The 7th Biennial Skagit River Poetry festival will be held May 17-20th, 2012, in La Conner, WA.

Opening night includes a Poet’s Table Dinner from 5:30- 7:30 p.m. for $75 and a Celtic themed night of poetry, music, and storytelling from 8-11 p.m. for $25.  Tickets can be purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/224999 or at The Next Chapter Bookstore in La Conner.

The Skagit River Poetry Project’s mission is to bring poets into classrooms throughout Skagit County to promote literacy and an appreciation for language.  The Skagit River Poetry Project began in 1998,  as a result of a conversation between leaders from seven rural school districts in Skagit County, Washington. These leaders hoped to create a project that would support our high literacy standards with the arts.  From 1998 to the present, over 50 Skagit county teachers a year have hosted resident poets.

For more information on the festival events, please visit www.skagitriverpoetry.org.

Tuesday, May 15th  - Saturday, May 19th

Cap Sante Marina Anacortes

Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes is hosting Trawler Fest, a premier boat show, educational experience, and rendezvous. The Trawler Fest is expected to draw thousands of trawler enthusiasts from across the United States, and  all over the world!

Schedule of Events

If you are interested in boat moorage or homes  for sale with a dock in Anacortes, call Jean Groesbeck at (360) 941-3734 or email Jean@JeanGroesbeck.com

Saturday, May 12, 9am-2pm

The Anacortes Farmers Market will be held at the new plaza next to the Depot Community & Arts Center – 7th Street & R Avenue in Anacortes every Saturday until October !

Also, new and exciting this year, from June 20 – September 5,  The Anacortes Farmers Market will be  open an extra day, from 4-7pm every Wednesday!

In addition to the different food & produce vendors from Anacortes, La Conner and throughout all of Skagit County, there will be community workshops & live music each week! Stop by and enjoy the fresh food and all that the Farmers Market has to offer!

Do you like to  help others? Do you like to run? Or even take a stroll with the family?  Then join the Have a Heart Run on May 12^th, 2012!

This run benefits Community Action, which is a private, non-profit organization helping low-income families throughout Skagit County move towards self-sufficiency for over 30 years.

The timed 5k and 10k (certified) course is fairly flat and runs through beautiful Skagit Valley and  along parts of the Skagit River dikes and farmlands! The cost for pre-registration is $25, and $30 for the day of the race. The cost of registration includes the awards, random prizes for the pre-registered participants, and prizes for the person/team that raises the most donations! For more information, visit www.haveaheartrun.org.

For more information on Skagit County, or homes for sale in the area, contact Jean Groesbeck at Jean@JeanGroesbeck.com or (360) 941-3734

As the sun peeks out from behind the clouds and shines its rays upon us, we all feel more inclined to go out and enjoy the sunshine and good weather.  This weekend, enjoy the beautiful spring weather while experiencing the 14^th annual Camano Island Studio Tour with your family friends!

This tour displays local artists from Camano Island and nearby Stanwood. There will be over 60 artists from 37 different venues.  Brochures including venue locations and more information can be picked up at the Camano Island Chamber of Commerce, or at local Camano Island and Stanwood businesses. The tour features everything from fused glass all the way to metal sculptures.  This art tour promises to have something for everyone!

The tour begins on Mother’s Day weekend, May 11^th to 13^th and will be held again the following weekend, May 19^th to the 20^th, from 10 AM to 5 PM.

For more information on the 14th annual Camano Island Studio Tour, you can visit http://www.camanoarts.org/studio-tour.

If you are interested in learning more about homes for sale throughout Island or nearby Skagit County, please contact Jean Groesbeck at Jean@JeanGroesbeck.com or (360) 941-3734.

This stunning home is located almost at the top of the Cascade Foothills overlooking the beautiful Skagit Valley! It’s private gated driveway leads to this impressive and elegant one level custom home.

Behind the gated entry you will find almost 5000± sf of luxury all on one level situated on 4.5± beautiful acres. Every detail of this custom home was carefully thought out with casual and formal living and entertaining spaces all which capture the breathtaking views and Koi pond. The spacious master suite is located in the private wing. Easy I-5 access! $2,151,500

Enjoy breathtaking views of the Skagit Farmlands, tulip fields, Olympic Mountains, Strait of Juan de Fuca & San Juan Islands while lounging on your patio in this very private estate.

