Janet Burchfield, Front Street Realty
Live the Island Dream...
Janet Burchfield, Broker/Owner :: Phone: 360-678-6100 :: Cell: 206-387-1924 :: Email: frontstreetjb@aol.com
Come sit a while with Island friends!
Posted on May 16, 2010
Post a Comment : Author: Janet Burchfield
Whidbey Island Real Estate News
Posted on April 27, 2010
Mark your calendars for some great upcoming Whidbey Island events... a great time to enjoy a slice of Island life while looking at some of our beautiful properties currently on the market. Some of my favorites follow:
Mother's Day concert, May 9th, at Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens between Greenbank and Freeland. Last year my daughter packed a picnic, and we stopped at Greenbank Pie Cafe for some of their fabulous strawberry-rhubarb pie to share, and enjoyed an afternoon of strolling among gorgeous blooms and listening to a harp concert. Check out www.meerkerkgardens.org for more info. If you love rhodies and woodland walks, this is a don't miss way to treat Mom to a beautiful day.
Penn Cove Water Festival, May 22nd, Coupeville Historic Waterfront District at Front Street. Watch tribal canoe races from the Wharf and the many great eateries along Front Street. (The railing outside of my office where the boardwalk wraps around is prime viewing...so come join me!) Arts & Crafts, dance and crafts, storytelling and children's art projects at the Historical Museum. Go to www.penncovewaterfestival.org to learn more.
May 29th, Coupeville's Memorial Day parade, charmingly small-town and refreshingly honoring both veterans and community groups. I loved the tractors, bassett hound club, dog agility group, 4H riders, pony cart, bagpipes and school bands...as well as classic cars with waving veterans. Go to the chamber site, www.centralwhidbeychamber.com for more events, too!
June 12th, Old Time Radio broadcast show, to be performed at Fort Casey and broadcast on Whidbey Island's own Community Radio Station, KWPA in 2 performances. More info on that to come!
June 26th & 27th, Wharf Fest, at the Coupeville Wharf. Pirates, classic boats, model ships at the museum, food and fun for the whole family. Check out www.coupevillehistoricwaterfront.com to learn more.
That should get you started! Oh, too, Whale Watchers were delighted with their trips aboard the Victoria Clipper that shuttled between Seattle and the Coupeville Wharf via Saratoga passage. Gray Whales and Orcas were seen by daytrippers, and all seemed to enjoy their shore leave in Coupeville. Next year you'll have to work that in, too.
In the real estate world, folks interested in the tax credit have been busily looking, writing contracts and getting inspections. The stimulus effect intended may not have been quite as large as policy makers had hoped, but it still has been felt on Whidbey Island, as elsewhere in the nation.
Lots of choices, great rates, and an Island lifestyle that remains enchanting. Come live the Island Dream...
Post a Comment : Author: Janet Burchfield
Whidbey Island Real Estate News
Posted on April 26, 2010
Whew! Lots has been going on in the local real estate market over the past month, as interest rates started to fluctuate a bit, apparently on the rise, and the tax credit for new or move-up or down-sizing buyers is due to end. More homes have gone into pending status, and the sales have heartened sellers, agents and lenders along with buyers who have snapped up some good buys. Lots of bank-owned and distressed properties have drawn interest, mid-range properties have started to move off market once again, and even a few luxury homes have started to receive attention. With today's rates at 4.875%, prices attractive and the number of homes on the market high, prospective Whidbey Island homebuyers are being treated to a "buyer's market" that shows little sign of flagging. Best buys I saw were in early spring last year, before our main influx of buyers from out of the area increased demand. At an open houses two weeks ago, I was amazed by the qualified and earnest buyers searching for just the perfect place here. Some retirees, yes, but also working couples, families, singles... all in love with Whidbey Island, all loving the scenic beauty and small town charm of Coupeville and other communities.
Post a Comment : Author: Janet Burchfield
Spring on Whidbey Island
Posted on April 26, 2010
What lovely days we've been blessed with over the past weeks. Cherry & apple trees are in blossom, the grass is vibrant green, and the beginnings of new crops have sent forth chartreuse-tinged shoots. Looking out from this classic farmhouse, built in 1995, the contrast of chocolate brown earth with spring green is stunning. This is the kind of porch that just makes one want to "sit a spell", perhaps rocking in a sturdy family heirloom. Lilacs scent the air. The sky is best blue, but even in a spring shower the view here is fine. I've been enjoying having open houses at this lovely Field View Lane home in Coupeville. It's been fun to watch folks wander the 5 acres, make friends with the horse, marvel at the sheep and a few curious steer. What a great place to call home! Island life at its best...
Post a Comment : Author: Janet Burchfield
Mussel Fest 2010
Posted on March 10, 2010
Oh my! Another fantastic Coupeville Mussel Festival...
Rumor has it that David Day, local paella master and chef, cooked up nearly 400 pounds of the rightfully famous Penn Cove mussels over the past weekend, using his special huge outdoor paella pan. Mussels were everywhere, from a mussel eating contest at the Rec Hall to 11 local restaurants competing for the mussel chowder contest's top prize.
