlers on Bellingham Bay. The pole will be transferred to a new location in front of the Whatcom County Courthouse, along with an interpretive panel documenting the story it tells very soon. The two-sided 22-foot-tall, carving depicts Peabody and Russel accompanied by the Lummi Nation tribal leaders who escorted them: Ts-likw and his brother, Chow-itsut. The group is shown... 10/12/2007

Fairhaven CondosSince 2003 the Fairhaven condos have doubled in volume. There are currently around one thousand condominiums in Fairhaven. The newest condominiums being built are by far the nicest. Located just near Boulevard Park are the Park Place Residences. At $1,700,000 they are truly spectacular. The Park Place Residence condominiums feature 35' ceilings of steel and glass construction. Other newer Fairhaven condos are Harris Square. Harris Square is located on the corner of Harris and 10th Street, which is an ideal location for someone looking to live without the use of a car. Harris Square condominiums are currently being offered around $350/sq.ft. - $400/sq.ft.Other recently built condos in Fairhaven in The Waldron Building, The Young Building, Fairhaven Garden's Building, Tent... 10/09/2007

Bellingham Waterfront HomesBellingham's waterfront extends from Chuckanut Drive to Marine Drive located on the north eastern coast of Bellingham, WA. Waterfront homes located along Chuckanut Drive start in the $500,000 and range up to around $4,000,000. The homes on the waterfront along Chuckanut Drive feature high banks near the street, to isolated cliffs to no bank beaches in coves. In fact, many of the high bank homes have access to the 5 local beaches along Chuckanut Drive. Just near the Whatcom and Skagit Count border, you will find Larrabee State Park, which has waterfront access for the entire public to enjoy. Moving north, but still at the south end of Bellingham, there are more waterfront homes featured in the Edgemoor Neighborhood of Bellingham. In the Edgemoor Neighborhood of... 10/09/2007

The numbers are in! Here is the graph for the third quarter sales statistics for Bellingham.Unlike most of the country we have seen a rise in sales price here in Bellingham 2.8% so far this year if you look at average, or 3.3% if you are looking at the median price increase, We have had 50 less sales this year, with a longer number of days on the market. The market has slowed way down in number of sales as in the 2nd quarter we were up by 25 sales.If you would like any more information about Real Estate or Real Estate statistics visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com 10/05/2007

Real Estate Market Report/Conditions for Bellingham, WA for Septeember 5, 2007The following is a quick analysis of the Residential Bellingham real estate market by Michael Eisenberg of Fairhaven Realty.Currently Active Listings: 690  Average List Price $478,615    Days on the Market:  102Sold in September: 90  Average Sales Price: $391,516Average List Price: $404,862Ratio of List to Price: 96.7% Average Days on the Market: 95 Median Sales Price: $326,500Median ListPrice: $339,450Ratio of List to Price: 96.2% Pending Sales Last Week: 10  Condo Analysis for BellinghamCurrently Active Listings: 356 Average List Price $251,051   Days on the Market:  220Sold in September: 49Average Sales Price: $241,284Average List Price: $241,246Ratio of List to Price: 100% Average Days on the Market: 178 M... 10/04/2007

Things are looking good in the Bellingham Market. This is a really good improvement over last month as you can see both average and mean values have gone up.The average price inrease 8.7% over last month, the median price rose 5% over last month.The number of sales is down compared to last month, and days on market is also up a bit, so we have a slower market time but increasing vaues. If you would like any more information about Real Estate or Real Estate statistics visit my website at BellinghamProperty.com   10/04/2007

It looks like the city of Bellingham is trying to become more pedestrian friendly. In order to make Bellingham a "livelier place" a city project will be widening part of Champion Street. Pedestrians will win out over cars in this project as 4 metered parking spaces will be lost, and 9 foot sidewalk will be replaced with a 17th foot wide sidewalk, and seven feet of that will be used by some of the existing businesses there for tables and chairs.Pedestrians as well as the Mt Bakery and the Temple Bar will be the beneficiaries City leaders are also considering a project at the intersection of Holly and Bay streets as another attempt to that the city's promoting "public spaces." A new pedestrian plaza near the present vicinity of the Paris Texas clothing store and Bayou on the Bay restauran... 10/01/2007

Have you ever wanted to remodel a room or perhaps a whole house? Here are two major principles to consider.Physical deterioration:  Can it be repaired/replaced economically?   Will the cost to cure the defect result in an equal or greater increase in overall property value?Functional Obsolescence can be the result of a deficiency, the presence of a feature that should be replaced or modernized or the presence of a feature that is super-adequate for the structure's intended purpose.  If the cost to cure the defect results in an equal or greater increase in overall property value  than it is considered to be curable functional obsolescence.Here is a link to an excellent PDF put out by the appraisal institute about remodeling. http://www.appraisalinstitute.org/resources/downloads/brochures... 09/28/2007

Have you ever wondered what the heck a residential appraiser is doing as he/she is tromping through your house or listing during the appraisal appointment?  Well the process can be demystified thanks to a publication put out by the Appraisal institute. This is good information for your clients as well as for your own knowledge as a homeowner.Here is a link to the PDF:  http://www.appraisalinstitute.org/resources/downloads/brochures/Understand_Appraisal.pdf 09/28/2007

Good news.......On September 18th, the House passed the Expanding Homeownership Act of 2007, H.R. 1852. This bill will revitalize the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which was established to provide a reliable source of affordable mortgage loans for first-time homebuyers.  The bill will enable the Federal Housing administration to serve more subprime borrowers at affordable rates and terms, to attract borrowers that have turned to predatory loans in recent years, and to offer refinancing to homeowners struggling to meet their mortgage payments in the midst of the current turbulent mortgage markets.This is exciting news for all of us in the Real Estate Field!  Time for everyone to brush up on their FHA facts! 09/28/2007

A Seattle consultant has been hired to study the environmental impacts of a proposed 739-unit housing development on Chuckanut Ridge. They will provide information  to the city to determine what it will require of developers. The decision is being criticised by a group opposed to the Fairhaven Highlands project. Responsible Development says the Fairhaven Highlands project would harm an important and sensitive wetland habitat on Chuckanut Ridge. Developers Horizon Bank and David Edelstein will pay $50,000 for the consultant to create the environmental impact statement and up to $25,000 to reimburse a city planner's time in managing the project..The consultant ESA Adolfson estimated 489 hours would be needed to develop the environmental impact statement.  The next closest estimated 979 ho... 09/28/2007