You may have heard of The Kiplinger Letter.  We have been receiving and reading it every week for years now and have found it to be fairly good at forecasting economic trends.  We would like to share a few of their recent comments regarding changes over the next 10 to 25 years.

The labor supply will become much tighter, productivity will rise more slowly, inflation and wage hikes will be higher.  Baby boomers will be retiring and a lower percentage of women will work outside the home.

The Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area will see growth of more than 1 million jobs by 2030 (and we think the traffic is bad down there now)!

Most of the new jobs will be in services, with the fastest growth area being health care.  Maybe this has something to do with the aging of those baby boomers.

The global economy will further develop; more workers here will be competing with workers elsewhere in the world.  Kiplinger says, “Time and space are shrinking.”  Those involved with goods and services flowing in or out of the country will benefit. 

Social Security and Medicare will be rescued but there will be changes - perhaps an increase in the eligibility age for new workers.

So what does all this mean for us here in Bellingham?  My guess is that we will see continued growth pressures.  Our quality of life will continue to attract the retiree, the service provider who can work from anywhere as long as he has a computer, the family who wants to raise children out of a city, the small manufacturer who wants ready access to the Asian or Canadian markets (or vice versa).  At that means continued conflict among ourselves over how that growth will be handled.

So find your spot and hold on – there could be wild times ahead.  If you would like some help in planning your real estate investments in this changing climate, give us a call.�

Two years may not seem like long, but in real estate they can make a huge difference! Two years is the length of time that you must live in your house before you can sell it without capital gains tax (up to a limit). Two years is enough time to renovate and enjoy. Two years can see your new landscaping flourish into beauty.

And two years can mean a different market.

Here is an article I wrote in June 2003.

The market has changed so dramatically just since the first of the year, and it is causing aches to both the heads and hearts of many people.

We are constantly hearing stories about people who are qualified and want to buy a house but have written 2, 5, 7 offers and been “beaten out” every time by someone who was faster, richer, more confident, more foolhardy.  We are seeing sellers get up to 10% above asking price in a matter of days after listing.  We are seeing buyers become frustrated and angry because sellers are refusing to negotiate and buyers have to make decisions NOW – there is no time to think.  We are also seeing frustrated sellers whose property is still sitting on the market far beyond the average market time for a year ago because their pricing is simply too high for their particular part of the market.  So… yes, the market is hot, but the stress level is higher and it isn’t quite as much fun as it used to be for many of the participants.

Is our market still good? Absolutely!!! But thankfully for everyone involved, it’s not AS rushed as it was. Buyers actually have a moment to look at a house and think about it now which is good.

Last night I attended my nephew’s high school graduation.  He was the only student I knew when I arrived, but by the time the ceremony was over I felt like I knew the entire class.

It was a relatively small class – about 125 – and the program went through the typical steps of addresses from the principal, superintendent and several students together with some musical selections.  All were well done and quite brief.  Then came the presentation of the diplomas, and this is what set this graduation ceremony apart from any other I have attended.  As each graduate’s name was called, he or she stepped to the front of the stage.  The presenter then read a short statement – not more than 2 or 3 sentences – which had obviously been given to them by the graduate.  Most of them mentioned their immediate plans, many talked of long-term hopes and dreams or gave thanks to people important to them.  It was wonderful because even I, who had never met any of them, had a brief moment to get a sense of who the young person on that stage was.  They ranged from shy to brash, and I was engrossed.

Just this morning I came across another article bemoaning, in this instance, the disrespectful attitude of today’s youth, and I am not so naïve as to think that there aren’t some kids around with some serious problems.  But in listening to the words of those graduates on that stage last night I was listening to the future of this country, and I have every confidence that we are going to be okay.

If you are looking for real estate professionals who see the positives and are working to make your future better, call. We think you will be glad you did.

Team Talk
The month of May has kept us all on our toes, with new things going on in the office by the minute. Whether it be new photos of our listings with their beautifully blooming yards to process, or new clients to introduce to Whatcom County, we have all been busy.  The response to our moving truck has been great, and we have all have fielded calls from family and friends telling us they saw us cruising around town.

