considering relocating to Bellingham (Seattle, Spokane: for sale, real estate market, to rent)

[sallygirlknits]

Hi, my huband, 1 1/2 yr old and I are considering Bellingham as a choice for relocating. We may like bring our gift shop business with us as well. I would love to know about the economy, education system, community (is it transient or stable?) and general quality of life. We now live in Flagstaff which is very, very expensive and where the quality of life is hugely overrated.... there is a terrible lack of industry, Snowbowl opens maybe 2 weeks in the ski season, wildfires rage out of control, the forests are closed for half of the summer, Arizona public education is ranked among the lowest, the median house price is $300k and soon it will be a town only for retirees and those wanting Taco Bell jobs. Folks who are 24 - 40 are leaving in droves because there is just no way to make a living here. We would like to be a permanent part of a balanced community.

I would love to hear honest opinions of people who have recently located and those who are long-time natives.

[Cowlitz County]

There is no way you could go wrong with Bellingham. Absolutely no way.

[cathlyn847]

After house hunting for three weeks I'm forced to admit I'm priced out of the Lynnwood area I hoped to buy in. Little tiny houses going for $350,000.00 is both unbelievable and heartbreaking.
So, I too am looking towards Bellingham and would like to hear about crime and jobs and quality of life. I understand that lots of retired folk from Seattle are moving there...but I need to work another 10 years. And I may need to start over and get retrained. My last job as a CAD drafter was out sourced to India. Thanks

[Cowlitz County]

http://www.bellcold.com/factoids.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellingham,_Washington
"In March 2005, Kiplinger's Personal Finance named Bellingham one of the top retirement cities in the nation"

Many other sites if you just search google.com

[HDL]

Bellingham houses are 51.5% overpriced. Check out the link by king5 and study conducted by Global Insight, a financial information provider

http://www.king5.com/business/stories/NW_061306BUBhomes_overpricedSW.80d7a3e1.html (broken link)

Just about anywhere you look in western Washington, you'll find the same thing: plenty of homes for sale.

And whether you start down south in Olympia or way up north in Bellingham, you'll find those homes all have something in common: they're overvalued.

Bellingham happens to be the worst, according to a study conducted by Global Insight, a financial information provider.


In the first quarter of this year, the overvalued home picture in Washington, going from bad to worse, looks like this:


Resources
Housing Price Index
- Bremerton they're 32.3 percent over value.

- Seattle comes in at 34.1 percent over value and Olympia comes in at 38.9.

- Mount Vernon jumps to 45.1 percent and the most overvalued home prices are found in Bellingham, at 51.5

- Bellingham's median home price is $277,000, while Seattle's is just about $344,000.

- Spokane is at 23.2 percent over value, with the median home price of $171,700.

- Wenatchee comes in at 18.4 percent over value, median home price of $196,800.

- Tacoma is 31.9 percent over value, with a median home price of $249,000.

The Global Insight/National City Housing Valuation Analysis examines the top 317 U.S. real estate markets, or 84 percent of the housing market, to determine what home prices should be, controlling for differences in population density, relative income levels, interest rates, and historically observed market premiums or discounts.

Markets with valuation premiums above 34 percent were judged to be severely overpriced and at risk for price corrections

[Mark S.]

If you have kids, I wouldn't recommend Bellingham. For such a mid-sized community, it has a very high crime rate. I think it is a combination of being a college-town and being on the doorstep of the Canadian border, but I would not recommend moving there.

[stareye]

Overvalued is a relative term. In that survey, it meant not affordable for the average family income in the area. But obviously, folks are bringing in money from the sale of other homes in or outside the area. Bellingham tends to lag, then do a dramatic catchup of prices, then stay flat for many years. The market has lots of inventory now and is softening, a trend likely to continue with mortgage $ drying up. My advice moving here is to rent and then look around (and see if you can find an income source.) I think long term Bellingham will do very well.

I have lived here a long time. It is a great place to live for a family--good schools, low crime, nice neighborhoods, a lively farmer's market and art scene. Hard to find good jobs though, and business rents are pretty high in town. But market is stronger than the population would imply--it gets some influx of Canadians, and it is a college town so has an increasingly affluent student population.

The recreation possibilities are great--skiing, boating, nice parks, lots of events, a wonderful children's library. Just over the border is the wonderful city of Vancouver B.C. and even closer is White Rock, with great restaurants. Many rainy days though, but about the best air quality in the nation.

[Blindtom]

Comparing Bellingham with Seattle and a similar house, the house in Seattle will be more expensive and have more taxes.
Any place will depend a lot on your frame of mind while you are living there. I find Bellingham to be a easy place to enjoy.

[xPlorer48]

I see lizagomse is spamming this thread, too. Poor English skills give this one away.