Washington Realtor Membership Declines

With the slowdown in home sales nationally comes a decline in the membership of the National Association or Realtors and the Washington Association of Realtors. According to an article in the Inman News, in Washington state, which had the second-highest peak-to-trough drop nationwide, Realtor membership dropped 8.3 percent between August 2009 and August 2010, which the state's association also attributed to delayed impacts from the housing downturn.

"The decline in the housing market hit Washington later than elsewhere. The data indicate that the Puget Sound area peaked about a year after the national peak in home prices, and that recovery in home prices has been slower in Puget Sound than elsewhere," said Steve Francks, Washington Realtors' CEO.

Polnell Shores - A Great Community

Polnell Shores is a beautiful community to live in. It is located on the East side of Oak Harbor Bay on North Whidbey Island with beautiful surroundings. Polnell Shores is approximately 20 minutes from NAS Whidbey and 15 minutes from downtown Oak Harbor.

Polnell Shores is one of the many water front communities on the island. It has been known to be one of the more affordable waterfront communities to live in. From the Polnell Shores community you can enjoy beautiful sunrises over Skagit Bay, and great mountain views, including Mount Rainer.

Polnell Shores also offers residents beach access. This benefit is yet another reason that Polnell Shores is a great place to enjoy island living.


A great home in Polnell Shores is currently available for sale. It is a beautiful 3 bedroom home with many updates including a Jacuzzi tub in the large guest bath. This home has lots of counter space in the kitchen as well as a breakfast bar. To view this home and consider Polnell Shores as a place to live please click the picture above.

If you would like to see other available homes in Polnell Shores please check out Coldwell Banker Koetje Real Estate. We would be happy to help you find a home in Polnell Shores or any other community you may be interested in on or around Whidbey Island.

Thinking about a career in Real Estate

North Whidbey Real Estate Update

by Hal Hovey

There was some good news for our local real estate market in April: Home sales for the month of April on North Whidbey Island were up 18% from a year ago, and median prices were up almost 2% from a year ago! Some of the increase in sales may be due to a last-minute scramble to take advantage of the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit before it expired on April 30th, so it is too early to declare that the real estate market is in full recovery. But this good local news follows on the heels of positive state news as well. Home sales in Washington State were up 32% for the first quarter of 2010 compared to 2009, and Island County as a whole has seen a 39% increase in sales for the year-to-date ending April 30, 2010. We’ll continue to watch for signs of market movement and let you know what we see!