looking for "classy" island vacation home! (Seattle, Oak Harbor: fit in, real estate)

[nicolette]

Hi,
Totally new to this "forum" thing but have been reading and I now want to ask some questions....

My husband and I are in our late thirties, no kids, currently live in san diego, we are very laid back but have absolutely had it with the traffic, crowds etc...right now we are looking for a vacation home in an area that we can retire in. Not your typical "californians" who seem to always be looking for that "smoking cheap deal" etc... we are very private...love good, kind people, love great restaurants, good wine, classy. We are looking at the san juan, whidbey, camano island areas. Anyone want to give us some feedback??? Have never been there, last time we were close we visited Victoria BC and loved it but we aren't millionaires...yet

[brightcopperkettles]

All nice areas. If you don't mind island life, Langley (on Whidbey Island) would be a good choice, as would Coupeville and Freeland. I personally didn't care for Oak Harbor. The San Juans are tremendously expensive. Camano is quite nice, but I didn't like it as well as Whidbey. Just a personal preference thing, I think.

If you are going to buy a home on one of the islands, however, you should do it sooner rather than later; the prices have gone up exponentially the last few years.

[nicolette]

Thank you so much for the reply...we plan to buy in the next month. any takes on Port Townsend??

[brightcopperkettles]

Of all the places I mentioned, Port Townsend is where the "artsy" folks live. It is a lovely, lovely place with lots of great old homes and architecture. Go up to Fort Warden State Park and go out on the beach for a while. It's gorgeous. Then go downtown and have an early dinner and watch the sun set. One of my favorite places....

[nicolette]

think I made a mistake by telling real estate agents that we are from Southern California....they tell us a budget of $350K with a waterview won't get us anything. we even said we didn't care what the house looked like, we could fix it up. I've seen things on realtor.com within our price range but the realtors aren't mentioning these and it's pissing me off. Are there any honest agents that don't see dollar signs when I say "from California"?? or maybe I am being unrealistic...Just don't want to be taken advantage of. I posted a similar message on this forum somewhere but can't find it....still trying to figure out how this all works

[bmsea]

Have you considered Westport? It is a growing community, and I know there are oceanfront condos in the MLS that you could buy in your price range. There are also some single family homes that may have a water view, but I don't think you'll get oceanfront for that price (anywhere in the world).

We are not on an Island, but on a peninsula about 2-1/2 hours from Seattle (south).

This town was built on fishing, and we have a 650 slip marina that is probably 75% utilized by charter and commercial fishing. We have the most popular surfing beaches north of California. We have 18 miles of sandy beaches.

We have the whole gamut of dining choices, from greasy spoon diners (try the Inn of the Westwind or the Fogcutter) to an east coast deli (Mermaid Deli, just opened) to Sushi (Takohachi on the Marina) to American (Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill) to fine dining (Anthony's Restaurant) to family dining (Original House of Pizza or the Westport Grill). Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill was recently named in Northwest's Best Places Guide book, rated higher than many famous Seattle eateries.

This is a small community (population 2000), that is very strong. The local maritime museum operates tours at the Grays Harbor Lighthouse in town (which is Washington's tallest lighthouse) as well as operates the Maritime Museum. We have a strong VFW, Senior Center, and Kiwanis. People are generally friendly and take care of each other. There is some mistrust of "new" from the people who have been here for generations, but most of the retirees and second home owners I know have acclimated well.

Summertime there are lots of artist events, and there are two really great galleries right on the marina. Tokeland, which is about 10 miles south, is another great area to buy, and has a vibrant art community (although no dining or shopping).

Good luck!

[brightcopperkettles]

Originally Posted by bmsea

Have you considered Westport? It is a growing community, and I know there are oceanfront condos in the MLS that you could buy in your price range. There are also some single family homes that may have a water view, but I don't think you'll get oceanfront for that price (anywhere in the world).

We are not on an Island, but on a peninsula about 2-1/2 hours from Seattle (south).

This town was built on fishing, and we have a 650 slip marina that is probably 75% utilized by charter and commercial fishing. We have the most popular surfing beaches north of California. We have 18 miles of sandy beaches.

