Bill Barrow & Chris Miller
Associate Brokers
LOCAL LINKS.... Make BainbridgeNeighbors your gateway to everything good on & about Bainbridge Island...
Coldwell Banker
McKenzie Associates
10048 NE High School Road
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Put Over 60 Years Experience to Work
For You
206-780-6125
206-780-6146
Find and connect with everything on and about Bainbridge Island as quickly as possible:
▪ The Bainbridge Events tab takes you to the Bainbridge Island calendar of events.
Feel free to submit events that you or your organization are sponsoring.
▪ Expanded Bainbridge Island community information, web links, free classified ads, recipes, and selected regional links are found under the Community Links tab.
▪ The Bainbridge Images tab includes links to some interesting vintage videos of Bainbridge Island and to pictures of favorite island events.
▪ We have also added enhanced Bainbridge Island residential real estate information and Market Watch statistics for home buyers and sellers, or those who just want to keep their fingers on the pulse of the Bainbridge Island real estate market. Click on the Market Watch bar above.
▪ If you are thinking about moving to Bainbridge Island, click on MLS SEARCH above to search the entire MLS for residential homes and condominium homes on the island. The PERSONAL RETRIEVER link will take you directly to a web page where you can save your favorite properties and get immediate alerts when a similar property on Bainbridge Island is listed for sale. INFO FOR BUYERS provides quick links to a variety articles and tips, as well as knowledgeable local mortgage loan professionals.
▪ INFO FOR SELLERS is just that... Links to tips and statistical information about the current Bainbridge Island real estate market. You can also request a confidential valuation of your property via PRICE MY HOME.
Your suggestions, comments, and questions are always welcome.
Protect Your Home When It’s Alone
Summer should be a relaxing time, especially if you’re planning to go on vacation. Whether you’re leaving home for a week or a month, you can rest easy with these tips:
• Arrange for someone to weed or mow the lawn.
• Have mail or packages picked up by a friend, forwarded, or held by the post office.
• Stop newspaper deliveries and ask a neighbor to pick up freebie newspapers and circulars.
• Lower your telephone ringer and never leave an outgoing message that says you’re away.
• Use timers to turn lights off and on at the appropriate times. Compensate for having lights on when no one’s home by turning off other appliances that are often left on, such as DVD players, computers, and microwaves. Also consider connecting a radio to a timer.
• Leave blinds open in their usual position.
• Ask neighbors to park their car in your driveway.
• If you leave your car in the driveway, be sure to remove the garage-door opener from plain view.
• Double-check all doors and window locks.
• Tell a trusted friend or neighbor where you’ll be.
2008 Cost vs. Value Report: Still Happy Returns for Home Rehabs
Remodeling magazine's annual report shows that maintenance-related projects and moderately priced upgrades are providing stable paybacks, even in a slower market.
REQUEST A COPY OF THE FULL REPORT
Purchasing New Construction
When buying a newly constructed single family or condominium home, be sure your interests are protected by the terms of your purchase and sale agreement and/or builder’s construction warranty. It is an industry myth that there is a statutory, one-year warranty for all new construction in this state.
According to the Washington Realtors® legal hotline, “There is no lemon law for new construction. Washington law will not recognize a claim of negligent construction... Absent a contractual provision that a builder violates, a buyer probably has little or no recourse against the builder.”
A Strategic Time to Buy
We’ve all seen the news reports about the real estate market slow down. Those reports have motivated many home buyers to wait until they are certain that the market has reached the bottom before they buy, so they can get the best deal.
This might not be the best strategy, here’s why:
First, it is nearly impossible to accurately predict the ups and downs in our real estate market. According to several analysts, prices generally are now at or near the bottom of the cycle. In some areas the market is already coming back and seeing a gradual increase in values. The larger selection of homes that are listed these days makes it easier for you to find your ideal home in the right location. Once the slump is over, that selection will dwindle. With so many properties on the market, sellers are willing to negotiate price and terms and even offer incentives. This is the best way to make a deal rather than waiting for home prices to drop significantly. Furthermore, mortgage financing is still available at near record low interest rates.
