Thanks to happy reader Sonia for submitting the following question, which made it really easy to come up with today’s post!

“We’re looking at moving there in the next two years and are curious about  things to do during the REAL rainy season. We live in Florida and have visited the area around Bellingham in the Summer, Winter and Fall.“

I’m glad you asked, Sonia. It is no secret that it rains in Washington. Sometimes it rains a lot…for days and days. That is just the way it is.  And while to some that may seem like a downside to living here, it is, in my opinion, a perfectly reasonable trade-off when you consider the lack of poisonous bugs, snakes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes,  locust swarms and dragons, etc. so prevalent elsewhere in the country.  The reward is reaped in the Spring, Summer and Fall, when the mild temperatures and unparalleled beauty of the natural landscape make life in the Northwest feel like a well-earned privilege. Still, it is important to know how to cope with those dreary, cloudy days, and so I give you….

Top 10 Ways to Beat the Rain…

(and how they’ve become the roots of our economy)

#1 Drink Coffee: It should go without saying that Washington State is known as a place where people appreciate coffee. Given the potential for rain-induced lethargy, it is no wonder that large coffee companies like Starbucks, Tully’s, Seattle’s Best Coffee (now a Starbucks subsidiary) Woods Coffee and Tony’s (my personal favorites) are based here.

#2 Drink Beer: When coffee just won’t do it, bring on the cavalry. Washington is home to hundreds of breweries, ranging from small, regional brewpubs like Bellingham’s Chuckanut and Boundary Bay breweries, medium-sized operations like Elysian and Lazy Boy, to full-scale production heavies like Pyramid and Redhook. Those are just the tip of the iceberg- there are at least 71 functioning micro-breweries in Washington State. In fact, the nation’s very first micro was based in Washington… We love our beer here.

#3 Go Shopping: When the clouds and rain weigh heavy and dark….why not go hide inside a giant, well-lit building and spend some money! Along with numerous malls, Washington State is home-base to retail titans like Costco, Nordstrom and REI.

#4 Work on your computer: Washington is one of the most tech-centric places in the world. In addition to Microsoft’s colossal home campus in Redmond ( it has its own MLS area code), the region features headquarters of tech giants like Zillow, Amazon, RealNetworks, and Expedia.

#5 Go shopping on your computer: For efficiency’s sake, why not combine #3 and #4…or all of the above, for that matter.

#6 Go to a game: With Seattle being the home of professional* sports teams like the Mariners, Seahawks and the Sounders, hardcore fans have learned to suck it up and cheer on their teams regardless of the weather. In the case of the Mariners, Safeco Field’s retractable roof prevents the rain from harming the dainty threads and manicured coifs of visiting Yankees fans… while Seahawks and Sounders loyalists at Quest Field are tougher than postal workers, having learned to drink their way through any kind of weather, be it rain, sleet, or snow.

* I use that term loosely

#7 Make a record: Garages and basements are great for hiding from the weather. Just ask Jimi Hendrix…and whoever is left alive from local bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Modest Mouse, Death Cab For Cutie…etc.  The list goes on and on…Though Seattle’s music scene hasn’t been on the front page as much since the mid 90′s, there is still a strong and vibrant community of musicians throughout the region, boosted by local record companies like Sub-Pop and the World’s Greatest Radio Station, Seattle’s KEXP.

#8 Go diving: This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!”  If you’re gonna get wet, you might as well get REALLY wet. The Puget Sound area is known among the clinically insane as one of the best places to scuba dive in the world. There are dive shops everywhere…which is pretty much the extent of my knowledge…because I’m not a crazy person.

#9 Go to the gym: I find the rainy days to be great for getting a good work-out.  I don’t have a joke for this one…  It’s just a good, solid idea.

#10 Go somewhere else: When all else fails, it’s time to bail. The really rainy period (generally between February and January [sic]) is the time to consider an escape to some place warmer and drier. A little break is all it takes to clear your head and remember how much you love it here during the Spring and Summer. Is it any coincidence then that one of the World’s largest airplane manufacturers is based here?  I can just imagine the founders of Boeing sitting around drinking beer and coffee one fateful day saying, ” You know what would be great? A vacation! But how are we gonna get there…?”

