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Whidbey Island News
March 11th, 2010
De-clutter and Stage your Home
The softening Real Estate market is increasing homeowner demands for tools to help bring a profit in the sale of their homes. 
ASP Home Staging has become one such tool. By properly cleaning, decluttering and preparing a house before it is listed on the market, homeowners have a better chance of selling their home at or above list price.
In a recent study conducted by Stagedhomes.com, of over 1000 homes, (55% Vacant, 45% occupied) across the United States and Canada, showed that homes that were prepared for sale by an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP®) were on the market 80% less time before selling than non ASP Staged Homes. And the average ASP Staged Home sold for more dollars depending upon the market, price range of the house and the neighborhood. Averages ran from 7.9 % more dollars to over 25% or more than non ASP Staged Homes.
Mary Bryson is now serving Whidbey Island as an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP®) Realtor. Mary is among the network of more than 21,000 Real Estate Agents and professional Home Stagers worldwide, who are providing sellers with the 
knowledge and tools they need to sell their homes faster and/or for more money. Mary has completed the Accredited Staging Professional Course provided by StagedHomes.com, where she received hands-on 
instruction and was required to and demonstrated techniques by Staging a home that was listed on the market. Shown here, are before and after pictures of staged rooms. It really gives the room a different feeling after being staged.
The Accredited Staging Professional Course was created by Barb Schwarz, the Creator of Home Staging®, President and CEO of Stagedhomes.com and the International Association of Home Staging Professionals®. Barb developed the concept of Home Staging in the early 1970’s and has since educated more than one-million people on the subject. She is a nationally known and award-winning speaker, author and trainer and has been featured on ABC’s Good Morning America and 20/20, NBC’s The Today Show, PBS, The CBS Evening News, Fox News, as well as many local news programs.
To have your property ASP Staged please contact Mary Bryson at 360-929-2720 or mbryson@windermere.com.
Pictures courtesy of Stagedhomes.com
March 11th, 2010
Chickens in your Garden
If you love gardening you won’t want to miss the Whidbey Gardening Workshop in Coupeville on March 20. It is an all day affair with an amazing group of workshops, and a keynote address by Valerie Easton. Valerie writes about gardens and houses for Garden Design, Metropolitan Home and the Seattle Times ,and lives and gardens in Langley. The cost of this incredible day is $35 for the workshop and $8 for lunch. There are over 50 classes to choose from, and yes, one of them is “Chickens in Your Garden.”
There are a wide range of classes to suit diverse interests, like the practical “From the Garden to Your Table” to the more complex “Creating a Backyard Wildlife Habitat”.
March 5th, 2010
Central Whidbey Soccer Club Presents “Soccer Day” March 13th.
A fun-filled Coupeville Community Event for families!
When: Saturday, March 13, 2010
Where: Rhododendron Park
Schedule:
U-7/9 10-11 am
U-10/12 11-12pm
U-14 and older 12-1pm
- Last chance to register your kids for Spring Soccer
- Fun soccer activities for the younger kids
- A scrimmage for the older kids
- Refreshments for sale
- A cleat exchange, bring your gently used cleats that you’ve out-grown and trade them in.
- New soccer balls for sale in different youth sizes.
- Preview of the Spring soccer jerseys.
March 1st, 2010
Come to Coupeville Mussel Festival March 5-7th
The Mussel Festival in Coupeville is March 5-7 2010 on the waterfront. Come enjoy briny mussels fresh from the sea in chowder and off the grill. This is a fitting place to hold an event like this, as the famous Penn Cove mussels are farmed there. Cruise aboard the Mystic Sea and visit the Penn Cove Shellfish farm just a short distance from the Coupeville Wharf. The vessel is equipped with an underwater camera and two large screens for viewing. Tours will be led by Penn Cove Shellfish staff and will leave the wharf every hour on the hour 11 AM to 4PM Saturday and Sunday. A fun way for adults and children to enjoy the day.
Surviving off the gifts of the sea was essential to the everyday lives of the natives and early settlers of the northwest islands. Enjoying this natural bounty is a practice of many islanders today. From algae to salmon, a balanced diet can be achieved from the sea. Mussels can be pulled from rocks, or harvested from a chain on a dock. Their formal name is black bivalve mollusk and there are over 70 types.
If you buy your mussels fresh, make sure they’re alive, and that the shells are closed. They can easily be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in a container covered with a damp cloth. They can be frozen, but should be used within 3 months. This recipe is one of the simplest and most delectable recipes I have tried. You will find yourself making this recipe again and again.
February 8th, 2010
Inexpensive Home Facelift - By Jon Roberts
I have been contacted by several potential clients during the last six months who are interested in updating the exterior of their home or who are purchasing an existing home. In most of these cases the homeowners are satisfied with the size, functionality and location of their homes but have become dissatisfied with or tired of the exterior style. The customer purchasing an existing home is doing so because it is located in a great area, has a mature landscape and generally meets their needs.