Mike’s golf season is now in full swing (no pun intended), and with Men’s League  and the various local golf tournaments, Mike is sure to stay busy both in and out of the office. Of course, if the golf course doesn’t call his name we are sure that the fish in Bellingham Bay will.  So, needless to say Mike is having a great month and getting to enjoy so much earned recreation time.  If you are ever up for a game of golf or an early morning fishing trip, give Mike a call - we’re sure he’d like some company.

Graham has been enjoying the sunshine with outings to Boulevard Park on sunny afternoons and even a weekend trip to Seattle to visit some friends. On the days that aren’t so sunny you might be able to spot him at the local bowling alley working on his game. although from the sounds of things he doesn’t have much to work on.(Remove)  He’s found a way to get that perfect yard – his liberator is named Adolfo.
Fawn just returned from a vacation that we swear only she would enjoy -  a week spent in a racecar hauler traveling to races in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa and Tennesse.  She spent every evening at the races, late nights traveling in the semi to the next track, and her days were spent doing racecar maintenance and bass fishing.  There’s nothing like a good old redneck vacation. She got to see a lot of new sites and new things, some of which were the Waffle Houses on every corner, lightning bugs, boll weevils, chicken on a stick and the only tunnel in the state of Arkansas (they don’t have a whole lot of mountains down there)!

Kesha’s count-down to her Whistler trip is still on, and she is eagerly awaiting
her getaway.  Now it is just a matter of getting 4 girls organized enough to all be ready at the same time - sure hope there is enough room in Kesha’s car for all the luggage.  Kesha also has taken up a new job title, “Bredeson Babysitter.”  Her Thursday evenings are now spent with Lauren, Mike & Kim’s 17 month old daughter, while they enjoy their weekly ritual date night.

Rich has been practicing up his steps for the dance recital and is in the process of finding just the right costume for his “Jail House Rock” routine.  Lylene spent a weekend in Eastern Washington with her father and enjoyed some quality father/ daughter time.  There was something about this great Greek bakery that they had to drive 60 miles to visit… Now she is trying to develop her plan of attack for her yard - the only problem is just where to start.

As usual in life, there is never a dull moment with The Johnson Team.  Be sure to let us know what’s going on in your life as well or if we can help you with any real estate needs. Just give us a call at (360) 303-2734 - we’d be happy to help!

I dropped by a clients new home the other day. She answered the door with a smile on her face, although I could tell she was a bit frazzled. Inside was still a chaotic array of boxes, packing materials, and half filled book shelves. It reminded me of a few years back when we moved offices.  I looked back through my old notes and found this article I wrote during the process.

We have moved, are moving, will be moving – what a process!  I truly believe that a dentist should be required to have a root canal occasionally, a doctor should have to go through a surgery, an accountant should undergo an audit and a Realtor should be required to move – just so they have a better understanding of what their patients/clients are going through.

It is now two weeks since we left our “office home” of 12 years to move to The Muljat Group.  We worked with a very special group of people, and we miss them, but we are also thoroughly enjoying our new colleagues and have been warmly welcomed by them.  The experience is very comparable to moving to a new neighborhood because of changes in your job.

Our move is a bit different than most moves within the real estate industry however, because while we are affiliated with The Muljat Group we are actually opening a satellite office; and while we had considered a move for some time, the actual move happened quickly.  Rather than moving into an existing office space, we have had to create one. This raised some interesting situations.  We worked out of boxes, without desks or chairs, for the first week.  It took 12 days to get telephone service (thank goodness for cell phones)!  Since our permanent site is not yet ready, we are in temporary quarters for a bit.

Are we glad we moved?  Yes.  Will we be glad when the move is complete?  Yes!!  Have we gained some ideas of things that we can do to make your move easier?  Yes.

Call.  We can help.

So do we still remember what it’s like to go through moving? Absolutely yes! Good luck!