Special bonus answer: Write a blog! It happens to be raining today. So I am wrting this article at Woods Coffee in downtown Bellingham…So, obviously, I am doing numbers 1 and 4, and I have every intention of transitioning into  #2, possibly after #9. Let it never be said that I fail to practice what I preach!

Thanks for reading! Please leave comments or suggestions below, e-mail me at rob.leroy@exprealty.com, or call me at 206.883.6668 …and yes, you CAN hire me as your real estate agent!

If you’re on Facebook, you can join my fan page for daily updates by clicking the banner below.

Bed bugs, like the ones your Mom used to warn you about, are becoming a serious nuisance in metropolitan areas like Seattle. They first came to my attention a couple of months ago, and my initial reaction was something along the lines of a guffaw. “What’s next?”, I laughed, “an invasion of unicorns?”  Sadly, and disturbingly, bed bugs are real, and they are nasty little bastards.

Essentially, bed bugs are like fleas that drink the blood of humans, as opposed to animals. They tend to live in your mattress and like to crawl onto their “host” in the hours just before dawn. Their bites leave pink or reddish welts, similar to mosquitoes or small spiders.  Often, small bloodstains will be visible on the sheets or mattress which, along with their tiny egg sacks, are usually the only evidence to be found during the day without a thorough inspection.

(Ed. note…. I wish I could take my laptop in the shower…just writing about this gives me the heebie-jeebies…)

Bed bugs are highly contagious. They hop onto your clothes while you sleep. They can then be carried around the house, or dropped into a suitcase, if you happen to be traveling. It is widely believed that bed bugs are spread primarily by travelers who pick them up or leave them behind in hotels, which explains why most bed bug outbreaks occur in large cities.  According to several pest control experts I’ve spoken with, the number of bed bug related service calls has increased 10 times in the past 2-3 years. Bed bugs calls are quickly becoming the majority of the business for many companies like Eden and Orkin.

(ed. note… after finally stuffing myself into my haz-mat suit, the heebies are subsiding… the jeebies, not so much…)

What can you do about it? CALL A PROFESSIONAL IMMEDIATELY! I recently worked with Eden to treat a bed bug infestation in an apartment building owned by one of my clients.  They were fantastic. And green. They use a cedar-oil-based product that kills the bugs and smells like the hamster cage I had when I was a kid.  For details on the treatment process and preventive measures, click here to read and download Eden’s Bed Bug Response Plan.

It is important to get the word out before this becomes a full-scale epidemic. If you have any questions about bed bugs, or think you might have them in your home, I highly recommend Mike Cluett at Eden Advanced Pest Technologies.  He’ll answer your questions and, if necessary, do an inspection, free of charge. On the day of the scheduled treatment, he spent an hour or two explaining the procedures and details to me, off the clock. Additionally, he is qualified to handle just about any kind of pest issue, from rats to bugs to invasive plants. His contact info is:

Mike Cluett  206.510.6285  mike@edenpest.com

"Yum-yum-yummy in my tum-tum-tummy!"

Thanks for reading! Please leave comments or suggestions below, e-mail me at rob.leroy@exprealty.com, or call me at 206.883.6668 …and yes, you CAN hire me as your real estate agent!

If you’re on Facebook, you can join my fan page for daily updates by clicking the banner below.

Having spent several years living in and around Ballard, I am excited to present my favorite Seattle neighborhood to the world, in all of it’s funky, unique and beautiful glory.  Why, because it’s Ballard.

Ballard offers some of the most lively and diverse nightlife in all of Seattle.  A night out in Ballard can easily turn into a weekend, a week…or a month. There is that much going on.  As a nightlife connoisseur, I have come to love the unparalleled diversity that Ballard, and in particular Old Ballard, has to offer.  Reminiscent of the famous 6th street in Austin, Texas, the motivated explorer can wander through Ballard and find tastes to suit every palate, from raucous rockabilly taverns to swanky, modern lounges. There are late-night pizza joints, Irish pubs and not-quite-pretentious wine bars. These are my favorites…in no particular order…

1.  The Matador: Known for it’s ridiculously awesome happy-hour food menu, the Matador is one of Seattle’s pre-eminent boutique chains. The decor is southwestern classy, with high-backed booths and an elaborate fireplace centerpiece. Dos Equis Amber on tap and cadillac margaritas are my favorites.