True, it’s tougher to qualify for a loan today, but if you have good credit and a decent “credit score” you should have no problem in obtaining financing with very favorable terms.
If you are considering a move and want detailed information on Bainbridge Island real estate and homes for sale, call Bill & Chris stop by our office. We have solid experience with all types of island properties, from traditional farmhouses, ramblers, and condos to luxury view and waterfront residences. We can also assist you with Bainbridge Island building lots and investment properties. We always respect your privacy & put your priorities first.
Bainbridge Woman's Old Advice Relevant to a New Set of Chicken Farmers
Shortly before her death, longtime Bainbridge islander Minnie Rose Lovgreen confided to a friend at her bedside that she'd long wanted pass on her recipe for raising chickens.
Stored in her head were 60 years' worth of observations and know-how about how to care for brooding hens, raise baby chicks, build coops, promote quality egg production and calm irate roosters.
Lovgreen's friend Nancy Rekow was quick with a solution and a tape recorder.
"Minnie was always talking about writing a book about chickens, but she was always running around doing things," Rekow said. "I said, 'OK Minnie, we're going to do your book.' So, while she laid there in the hospital bed, we talked about all things chicken."
Esther’s Fabrics:
Still Going Strong After 50 Years
Jenn Rhoads might be the ideal person to run Esther’s Fabrics. Well, other than Esther Fox herself, who opened the shop on Winslow Way 50 years ago, then owned it for more than 20 years.
But it’s her legacy that has kept the store open continuously since 1959. “It’s still Esther’s store,” said Rhoads, who worked as a fashion designer before buying the Winslow institution nearly six years ago. “I’m just holding down the shop here. I never met her, but I’ve heard great stories about her. Her spirit is still here.”
A Respite From Seattle,
A Ferry Ride Away
A green and white ferry, running at a soothing rumble, takes only about 35 minutes to cover the nine miles across glassy Puget Sound from the busy terminal on Seattle’s waterfront to Bainbridge Island, Wash., which is much less hip, but much more tranquil.
Boutiques, galleries and restaurants have gathered on Winslow Way, the main street through Winslow, the island’s largest village. But there is also a Christian Science Reading Room, a bakery, a drugstore and two barbershops, both with striped poles.
Pickleball: The Fastest Growing Sport You’ve Never Heard Of
Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island...
Living History: Fort Ward home
is alive with WWII secrets
A house is rarely just a house. But Sarah Lee’s house comes with something extra.
“It’s a responsibility to the ghosts,” she said.
An article Lee published some time back in the journal CRYPTOLOG elaborates.
“There are ghosts in our house,” she wrote. “Well, we’ve never ever actually seen them, but we know that they’re here. After all, it’s impossible to walk into our house and not sense the ‘ghosts’ of the hundreds of young men and women who worked here from 1910 through the ’50s.”
Gary Prisk Publishes First Novel
Our long-time island friend and client, Gary Prisk, has just had his first novel published. Digger, Dogface, Brownjob, Grunt is now available at Amazon.com.
Monikers for infantrymen: A "Digger" is Australian and a "Brownjob" is British. The cover art was created by George Foster (Chicken Soup for this and that fame). Gary notes that they had a saying when we were out of water or the enemy was about: "Get fat if you can."
Let us know if you’d like to read a copy of the book jacket notes.
Composting Without Heavy Lifting
While most islanders are looking for ways to get rid of their garbage, Michael Bryan-Brown is helping them keep it.
He runs the West Coast branch of Green Mountain Technologies, a firm focused on changing the face of composting.
The business designs and manufactures a number of products that take the work out of composting. Its machines store the compost, turn it, chop it and process it into usable fertilizer.
“The long-term goal of Green Mountain Technologies is to allow people to take in the waste of their own home and use it,” Bryan-Brown said.
Norm Johnson Selected as 2009
Bainbridge Island Kiwanis
Citizen of the Year
Bainbridge Island musical icon Norm Johnson and his wife, Sol, will be honored at a September 20 banquet at IslandWood. Use this link to read the full Bainbridge Review story about Norm and his accomplishments.