Puget Sound Living - Olympic Pennisula, Hood Canal, Whidbey Island, or San Juans? (Camano: middle-class, insurance)

[kynight]

As summer ends I think the next few months are favorable to buy a home. But it may be more wise to rent a year before making an irreversible purchase Looking at realtor website very few homes look fairly priced. It's actually crazy what some are listed for, old or small, I could rent 10 years and save for a real house.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by pnwcatlady

I would like to move someplace near the Puget Sound. I am thinking of several areas from Port Angeles to Port Townsend to the Hood Canal Area, Whidbey Island, Anacortes, San Juan Islands and even up to Bellingham and Blaine. I am looking for pros and cons of each of these areas and why someone would choose to live there. I’d even love specific neighborhoods and why they are great.

I am a woman in my late 30s. I have lived in King County for the last 30 years, so I am familiar with the weather and cost of living. I like arts and crafts, kayaking, books, languages, history, and animal welfare. I have budget of ~$300k, and I know I can get properties in my budget in all of these areas. Employment isn’t a consideration at this time. I would like to have easy access to the water for kayaking.

I am tired of living in King County. The traffic is awful, and I don’t want to be in the Sound Transit tax area. I have lived in Seattle and I have lived in small little towns. I’m happier in a smaller sound town with out the crushing number of people around me.

I have been to all the target areas, but want to try and narrow down some specific areas to look at. I plan on visiting these places on the weekends to get a better idea of what I am looking for. I have also read a ton of older threads, but none seem to cover such a large geographical area comparison.

Thanks for your help!

How easy is the access you consider acceptable? That makes a big difference in housing prices. When we lived in the area, I chose specifically to be able to cart the sea kayak to a good beach—totally avoid driving the kayak around. This pickiness severely narrowed our options and resulted in having a house built on an undeveloped lot. We had sea views from inside the house, and it was literally a few minutes’ walk to the beach.

The kayaking was terrific, with a choices ranging from easy flat water (weather cooperating, of course) to strong tidal streams, including a well-known rip. But there was a high price to pay, way above your $300k. However, if you do not mind driving the kayak to launch places, the choices expand. I still think it will be hard to find a nice house for $300k in most of the region.

Best thing would be to rent first and keep checking on RE listings and their prices.

[pnwcatlady]

rantiquity: Yep, I know there are major differences between the areas. That's why I am compiling a pro and con list of all the areas so when I go to do more specific visiting, I know what to target in on.

As for politics, I'm not overly concerned about them. I am in the middle of the road, but have friends and family all over the political spectrum. Its not a huge consideration for me.

kynight: I see where you are coming from. But I hate renting, so I would rather just buy. Its a risk I'm willing to take. I've rented and owned before, so I know what I am getting into.

pikabike: Sounds like you had an ideal location for yourself! Which town/are did you live in? I'm totally fine driving. I'd like there to be public access within a 20 minute drive of wherever I live.

[Beernik]

It’s pretty slim pickings for property under $300k in San Juan County. The lowest is showing is a $325k short sale on Lopez.

I’ll tell you what a realtor told me when I was planning my move out here: you no only need to figure out which island you want to live on. You need to figure out which part of which island you want to live. Then look for property.

Island life isn’t for everyone, you have to enjoy the remoteness. There are things you have to get used to, like a car can hit a power pole on Lopez and knock out power to Lopez, Orcas, Decatur, and Shaw for a couple hours. Or a ferry needs emergency repairs and it throws the schedule out of whack for a month.

I’m good with island life for living, but I had to take a job on the mainland to keep my worklife interesting. If you are going back and forth frequently, a 5-ride car pass is about $130.

Shaw doesn’t have a year-round grocery store or any medical other than volunteer EMT.

Lopez doesn’t have ER services or a hospital.

Living anywhere out here, you’ll want to get emergency medical transport insurance. UW has an insurance plan.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Beernik

It’s pretty slim pickings for property under $300k in San Juan County. The lowest is showing is a $325k short sale on Lopez.

I’ll tell you what a realtor told me when I was planning my move out here: you no only need to figure out which island you want to live on. You need to figure out which part of which island you want to live. Then look for property.

Island life isn’t for everyone, you have to enjoy the remoteness. There are things you have to get used to, like a car can hit a power pole on Lopez and knock out power to Lopez, Orcas, Decatur, and Shaw for a couple hours. Or a ferry needs emergency repairs and it throws the schedule out of whack for a month.

I’m good with island life for living, but I had to take a job on the mainland to keep my worklife interesting. If you are going back and forth frequently, a 5-ride car pass is about $130.

Shaw doesn’t have a year-round grocery store or any medical other than volunteer EMT.

Lopez doesn’t have ER services or a hospital.

Living anywhere out here, you’ll want to get emergency medical transport insurance. UW has an insurance plan.

Yes. I would have said much of this in my post, but the OP claimed to have checked out RE values in the islands and found them compatible with their economic situation, so in spite of harboring doubts, I took that at face value.

OP, Orcas is a great place to live in some ways, the largest island, but it's expensive, and everyone has med-evac insurance, in case of an emergency. There was a retirement development built there, on one side of the island, way back in the 80's or so, with smaller lots, more affordable properties, but that was then, and this is now; I don't know how "now" stacks up affordability-wise anymore.

But overall, Orcas is a nice community, nice people, generally speaking. There are art galleries and craft shops in the main town, and kayaking, canoeing, sailing and horseback riding are enjoyed by tourists and residents alike. There's a good, active historical society and museum. There are social events hosted by the art galleries, and other organizations. But buying into the place won't be cheap. There's an extra tax levied when a property is purchased, which goes to maintain open space on the island. This is great if you can afford it; the rural, laid-back nature of the island has been maintained through this mechanism.

[pnwcatlady]

Oh, good to know about needing med evac insurance on the islands. That's not something that would have occurred to me. Also good to know about the extra tax, because I hadn't heard that yet either. Thanks Beernick and Ruth4Truth!

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by pnwcatlady

Oh, good to know about needing med evac insurance on the islands. That's not something that would have occurred to me. Also good to know about the extra tax, because I hadn't heard that yet either. Thanks Beernick and Ruth4Truth!

People in Sequim and Port Townsend and environs have med-evac insurance, too. The hospital there isn't able to handle all types of emergencies.

[texasdiver]

I would 100% pick Whidbey Island over the other options for Puget Sound shoreline property. The San Juans are just way too remote and difficult to get to during tourist season. And for kayaking I think the Olympic Peninsula is going to have less options and is more exposed to the big strait where the weather can kick up much quicker than in the more sheltered waters further in.

The other thing about the San Juans is that it feels to me like the area has gotten to be much more of a collection of upscale weekend vacation homes and bed and breakfast tourist places with less full time normal residents compared to Whidbey Island. So it feels like you would be less likely to have a community of neighbors and normal people in the San Juans. I could be wrong about that, just a feeling.

[pikabike]

Forgot to mention in my private msg that some medical services are readily obtained less than an hour away from PT. For example, I priced an MRI in town vs one in Poulsbo where the actual providing company was based. $500 if I drove that distance to their clinic vs $2600 in PT!

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by pikabike

Forgot to mention in my private msg that some medical services are readily obtained less than an hour away from PT. For example, I priced an MRI in town vs one in Poulsbo where the actual providing company was based. $500 if I drove that distance to their clinic vs $2600 in PT!

Is that even legal? Wow, talk about gouging! Good to know, though. Thx for the report.