The Matador

2. The Sunset tavern: The quintessential dive bar (in the best possible sense), the Sunset has nightly live music performed by up-and-coming local bands, cheap beer and a vibe that says, “we’ve been here forever, we know we’re awesome, and we don’t care what you think!”

3.  Hazlewood: Rumored to be owned, at least in part, by one of Seattle’s most luminary musical figures, Hazlewood occupies a narrow loft space with dim lighting, artsy decor and excellent cocktails. The upstairs has comfy seating in a tight cozy space that almost forces you to mingle with the other hipsters who’ve been lucky enough to find their way up there. The lights have a soft vibe that makes you feel like you’ve spent some of your happiest nights in their glow. Don’t forget to check the peephole above the couch in the back of the upstairs area… Hazlewood is located next door to Snoose Junction, which has awesome pizza, late into the night.

Hazlewood

4.  King’s Hardware: Located toward the southeast end of Ballard Ave., King’s is located in…wait for it… an old hardware store. King’s has, in my opinion, the best outdoor drinking area in Ballard. There’s a huge deck out back with it’s own bar. Inside, King’s looks the way a really cool bar in Montana would look if it was full of Rainier swilling Seattleites. There are animal heads adorning the walls and Skee-ball in the back… it feels like a redneck vacation hideaway, but in a cool way that doesn’t actually involve killing anything. Also, they have some of the best burgers in Seattle.

King's Hardware

5.  The Tractor Tavern: The home of Ballard’s best live music, famous across the far reaches of the hipster galaxy, The Tractor is old, wooden, and utterly awesome. Inside it’s worn and faded doorway, you will find a warm, happy place featuring tall-boys of Rainier, bathrooms about which your mother would complain, and a guarantee of excellent live tunes.

The Tractor Tavern

6.  The Lock & Keel: Situated across the street from the Tractor, the Lock & Keel has the unique distinction of being the first pub I ever visited in Old Ballard. With long tables, cheap pool, and a wide range of beers on tap, this is a great place to take a large group of drinking buddies.  I like to go there immediately before and after shows at the Tractor.

7. Conor Byrne: One of Ballard’s two Irish pubs, Conor Byrne rounds out the trifecta at the corner of Ballard Ave. and 20th Ave. NW, next door to the Lock & Keel and across the street from the Tractor. Conor Byrne features a dark, cozy atmosphere, replete with Irish beers and live Irish music.  The crowd here is usually lively, and the cover is reasonable. M0re than almost any other place in Seattle, this is a where I commonly run into old friends I haven’t seen since who-knows-when. That, in itself, is a great reason to show up…

Lock & Keel (left) and Conor Byrne (right)

8.  The Loft: One of Old Ballard’s newest pubs, The Loft has endeared itself to me greatly. The feel is difficult to describe. It is everything Ballard stands for.  A perfect blend of the best of the old, and the best of the new. Located in one of Ballard’s oldest buildings, The Loft features great beers (extra-large glasses of Oly!), great food and that ultra-cool brick construction that gives Old Ballard it’s real character. Known for it’s crowds of football and soccer fans, as well as it’s upstairs that caters to private parties, The Loft is a perfect example of the way Ballard is creating a hybrid of classic and modern.

The Ballard Loft

9.  The Old Pequliar: The other of Ballard’s Irish pubs, The Old Pequliar is one of the larger venues in the area. Located on Market Street a few blocks east of “Old Ballard” the Old Peq has two pool tables, a rarity in the area. They also feature live music and an outdoor drinking area. The crimson exterior grabs the eye and attracts the liver.  It’s location makes it perfect for the adventurous pub crawler to hit on either the attack or retreat from Old Ballard. Or both, if you know what you’re doing. Also, the relatively large size makes this a preferred venue for St. Patrick’s day, though it is still advised that you get there early.  February 23rd has worked quite well for me….

