Lifestyle

Articles, Lifestyle, Maintenance

Putting your home into “Vacation Mode”

We made it past July 5th and summer is in full swing here in the Pacific Northwest! For many of us, this is the time when we not only get out of the house, but get out of the town where we live to enjoy a summer vacation. While I am a big proponent of […]
Articles, Lifestyle, San Juan Islands

Fourth of July weekend on Orcas Island – Wow what a show!

Orcas may not be a big island, but it sure celebrates like one. Although July 4th falls on a Tuesday this year, this island will be rocking all weekend long leading up to the big day. Whether you are into shopping, eating, or just enjoying the festivities, there is plenty to keep everyone busy. Here’s […]
Articles, Lifestyle, San Juan Islands

Island Support – GiveOrcas Month

It’s GiveOrcas month here on the island and everyone is feeling the love. Locals skip through the streets of Eastsound hugging, laughing, and catching up on the latest gossip. Okay, so maybe it’s not quite as cheesy as one of those quaint villages from your childhood storybooks; life is not all sunshine and rainbows after […]
Articles, Lifestyle

Windermere Foundation Raises $2,246,829 in 2016

The Windermere Foundation had another banner year in 2016, thanks to the continued support of Windermere franchise owners, agents, staff, and the community. Over $2.2 million was raised in 2016, which is an increase of seven percent over the previous year. This brings our total to over $33 million raised since the start of […]

Articles Putting your home into “Vacation Mode” We made it past July 5th and summer is in full swing here in the Pacific Northwest! For many of us, this is the time when we not only get out of the house, but get out of the town where we live to enjoy a summer vacation. While I am a big proponent of […]

Articles Fourth of July weekend on Orcas Island – Wow what a show! Orcas may not be a big island, but it sure celebrates like one. Although July 4th falls on a Tuesday this year, this island will be rocking all weekend long leading up to the big day. Whether you are into shopping, eating, or just enjoying the festivities, there is plenty to keep everyone busy. Here’s […]

Articles Island Support – GiveOrcas Month It’s GiveOrcas month here on the island and everyone is feeling the love. Locals skip through the streets of Eastsound hugging, laughing, and catching up on the latest gossip. Okay, so maybe it’s not quite as cheesy as one of those quaint villages from your childhood storybooks; life is not all sunshine and rainbows after […]

Articles Windermere Foundation Raises $2,246,829 in 2016 The Windermere Foundation had another banner year in 2016, thanks to the continued support of Windermere franchise owners, agents, staff, and the community. Over $2.2 million was raised in 2016, which is an increase of seven percent over the previous year. This brings our total to over $33 million raised since the start of […]

Articles How the Neighborhood Impacts a Home’s Value Whether you’re buying or selling, accurately pricing a home requires professional assistance from someone who knows the neighborhood. The “estimated” home prices you see posted online can be off by tens of thousands of dollars—not because they are dishonest, but because the computer programs generating these guesstimates don’t take into account the current condition of […]

Articles Investing in Rental Property: The Risks, Rewards, and Benefits of Owning Rental Property One area of the real estate market that is thriving right now is rental property. All indications suggest that the rental market will continue to improve because of low vacancy rates and rising rents. In fact, the demand for rentals is predicted to far exceed supply through 2016, with 4.5 million new renters expected […]

Articles Planning for the Future: Housing Options to Consider It should come as no surprise that 75% of the senior citizens polled in the latest AARP Preferences survey strongly agreed with the statement, “What I’d like to do is stay in my current residence as long as possible.” After all, home is where the heart is; and the longer you live in a place, […]

Articles Childproofing: Protect Your Family and Your Home from Potential Hazards Posted October 10 2016, 3:30 PM PDT in Living by Shelley Rossi When you think of your home, it likely conjures up feelings of safety, shelter, and comfort. However, accidental injuries in the home are one of the leading causes of harm to children 14 and younger. By taking certain precautions, many of these accidents can […]

Buying How to Finance a Vacation Home That’s Also a Short-Term Rental This was posted in the Wall Street Journal: Renting out a second home is one way to pay off the mortgage while leaving time for family fun By Anya Martin The rise of short-stay rental sites like Airbnb and HomeAway is tempting homeowners to purchase vacation homes that will also generate income. For some, […]

Lifestyle Top 30 island escapes Orcas Island, WA The long summer weekend was invented in Washington’s San Juan Islands, or should have been. Summer stretches languorously here, with 16 hours of daylight— enough time to savor orcas and eagles, kayaking and hiking, and a wonderful food scene. Orcas is the island of superlatives. It’s the biggest of all the San […]

Lifestyle Why Washington's Orcas Island Should Be Your Next Family Getaway This was just posted to the Conde Nast Traveler website Written by Rebecca Misner August 02, 2016 On remote Orcas, off the coast of Washington State, the summer is short, the days are long, and the empty beaches, gin-blue lakes, and dense forest trails add up to the castaway vacation you’ve been dying to take. […]

Lifestyle Living on the Water is a Lifestyle Posted June 8 2016, 3:00 PM PDT by Kelly Weisfield subscribe to post Email-icon Buying Waterfront Properties – What You Should Know Before You Take the Plunge Posted in Luxury Homes, Premier Event , Selling, Buying, and Living by Kelly Weisfield Living on the Water Is a Lifestyle Enjoying direct and private access to the […]

Housing Market King County Had Almost Half of 2015’s 30 Most Competitive Neighborhoods in America We probably don’t need to tell you that 2015 was a crazy year in real estate, especially in our city. Bidding wars and listings lasting mere days on the market is something we’ve all grown accustomed to. But it turns out we’re not alone. Redfin recently came out with a list of the 30 most competitive […]

Lifestyle 15 Islands You Need in Your Life: No Passport Required CHECK OUT #11! By Kelly Hickey Deal Expert, Chicago posted on December 21, 2015 on travelzoo.com Stunning, shimmering sunsets across the water, the peaceful lullaby of waves crashing and the wind blowing, the feeling of truly being removed for your everyday life … yep, islands are pretty much the best. While it’s wonderful to get […]

Lifestyle Just Hanging Out This was taken by Diane from her home on Buck Mountain.

Lifestyle Sun in the Madronas taken by diane whitley

Lifestyle View from the Orcas Island Ferry This was taken by Deborah Hansen, a broker in our Windermere Real EState/Orcas Island office.

Lifestyle Providing Food for the Holidays and the Rest of the Year. It’s that time of year again when many of our Windermere offices are out in their communities helping to collect donations and raise money for their local area food banks. Many people rely on the food they get from food banks to feed their families. Not having the luxury to purchase their own food means […]

Lifestyle Dog Friendly Vacations Did you know that according to Sunset magazine. Orcas Island is the number 1 dog friendly vacation spot on the west coast? Yeppers, it’s true! http://www.sunset.com/travel/dog-friendly-vacations Top 22 dog-friendly vacations You can take your best pal with you on these getaways around the West Dog-friendly trips: Turtleback Mountain Preserve Photo by John Clark; written by […]

Lifestyle Halloween on Orcas Island One of the many reasons I love living on Orcas Island is Halloween. All the merchants in town decorate then pass out candy to all the little and big monsters! Fire pits are set up, hot apple cider is passed out, pumpkin carving and of course Trick or Treaters are everywhere. The costumes are inventive […]