Hi There!

I'd like to introduce myself if I may. My name is Barbara Blowers and I am a native of Port Townsend, Washington, In 1987 I started this real estate company to serve the needs of buyers and sellers of Washington waterfront and water view properties. I continue to work doing just that.

What I hope to provide you with is some information about the various regions that I provide real estate services to for both buyers and sellers. Too often I think folks get set on looking in just one town or one area and do not give other areas a chance when they might provide exactly what they need. I decided to write a brief description about each area so you can become more informed about all the various waterfront regions available. Should you choose to work with me as your Buyer's Agent, I would be able to locate properties that are very specific to what you seek.

I am very good at what I do. My customers are always amazed at how I can find them the perfect property so easily. I know all of the waterfront and water view property available in the Puget Sound region. Whether you seek a $325,000 view home on Whidbey Island or a large waterfront home with private dock in Sequim for $1,200,000, I can find it. All I will need from you is a one or two page essay describing your ideal home.

Anyway, here are some area descriptions:

Sequim: Once a very rural community it is now home to retirees from around the world. Many homes have mountain views, there is some waterfront but not as much as you think. It is a very conservative community. Shopping available includes Wal-Mart, Safeway, Penney's, Home Depot, Staples, etc. You can find nice homes beginning at about $250,000. Few good restaurants, though that is improving. Rainfall is very low - usually around 17 inches a year compared to Seattle's 40 inches.

Port Townsend: Very liberal community. Excellent restaurants. Low rainfall like Sequim but with more wind than Sequim. Not much waterfront in town, but a lot of water view. Waterfront is often high bank with lots starting at around $250,000. Homes in town start at around $275,000 and go up quickly. Port Townsend's Victorian downtown draws lots of tourists year-round.

Port Ludlow: If you like resort living, or "subdivision living" a la California, this is the place. Top of the line golf course (with homes along its edge), marina, lovely clubhouse with pool, great views, and prices for view properties starting around $300,000. If you like living in a community like this, it is one of the nicest in Puget sound. In fact, the only real competition is Semiahmoo up in Blaine which is near Bellingham. Waterfront homes start at $750,000.

Poulsbo: Very conservative, quaint, adorable Scandinavian community. Nice affordable waterfront on Liberty Bay. Close to Bainbridge Island (11 miles to Bainbridge ferry to Seattle) and yet homes are $100,000-$200,000 less than Bainbridge. If you like the idea of going into Seattle for the theater, dining, baseball - this is a great place to live.

Bainbridge Island: It takes some money to live here, but the waterfront homes available beginning about $900,000 are usually architecturally interesting and often sited on wonderful treed lots. Many people commute to work in Seattle - they simply walk on the ferry.

Gig Harbor and the Key Peninsula: Darling little town, great marinas, a few great restaurants, popular with boaters, can often find homes with docks. Prices for waterfront start at around $650,000 - can find a few good buys here. If you go south to the Key Peninsula, waterfront can be very affordable. A lot more rain here than, say, Sequim, but if you don't mind that, it is a good place to live. My two favorite places are the little town of Home, which was founded in the 1920's as a eutopian community, and Fox Island with some wonderful waterfront homesites. Prices further down the Key Peninsula at places like Longbranch and Whiteman Cove tend to be $100,000 less than Gig Harbor.

Langley: Home to a large and growing New Age community, this little village located on Whidbey Island's south end would be a wonderful place to retire. Cozy little downtown, fabulous water and mountain views, awfully nice people and everything from a 1930's bungalow to a cedar- sided house surrounded by cedar trees on accessible waterfront. I like to show Langley because it is much less touristy than, say, Port Townsend and yet has the feel of a great getaway. I'd guess living there would be like being on a holiday all the time. It is a bit pricey, but you should be able to find water view beginning at about $325,000 - if you can find anything - never a lot for sale in this area, though if you stay a few miles out of town you're more likely to find homes.