The Old Pequliar

10.  The Copper Gate: One of Ballard’s most unique establishments, the Copper Gate features Scandinavian brews and cuisine. The bar itself is fashioned from on old wooden ship, and the floor is tiled in white. The walls and shelves are adorned with early 20th century “self-help” contraptions and black-and-white “artsy” pictures… I wouldn’t suggest taking your kids here, lest they be irrevocably scarred by the sight of devices and pictures your great-grandparents might have gasped at. Then again…it’s a bar. Delight your senses in the exotic Scandinavian and European beer selection, most of which you’ve never heard of.  Don’t be shocked by the $12 bottle of beer. Trust me, it’s worth it…and you won’t remember the cost anyway…

That’s it….for now. There are several bars that did not make this list that are definitely worth checking out. I will update this post periodically as new reviews are written and new watering holes are added to Ballard’s growing landscape.

Thanks for reading!  Please leave your comments below. I appreciate your feedback! If you have any questions about Bellingham, Seattle, or real estate in general, please feel free to email Rob LeRoy directly at rob.leroy@exprealty.com or call me at 206.883.6668

I went to Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA, so I will use that area as an example, though the numbers would likely look quite similar in just about any college town. Rates per person at Western’s dorms run roughly $500 (3 kids in a room) to $800+ (single occupancy) per month, NOT including food expenses.  Rental rates anywhere near campus run about $400-600 a month per room, depending on the number of rooms.  Studios and 1-bedrooms are commonly $700-900/month, whereas you might find a decent  3-bedroom for $1400.   Let’s be conservative and say it’s about $600/month on average, per room. Over 4 years (48 months) that’s almost $30,000(!) that you will NEVER get back.  As Everett Dirksen famously said,“ A billion here, a billion there…pretty soon you’re talking about real money!”

Consider this:  Right now, you can buy a 1-bedroom, 600 square foot condo, built in 2006, less than a half-mile from Western Washington University, for $140k.  With 20% down at 6% interest, the monthly payment, which includes taxes, insurance, and HOA dues (W/S/G) comes to about $925, leaving only electricity and cable for expenses.  Sounds like kind of a lot, doesn’t it? Let’s take a closer look.

• Similar units in this building are currently renting for between $725 and $800.

• You can write off some (maybe  all) of your interest payments , giving you roughly 25% back at tax time, depending on your bracket, making the effective monthly expense closer to $700. Make sure to talk to your accountant about this and other creative write-offs you might find…

• As an owner, your monthly expenses remain fixed over time.  According to a colleague who studies rent growth in the area, rents near Western have increased at an average of about 6% per year, over the past 5 years.  Assuming that trend were to continue, the monthly rent on that same unit would go up  to almost $900-$1000 by the 4th year of your student’s education. Over 4 years, that would cost you between $38000-$42000 in rent! Gone, flushed….never to be seen again…

• Don’t forget about appreciation! Even in these tough times, most analysts are expecting the market to have corrected itself in the next couple of years, meaning there is a good chance the value of your investment will begin to increase during the 4-5 years that your student will live there. That’s right, you might even MAKE money on this thing! Worst case, you can always hang onto it to make sure the kid doesn’t try to move back in with you after college…

This is just one example, of course.  There  are several other condo opportunities I can point you toward.  There are also houses and duplexes, etc… The numbers can look even better if you buy something with more rooms. Then, you can collect $500-$700/month of OTHER PEOPLE’S money! That ‘s the best kind of money, after all…

If you’d like to look more seriously at this type of investment, keep in mind that there are all kinds of different programs available, requiring anywhere from 3.5% to 20% down.  You can buy as an investment property, as a second home for yourself, or possibly as a first-home for the kid, which means eligibility for the $8000 first-time buyer tax credit. Each of these options has it’s own credit and income requirements, as well as unique tax implications.  Again, I would suggest consulting your accountant, as well as a mortgage professional, to make sure you understand clearly these particular details. You can talk to me if you want to know where to find these properties.