So many people ventured to Front Street and the surrounding historic waterfront district, and seemed to be completely enjoying themselves, according to all accounts. Kapaw's ice cream sold all the waffle cones they had made for the weekend the 1st day, and had to cajole a kind friend into making cones most of the day Sunday. William Bell at Local Grown, the great little coffee shop out on the Wharf, said he was inundated with folks needing mexican lattes, mochas and his great baked goods. Mosquito Fleet apparently needed a vacation after their busy weekend, but will be back for St. Paddy's day, promising to have something decidedly non-mussel-y on the menu.
The weather was warm and sunny Saturday, a bit cooler and cloudy on Sunday, but the Mystic Sea and John Stone's sailing tours of the mussel rafts seemed to be drawing boatloads.
Love how local merchants and community builders team up to make a festival like this absolutely superb.
Make a note to be a "local" at the Friday Mussel Mingle at the Rec Hall next year! Where else can you enjoy friends, mussels, great libations, lively music and brats in a laid back setting? Or kick up your heels at the Saturday Dance in the big tent. Or heck, just do both!
Penn Cove's beaches are blanketed here and there with carpets of lovely black mussels, but the ones that Penn Cove Shellfish grow on long strands hanging from rafts are, well, simply the best. You can enjoy them at most all our local restaurants throughout the year, whether garlic, wine & cream or marinara-bathed at Christopher's, classically prepared with the Oystercatcher's subtle twist, green curry & coconut milk-infused at Cove Thai, jazzed up with cilantro pesto or another inventive preparation at the Ship of Fools at Captain Whidbey Inn, or even simply steamed up with herbs, wine & garlic and hoisted on the tables at Toby's Tavern, you'll have no trouble finding the blue-black bivalves here. Trouble is deciding on a favorite! Tree Top baking company even baked up some amazing "mussel" cut-out cookies for Beth to sell at bayleaf, and Angela from Mariti Chocolates whipped up some of her chocolate mussel "shells".
Thanks to all the wonderful sponsors, organizers and volunteers who made this year another great one for Mussel Fest! Don't forget to get your new and "vintage" Mussel Fest t-shirts from Windjammer Gallery, my neighbors on Front Street.
Come visit soon!
Janet
Post a Comment : Author: Janet Burchfield
Whidbey Island Real Estate - Is Now The Time To Buy?
Posted on January 30, 2010
Great homes, lots of them, at very, very good prices.
Interest rates that are compelling.
A location that many creative and fascinating people dream of one day living.
Bank-owned bargains peppering the mix.
So, to buy now or wait?
For those who have counted down the years to retirement, and now are in a position to live their dream of Island life on Whidbey, the fall in local real estate prices for the choice mid- and upper-end homes they seek has helped to soften the hit many investment portfolios have take over the past few years.
Savvy and still-youthful seniors have made my work a joy. Knowing good value when they see it, and delighted that the bubble that spiked prices upward in '05 & '06 burst along with the national housing trends, retiring singles and couples are picking up view homes, small hobby farms, custom built estates and choice parcels of view property at at least 25% markdowns. Some have snapped up places for even less than that, but all seem to be very happy with their new homes.
Economists have long noted that those who wait for the bottom of the market rarely achieve their goal, as they typically can't react quickly enough, especially in imperfect markets, where there are so many variables, like real estate. Naturally, no one wants to make an imprudent investment, but unlike shares of coffee or steel companies, homes offer use and enjoyment. I've been thankful that my clients have a longer term perspective, and while wanting to make their best buy, don't want to wait to enjoy Whidbey's beaches, trails, community life and small town pleasures.
So, come visit and take a look around. Give me a call and I'm always happy to educate you about our different communities, amazingly varied landscapes and why I am happy every day that I live on this spectacular Island.
Maybe you'll even become a friend and neighbor!
Interest rates that are compelling.
A location that many creative and fascinating people dream of one day living.
Bank-owned bargains peppering the mix.
So, to buy now or wait?
For those who have counted down the years to retirement, and now are in a position to live their dream of Island life on Whidbey, the fall in local real estate prices for the choice mid- and upper-end homes they seek has helped to soften the hit many investment portfolios have take over the past few years.
Savvy and still-youthful seniors have made my work a joy. Knowing good value when they see it, and delighted that the bubble that spiked prices upward in '05 & '06 burst along with the national housing trends, retiring singles and couples are picking up view homes, small hobby farms, custom built estates and choice parcels of view property at at least 25% markdowns. Some have snapped up places for even less than that, but all seem to be very happy with their new homes.
Economists have long noted that those who wait for the bottom of the market rarely achieve their goal, as they typically can't react quickly enough, especially in imperfect markets, where there are so many variables, like real estate. Naturally, no one wants to make an imprudent investment, but unlike shares of coffee or steel companies, homes offer use and enjoyment. I've been thankful that my clients have a longer term perspective, and while wanting to make their best buy, don't want to wait to enjoy Whidbey's beaches, trails, community life and small town pleasures.
So, come visit and take a look around. Give me a call and I'm always happy to educate you about our different communities, amazingly varied landscapes and why I am happy every day that I live on this spectacular Island.
Maybe you'll even become a friend and neighbor!
Post a Comment : Author: Janet Burchfield
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