We have the whole gamut of dining choices, from greasy spoon diners (try the Inn of the Westwind or the Fogcutter) to an east coast deli (Mermaid Deli, just opened) to Sushi (Takohachi on the Marina) to American (Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill) to fine dining (Anthony's Restaurant) to family dining (Original House of Pizza or the Westport Grill). Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill was recently named in Northwest's Best Places Guide book, rated higher than many famous Seattle eateries.

This is a small community (population 2000), that is very strong. The local maritime museum operates tours at the Grays Harbor Lighthouse in town (which is Washington's tallest lighthouse) as well as operates the Maritime Museum. We have a strong VFW, Senior Center, and Kiwanis. People are generally friendly and take care of each other. There is some mistrust of "new" from the people who have been here for generations, but most of the retirees and second home owners I know have acclimated well.

Summertime there are lots of artist events, and there are two really great galleries right on the marina. Tokeland, which is about 10 miles south, is another great area to buy, and has a vibrant art community (although no dining or shopping).

Good luck!

My grandparents built a home in Tokeland about 35 years ago, which we loved. They said they built there because it was "getting too crowded" on the Hood Canal; they had a beautiful waterfront home on the Hood Canal that they sold when they built their little place in Tokeland. My grandfather built it himself; he was about 70 when he did so.

I visited with my grandparents in Tokeland for about a month back in 1975 when I graduated from high school, and they took me to a place that carried several artists' works; I bought a seascape for my mother, and it is still one of her proudest possessions. She says it reminds her of home; she lives in South Carolina now.

The Westport/Tokeland area is lovely and quite a bit more affordable than here or in Seattle.

[nicolette]

You guys are great for responding, thank you. Okay...I'm going to give you more detail on "who we are" because I realize this makes a huge difference....My husband and I are self employed and make a good living with the bar and grill we have owned for twelve years in San Diego. I also make a modest income with my artwork. We are fortunate that we have the luxury of re-locating w/o loss of income. We are in our late 30's with no children. We want an area that is artsy with great restaurants and that will also have people within our age range with whom we can relate to (entrepenuers, laid back, friendly, kind etc...). We have dogs whom we adore, so we are looking for a very pet friendly environment. We are looking for a vacation home for now with the intention of moving there permanently. The weather is not a factor just so you know....neither of us is from CA...I'm from Colorado and my husband from Texas and we LOVE and miss seasons.

Here's our dilema, we want to be as productive as possible on our trip to Washington because we have such a short amount of time....only because it is very difficult for us to leave our sweet old dog for too long. So...PLEASE tell me what you all think...I value your insight. Give me your opinion based on our affordability AS WELL AS what you think will fit us (not factoring in money). Sorry to go on and on....any advice is much appreciated.
All the best!

[mayfair]

If affordability isn't the main issue, I believe Port Townsend is the place you would fit in the best. It will cost more than some of your other choices but from your description you'd probably like it the best (arts, restaurants, general vibe). If you love the town and can't afford a water view, you could live in town and walk to several waterfront parks and get a waterview that way. I've seen dogs in one of the waterfront parks (Chetzemoka) and they may be allowed in the others.

[bmsea]

Port Townsend is more "developed" than where I live (Westport), its a very cute town. Westport is more of an "up and comer". If views are important to you, and your budget is firm, I would really encourage a trip out here. Waterviews and even oceanfront might be attainable here, and any of the local realtors can help you dig through the multitude of listings (Westport Washington has business listings, and Windermere and Premiere both have offices here).

This is true, especially if you are going to use it sporadically and then retire there, because Westport/Tokeland/Grayland will evolve into something similar to Port Townsend in the next 3 - 7 years.

It's a very pet friendly area. Most of the areas are fine with pets as long as you leash them when others are around and pick up after them, all common courtesy things.

Art is up and coming. Just in the last 3 years, Tokeland peninsula has started doing an Art Walk, and coming up in August is the Westport Art Festival. On the Westport Marina, there are 2 art galleries, Art Talks and the Albright Jewelry Gallery.

Restaurants - we have everything from fine dining to sushi to an american grill, but what we do really more than anything is the diner. However, our fine dining at Anthony's has one of the best wine lists I have ever seen (and I have lived from LA to Seattle).

You can check out my blog (non commercial) at Discovering Westport for pictures and some info from a local.

Good luck!