Thanks for reading! Please leave comments or suggestions below, e-mail me at rob.leroy@exprealty.com, or call me at 206.883.6668 …and yes, you CAN hire me as your real estate agent!

If you’re on Facebook, you can join my fan page for daily updates by clicking the banner below.

This post originally published by Rob LeRoy at realestate.bellingham.net

By the time we got into town, heading North on Commercial Street into the heart of Old Town, it became evident that  Dog was antsy and in need of either refreshment or outdoor “personal time”, so I decided to drive through a Fidalgo Bay coffee stand, which seemed fitting, given our proximity to the actual Fidalgo Bay.  Fortunately, the coffee person was wise enough to offer Dog a treat, lest she risk the loss of a portion of pinky or the more subtle, but devastatingly effective “eclate-de-chien”, which has been known to induce vomiting and night sweats.  Unfortunately, it soon became clear that I had misjudged Dog’s needs and an outdoor pit-stop was in immediate order. Also, we wanted cookies.  So we shifted West through town past the ferry terminal and ended up at the beautiful, if mysteriously titled, Washington Park.  At first we attempted a  beach landing, but were immediately turned back by the sudden emptying of a tour bus filled with wild-eyed octogenarians  hell-bent on storming the nearby barbecue hut.  We thought it best to leave them be,  having decided that now was not the time to risk life and limb in what could turn out to be a lengthy and treacherous ground assault.  Surely, at 220 acres, there was room enough in this park for all of us to co-exist peacefully…at least for the moment.

After a few minutes of slow cruising through a winding, single-lane road lined with Madrona trees reminiscent of Northern California, we arrived at a clearing near what seemed to be the high-point of the park.  The views were phenomenal and beyond compare, at nearly 200 degrees.

To the East the Skyline Marina of Burrows Bay was visible, while to the South and West the Rosario Strait stretched out toward the San Juan Islands.

Having parked, we started to hike down the hill toward the water below…about 100 very steep yards.  It took almost no time for Dog to conduct his personal business, and soon he was quite bouncy and tugging eagerly on his leash. This was a problem, due to the steep grade and the dusty nature of the path, which is composed of rocks and soil that are unusual, in that they are deficient in certain nutrients, causing a reddish tint and unstable texture. The path is especially  slippery and treacherous if tread upon without proper footwear. We were wearing flip-flops. Flip-flops are pretty much the worst possible footwear one could choose, with the possible exception of a peg-leg, if that even qualifies as footwear.  Fortunately, as fate would have it, the pirate  community has already forsaken the park for political reasons unrelated to the particulars of the soil, leaving one-legged pirate tourists at little risk of taking an embarrassing spill down the dusty trails.

After reaching the bottom of the hill, stopping to pose for pictures and taking the obligatory 5-minutes to quietly pause and reflect, we decided it was time to head back. This proved to be quite difficult, given the aforementioned trail conditions and our woefully inadequate footwear.  Luckily, our cocktail consumption of the previous evening  had left us feeling more robust and agile than might be typical for a Sunday afternoon.  With some determined and carefully placed footfalls, a few grunts, and the occasional muffled obscenity we managed to reach the top in what seemed like only a few hours, but was in reality closer to 10 minutes.  Having finally arrived back at the car and caught our breath, we congratulated ourselves on having inadvertently stumbled into some exercise in our quest to find cookies.   With a quick high-five and some pats on our respective backs, we piled back into the car, dog in tow, and headed back into town in search of our hard-earned snacks.  All-in-all, it was a rewarding experience, and I plan on returning someday soon with my trusty hiking boots, so that I might more thoroughly explore  those  beautiful and unique trails.

Click here for more pictures! Click here for more of my articles!

Thanks for reading! Please leave comments or suggestions below, e-mail me at rob.leroy@exprealty.com, or call me at 206.883.6668 …and yes, you CAN hire me as your real estate agent!

If you’re on Facebook, you can join my fan page for daily updates by clicking the banner below.

This post originally published by Rob LeRoy at realestate.bellingham.net

Looking West from Washington Park