The  Open House will be held from 1pm to 3pm at 2605 Eldridge Avenue in Bellingham. This home is a must see! Located in the historical Eldridge Neighborhood and originally constructed in the early 1900′s this home has been remodeled from the studs up to feature all the modern conveniences, yet still retaining the custom touches of yesteryear.

Upon entering the home you will immediately be welcomed with stunning Bellingham Bay and San Juan Island views. You can enjoy the views while relaxing in your spacious master suite, or one of the three private decks throughout the home. There are a total of three bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathroom with a fully finished 3rd story complete with a another room that was previously used as a child’s bedroom and play area. There is even a small garage/studio separate from the home. Click below to view a complete virtual tour of the home and give yourself a taste of what you will see should you come to the Open House on Sunday.

To get to 2605 Eldridge Avenue, take the Lakeway Drive exit off of Interstate 5 and head west down Lakeway Drive/Holly St. Holly St will then turn into Eldridge Avenue. The property is on the left hand side. Mike looks forward to seeing you on Sunday!

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

Classes are canceled for all middle school students today, we will post updates for parents and students on the blog as they become available.

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

27 homes were available for sale in Bellingham’s Columbia neighborhood as of the end of July and 4 were under contract to sell.  6 homes sold during July, so there was a 5 month supply of inventory, typically classified as a stable market.  The median price of those homes which sold fell by 36% from the sales in June, to just $218,500.  This could very well be indicative of the impact of short sales, foreclosures and the $8000 tax credit for first time homebuyers on the overall market.

Below are charts showing changes in median price and inventory levels in the Columbia neighborhood over the past 18 months.

Historic active listings compared to # of homes sold in the Columbia neighborhood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Historic median price of sold and active inventory in the Columbia neighborhood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very popular area of classic homes, the Columbia neighborhood consists primarily of smaller craftsman and bungalow styled homes interspersed with some grand old ladies.  The median price can vary widely based upon the proportion of smaller to older homes which have sold over a period of time, but this is an area that has held its value better than most.

If you would like more specific information on homes in the Columbia neighborhood, don’t hesitate to contact us.  If you would  like to know how your home anywhere in Whatcom county fits into the market, request a free online estimate of value.  If your neighborhood would like a detailed presentation on real estate activity in the neighborhood, we would be happy to make arrangements to meet with you.

We track statistics throughout Whatcom County and post them to our website if you would like to dig a bit more deeply into what is going on in Whatcom County real estate.

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

Sunny day at Squalicum Beach

Last weekend, The Johnson Team and company, mobilized by key beach cleanup organizer and Johnson Team agent Mike Bredeson, spent a sunny Saturday afternoon down at Squalicum Beach in Bellingham. Mike partnered with Bellingham ReSources’ beach naturalist Doug Stark to choose the location and to get the word out The Johnson Team clients and ReSources members as well. The cleanup day also welcomed Kim Bredeson’s expert BBQing skills.

More than 30 people attended the 2 hour long event, collecting more than 300 pounds of trash along the approximately 100-yard beach. The Johnson Team was welcomed by an ambitions bunch of volunteers, many of whom were scaling blackberry bushes and digging through brush to collect trash.

More than 30 volunteers gathered to clean one of Bellingham's fave beaches.

The Johnson Team hopes to continue to organize impromptu Saturday volunteer cleanups.  The Johnson Team is committed to preserving  Whatcom County’s most precious natural resources, such as area streams and beaches like the one at Squalicum.

For more information on Johnson Team volunteer opportunities contact us at info@johnsonteamrealestate.com or call our office at (360) 527-8766.

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

Elizabeth Park in the Columbia Park Neighborhood

The Columbia Neighborhood in the City of Bellingham is almost magical. Being one of the oldest Bellingham Neighborhoods, a visitor can find housing choices that date from the late 1800′s to the current year with the majority of homes built prior to 1940. Regardless of the year built, the size or the location in the Columbia Neighborhood, its residents are all proud to call it home. Aside from the wonderful selection of homes, the Columbia Neighborhood offers its residents & visitors some of the finest parks in the City of Bellingham, including:

• Peabody Plaza
• Gibson Plaza
• Lorraine Ellis Park
• Elizabeth Park
• Carl Lobe Park

Who can pass up a Thursday evening at Elizabeth Park with a concert in the gazebo & the pleasure of a treat from the local vendors – an ice cream cone from Mallards Ice Cream is enough reason in itself to attend a Summer’s event in Elizabeth Park.

Our sons, Chandler & Graham, & I have spent many hours at Carl Lobe & Lorraine Parks. Often, it was as though the parks were our own private domain. Often times we were the only ones there other than the resident squirrels & racoons.

Columbia Elementary School in the Columbia Neighborhood

For those parents who had, have or will have children of elementary school age, the Columbia Elementary School which was originally established in 1890 is outstanding & is certainly one of the institutions that makes the Columbia Neighborhood stand out. You can access the Columbia School Performance Report by clicking here.

If you have the opportunity, the Eldridge Historical Society usually will offer a tour of “Historical Homes” over the Holidays. It’s a trip back in time that is well worth the effort. You might be able to see such classics as

• Austin House 1504 Washington Street built before 1890
• Bolster House 2820 Eldridge Avenue built in 1890
• Canfield House 2215 Williams Street built in 1892
• Keyes House 2230 Henry Street built in 1893
• Neterer House 1700 Eldridge Avenue built in 1903

The list is endless of period homes that bring us back to the very beginnings of this City.

For those of you who have interest in the current inventory of Bellingham’s Columbia Neighborhood real estate, you can access it here on the Johnson Team web site.

If you currently own a home in the Columbia Neighborhood & would like to receive an on-line report of the value of your Columbia Neighborhood real estate, you can do so by clicking here.

If you’d care to see a current market report of recent real estate activity in the Columbia Neighborhood click here. This pdf report covers all activity through 11/10/08. As you can see from the report, there are currently (as of Nov 17, 2008) 12 homes listed for sale in the Columbia Neighborhod ranging in value from $239,900 to $2,295,000, & over the last 6 months, 25 homes have sold from a low of $172,560 to a high of $525,000. Homes in the Columbia Neighborhood on average in this analysis sold within 97.8% of their list price.

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!