Langley: Home to a large and growing New Age community, this little village located on Whidbey Island's south end would be a wonderful place to retire. Cozy little downtown, fabulous water and mountain views, awfully nice people and everything from a 1930's bungalow to a cedar- sided house surrounded by cedar trees on accessible waterfront. I like to show Langley because it is much less touristy than, say, Port Townsend and yet has the feel of a great getaway. I'd guess living there would be like being on a holiday all the time. It is a bit pricey, but you should be able to find water view beginning at about $325,000 - if you can find anything - never a lot for sale in this area, though if you stay a few miles out of town you're more likely to find homes.

North Whidbey: If fighter jets practicing overhead do not bother you ( I hardly hear them anymore when I am over there), there are some fabulous buys in waterfront here. From low bank small ramblers for under $450,000 to high bank stunning homes facing the Olympics beginning at $500,000 this area has great views to recommend it. Oak Harbor has most of the area shopping and middle-of-the- road dining. My favorite restaurant is a takeout Japanese shop with the best gyoza I've eaten since I lived in Sasebo, Japan in the 70's. My clients who have purchased there often walk on the ferry to Port Townsend to shop and dine - then back across the ferry to their homes with the great views. Again, you have to put up with occasional jet flights over your head from the Whidbey Naval Air Station, but I don't think it is as bad as it sounds.

Anacortes: Anacortes has become very popular. A town inhabited formerly by commercial fisherman, it is now the jumping-off point for boaters wanting to boat in the San Juans. Great view houses start at $350,000 and then go up. From Anacortes you can easily buzz across to I-5 and up to Canada for a fun weekend. This is a nice little town with a conservative bent and a lot of retired folks.

Warm Beach/Marysville: Warm Beach was once a popular beach-cabin getaway for city folks from Seattle and Everett. Water flows in over hot sand to create an area for swimming that even us old folks will find refreshing. Located about an hour or so north of Seattle, this little community of beach homes is an ideal place to just get away from the workaday world - or a great place to live 6 months out of the year and to leave behind for the warmer climes of Palm Springs or Arizona for our wet winter months. Cabins start at $400,000: lots at $250,000.

Camano Island: Just north of Warm Beach is the cutoff to Stanwood and Camano Island. No ferries, great views, reasonable prices for waterfront and water view. No shopping (just one big grocery store that is new in the last few years), so major shopping occurs in Burlington (north on I-5 about 20 minutes) or in Everett. Camano is for those who really want to go to their nests and stay. You can find waterfront homes there from $500,000.

Vashon Island: Another great place to live, Vashon Island is a mix of waterfront and small farms. The little town has everything you need to sustain you, but no big retail. A ferry takes you to West Seattle, where you can drive or bus into Seattle. Vashon can be funky and that's what makes it different from Bainbridge, where the other ferry commuters live. Waterfront homes can be found from $450,000 for a cabin.

Point Roberts and Bellingham Area: If you love the stunning views of water and would like to visit Vancouver, B.C often., then these areas will be perfect for you. Point Roberts is that point of land jutting down from Canada in the northwesterly-most corner of our country. Surrounded on three sides by water, the views are spectacular. Quiet, un-touristy, a short hop to Vancouver, it's a great spot to live. The Bellingham area has some fabulous waterfront areas, such as Birch Bay, Point White and The Resort at Semiahmoo with its famous golf course.

The Ocean: I lump Long Beach, Seaview, Westport, Grayland, Ocean Shores - Places along our Pacific Coast. If you like a lot of rain, wind, crashing waves, and deadly quiet in the winter, this is perfect for you. Prices are much lower than Puget Sound. Another great place to live from May though September. I work in this area, too, because going out here to find properties for folks is a true vacation for me. This summer I sold two condos for under $200,000 each and an oceanfront lot for $230,000.

I know I didn't cover all of the areas. Lakes were not covered - - they can be found in every area, so if you would like lakefront, I need to have you narrow it down a bit. If you want a quiet lake with no motors, tell me. If you want to water ski or jet ski, tell me. If you want one large enough to sail, tell me. I look forward to talking with you.

Barbara Blowers
1-800-346-9236