Driving Directions: I-5 N, Exit 224, right at stop sign, left at next stop sign onto frontage/Cedardale, to Hickox, turn right (east) than south on Stackpole, left on Cascade Ridge, uphill to Peregrine.

For more information on this home, please contact Jean Groesbeck at Jean@JeanGroesbeck.com or (360) 941-3734.

Skyline Community Anacortes

We  are constantly asked, “How is the real estate market?”, and we gladly answer as we love real estate, and therefore love talking about it.  We are thrilled to say now our answers are full of lots of positive news nationally, regionally, and here in Anacortes and Skyline.  Invariably the next question is, “Should I sell now?”  The real question to ask is one to ask yourself.  “Do you want to move?”

We can quote lots of statistics on why this is a great time to make a real estate transition.  If you are a buyer, then the most important driving factor in your house payment is the interest rate, and rates are moving upwards.  Slowly, yes, but they are moving up, and are expected to continue to gradually rise.  It would be difficult to find a NW real estate article that does not point out that low interest rates coupled with great prices make this an excellent time to buy in our area.

What about selling.  Should you wait for higher prices to sell?  Well, if interest rates go up it will be more difficult for a buyer to qualify for a loan on your property.  And since we are actually low on   inventory right now, there is not much competition and supply and demand is helping homes sell.  That factored with almost no spec homes on the market give pre-owned homes a competitive advantage over past or future housing markets.  Another financial consideration is what is happening to the market where you plan to buy your next home.  Some of the most depressed real estate markets such as Arizona and the California Desert are coming back strong, prices starting to inch up.  There still lots of great bargains, but the bottom of many markets was last year.

We can analyze economic forecasts, real estate trends, and micro market reviews and create dozens of pages of charts and graphs.  But in the end, for most people, it is not a financial decision alone.  Your home is your haven, your safe place, the place that you build the memories that you will cherish forever.  Being with family and friends is what makes the great memories and it is the  little things like the growth chart on the door jam that makes the building your home.

We most often see a lifestyle change precipitate a move.  The kids leave home making the house seem big and empty, or a grandchild is born in a different state and the grandparents don’t want to be so far away.  

If you are considering moving, please call  (360) 941-3734  or email Jean@JeanGroesbeck.com for a complimentary no obligation  market analysis.  We can provide the stats by area, size, & floor plan; we help with staging; we handle every detail of the transaction and provide 5 Star Real Estate Services. It is your lifestyle, or desired lifestyle, that should provide the  motivation.

The Anacortes Island Chicks

On April 28^th, from 9 AM to 3 PM, The Island Chicks will be hosting a spring shopping event at the Port of Anacortes.

This exciting Anacortes event will feature plenty of antiques, vintage, repurposed/refreshed, and handmade treasures for your home and garden, and over 25 different vendors from Skagit Valley for you to shop!

There will be lots of great items to choose from to get your Anacortes home and garden looking  beautiful just in time for summer, so be sure to stop by with your family and friends!

Admission is $5.00 per person, and will be reduced to $3.00 if you bring a non-perishable food item.  All food items are donated to the Anacortes 100 Food Bank.

Enjoy luxurious living in this magnificent Shelter Bay custom home with every detail carefully thought out and executed to perfection

Sophisticated architecture brilliantly captures light & creates grand spaces for entertaining as well as intimacy for those quiet evenings at home. The excellent 50′± dock was offset to allow an unobstructed expansive view. The sumptuous master bath rivals the most elegant spa, and the 1000′± of garage space easily accommodates 4 cars. Just viewing this 2,767′± home is a treat! $649,000

879 Shoshone Drive, La Conner

Driving Directions:  From Anacortes, Hwy 20 East, Turn right onto Reservation Road, Continue onto Pioneer Parkway, Turn right onto Shelter Bay Drive, Turn left on Shoshone Drive.

If you are interested in this property, and would like more information on other homes for sale in Skagit County, contact Jean Groesbeck (360) 941-3734 or email Jean@JeanGroesbeck.com

To read more of Rick Buzel’s tips for Anacortes home owners, please click here!

This video blog is not intended to endorse any person, product, or company but is intended to help educate viewers on the home buying and home selling processes.  The information provided is believed to be reliable but is not  Jean Groesbeck & Assoc. LLC, Coldwell Banker Bain, nor do they add any implied warranties.