In 2009 we worked to complete a facelift on a home in Coupeville. The owners of the home needed to replace the roof and add insulation to their 25 year old home. They decided to take advantage of the federal government’s energy credit, reduce their federal income taxes and update the style of their home at the same time. Although no new heated square footage was added, the new entry porch on the front of the existing house totally transformed the streetscape of the home. See the before and after photos at Cascade Custom Homes - Click on RENOVATIONS - Morgenstern.
Another couple simply wanted to rid their home of the old drafty wood fireplace and replace it with a fuel efficient gas fireplace. At the same time, we replaced all of the old aluminum windows with super energy efficient vinyl windows. This renovation was made more affordable by the energy tax credits available to the homeowner.
Many buyers still don’t understand the tax credit or realize it is available to them. Visit energystar and energy for more information about the available credits.
Article written by Jon Roberts, Cascade Custom Homes, owner
January 23rd, 2010
Tree of Hope Christmas Gift Program
Even in a town as prosperous as Oak Harbor there are still many families who need help making ends meat. The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is tasked with helping those families based upon need. DSHS helps by providing cash assistance, food stamps, and access to medical help. These services can be invaluable toward helping a family get back on their feet. Unfortunately this means that special times of the year such as Christmas can still be very lean for these families who just don’t have the extra money for Christmas gifts. Seeing this need, Soroptimist International of Oak Harbor stepped in and started the Tree of Hope program. Tree of Hope is a service project designed to help needy families provide Christmas gifts to their children. DSHS starts by sending their clients information on the Tree of Hope program that includes a wish list for parents to complete for each child. The wish list includes the child’s first name, age, clothing and shoe sizes and a list of items the child would like for Christmas. These lists are given to the Soroptimists who issue a control number for each child, then the hard work begins. Every 
Soroptimist Club member goes out into the community asking people to take the name of a child and purchase gifts for that child. In an average year there will be 300 to 500 children on the list but this Christmas season there were over 800 children in need.
December 29th, 2009
Festival of Trees Gives Holiday Cheer to Big Brothers Big Sisters
One of the most anticipated yearly events on Whidbey Island is the Festival of Trees; a formal auction event benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island County. The event features uniquely decorated trees, wreaths and many other interesting items like vacation packages and weekend boat trips.
The first weekend of December everyone gets all dressed up to mingle with friends and have a delicious dinner while enjoying the festive atmosphere of beautifully decorated Christmas trees.
Before dinner, the guests wander around the silent auction room bidding on items such as art work, homemade candy, and baskets of products from local hair salons, massage therapists and coffee shops. Shortly after dinner, the real fun starts with the live auction. Attendees bid on the fully decorated trees and wreaths which will be delivered to their home or place of business.
The trees are donated by Wood Bee Tree Farms and decorated by volunteers, many who start planning their tree as early as January and have decorated trees every year for the past 11 years. Excitement fills the air as friends bid against each other and the auctioneer, Mark Schenfeld of Stokes Auction Group, keeps the action going. By the end of the night everyone goes home knowing they have helped a great local cause and had tons of fun in the process.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a mentoring program designed to help children reach their full potential by matching them in one-to-one relationships with positive role models. National research shows that positive relationships between youth and their Big Brother or Big Sister have a direct and measurable impact*.
September 29th, 2009
Windermere Real Estate partners with Zillow.com
Today, all Windermere Real Estate Listings are now on Zillow.com! Windermere will also show the Zillow valuation (Zestimate) for all current listings on Windermere.com (with Seller’s permission).
September 23rd, 2009
Ride Whidbey Island September 26th, 2009
The Tour de Whidbey bicycle ride raises funds for Whidbey General Hospital. This Saturday is the 8th annual event, and the weather is looking great (70 degrees).
The course is a 100-mile figure-eight, and covers the entire island;
Riders can choose from a hilly 100, 60 and 50 mile ride, or moderate 40 and 28 mile ride, or an easy family friendly 10 mile ride.
Free pancake breakfast, with sausage, orange juice and coffee from 6:30 - 9:00 AM. Breakfast is provided and served by Windermere Real Estate.
Come join us this Saturday for a great ride and a great cause!
September 22nd, 2009
Travel!
“STAYcations” was a word I heard last year to describe what people did when the economy went south. Folks would give up plans to 
travel anywhere, choosing instead to “stay” close to home and do things which didn’t cost as much money.
Well, the travel industry is hurting too - and their loss can be your gain. Take our family for instance.
We were looking for something very fun to do in a one-week block before school started (we have three sons at home in school and two sons who recently graduated from high school who are serving in the armed forces). I wanted something that would be memorable and affordable. My wife wanted something that would give us lots of choices and lots of time together. She wanted to be pampered and I wasn’t opposed to the idea!