The Bellingham Real Estate Podcast

When selling your home, the details matter. And there is a range of what price your home can sell for. The factors that a Realtor can help you with to help you get top dollar include, preparation, presentation, promotion and strategic pricing. William Elmer sits down with Paul Balzotti to talk about the programs and formula behind what has helped Will sell all of his listings in 2023 for well abov...

Water rights is a major concern in Whatcom County with Washington State moving forward with water adjudication for the Nooksack basin and surrounding areas. All owners & prospective buyers of vacant land or residential homes on a well or shared well, should be aware of what is upcoming.  For more questions you can reach crissyimpero@johnlscott.com

CEO of John L. Scott, J. Lennox Scott is the 3rd generation leader of the company. John L. Scott is a top 20 Real Estate brand in the country with over 100+ in the northwest region and over 3,000 associates.  Lennox talks about the history of John L. Scott Real Estate, what the company is working on to evolve, the future of A.I. in Real Estate, and he provides a market forecast for Whatcom County...

The city of Bellingham has agreed to adopt the majority of the new ADU (additional dwelling units) law EHB 1337 that was mandated from Washington state. Hannah Jones talks to Paul Balzotti about the changes the city has approved and what that means for Bellingham. 1:00 Hannah explains. 4:15 How this new law will impact the city of Bellingham. 10:00 How ADU's help with Affordable homeownership...

At the mid-year point in 2023, Dexter Andrews and Paul Balzotti sit down to discuss the year to date statistics, as well as the small correlation (and major differences) between the 2008 Real Estate market crash, and the 2023 market slowdown.  00:30 Dexter Andrews background in Real Estate, beginning in Minnesota. 02:40 Paul Balzotti touching on 2023 mid-year market statistics. 04:00 Interest rate...

When looking at a home, it's important to take a closer look at the quality and condition of a home, even before doing your home inspection. Travis Boyd is a former contractor and property manager plus offers 3 years full-time in sales. In this episode, Travis and Paul Balzotti discuss things to consider before, during, and after the home inspection when home buying.  00:30 Travis's back...

 Veteran Bellingham Real Estate broker Molly Visser talks about downsizing from a larger home to a smaller condo. Tips for downsizing and things to consider when buying a condo. You can reach Molly at mollyvisser@johnlscott.com 00:20 - Molly Vissers background. 01:10  - Molly's story about downsizing from a home to a condo. 5:50 - Trade-offs and lifestyle changes. 6:20 - Researching different...

Blake Lester talks to Paul Balzotti about his background working at Zillow, his time living out of a van in Mexico. WWU economist Hart Hodges also just provided an economic forecast for 2023 for the Whatcom Realtor association, and Blake and Paul share reports from this forecast and where the market stands early in 2023. You can reach Blake at blakelester@johnlscott.com 00:20  Blake talks working...

Glacier Washington has been the hottest Real Estate market in Whatcom County over the last 3 years. Located 10 miles northwest of the Mount Baker summit, Glacier is a popular location for 2nd homes and Air B&B homes.  Marty has been serving the Glacier Washington market for nearly 20 years and shares insights into the different communities in Glacier. 1:00: How Marty started working in Glacier...

Irena Kolbert worked in property management for 2 years before getting her Real Estate license to be a full-time sales broker. She covers some important things to consider when buying an investment property, and things to consider when hiring a property management company.  00:40 Irena's property management background. 02:30 Whether or not to use a property management company. 04:05 Tips for...

Cal Leenstra started his Real Estate career in Bellingham in the 1960's as the co-owner of Kelstrup Real Estate, which eventually became Prudential Kelstrup. He was a co-owner for 20+ years, and has continued in sales (both residential & commercial) for 50+ years! In addition, Cal holds his CCIM, the highest designation in commercial sales, and has also been investing and developing in Wh...

Since June of 2022, the market has shifted from a frenzy sellers market in Bellingham and Whatcom County Washington, to a more balanced market. Home prices have softened and days on market has increased. Mira Gregory has been a full-time Realtor for 5+ years, and discusses with Paul Balzotti the talking points she is having with her clients in this shifting market. 0:53 Mira's career backgrou...

The housing market has become more balanced over the last 6 months, with homes staying on the market longer, and buyers having more negotiation power. At the same time interest rates have risen, creating a pinch for home buyers trying to make a move. Lee Rosales is a rising star in the Real Estate business, working successfully throughout 2022 to help her buyers make it happen. Paul Balzotti and L...

Sarah Aguirre is a rising star in our local Real Estate business, and a big factor in her success can be attributed to social media. Sarah is active on all major platforms, regularly posting Reelz & new content (including "Spilling Tea on Realty") for both her Real Estate account as well as her husband's construction company, Mountain View construction. Paul Balzotti and Sarah t...

There is a lot to know about buying your first home, and Oksana Martynyuk is a broker that has hosted First Time Buyer classes and specializes in helping first time buyers. Oksana discusses how most first-time home buyers deserve more education on the process, and more hand-holding along the way.  1:14  Why Oksana is passionate about helping first-time home-buyers. 2:25  Buying a home in your 20&a...

With interest rates on the rise and inventory increasing, the intensity of the market has changed rapidly over the last 2 months. What was an extreme frenzy sellers market, is now becoming a more balanced market in some parts of the county. Joy Edwards Brown and Paul Balzotti discuss this shift, and tips for buyers, sellers, and Realtors who are needing to work differently then they have in years....

Bellingham has many historic homes, and Jen Sandoval is a Realtor who loves digging into the history of a home, and the history of the neighborhood. Paul and Jen cover everything from the resources out there to help you learn more about a home, to tips for things to consider when buying an older home.  You can reach Jen Sandoval at jensandoval@johnlscott.com or 360-223-2564. 0:15 Introduction of J...

Holly Tremaine Swanson and her husband "Flippin Jeff" have bought and sold 15 homes over the last 20 years, landing finally in their dream home on Lake Whatcom. They moved into several homes for short periods of time, to remodel and flip, and move to the next. Moving up, and at one point moving back down, to then move back up again! Holly's story is inspiring and enlightening for an...

Are you considering a hobby farm, or buying acreage? Crissy Impero grew up in Whatcom County on land, and stll runs a small hobby farm. Paul Balzotti and Crissy discuss raw land, farming, and important factors to consider when buying acreage.  0:39 Crissy's background in Whatcom County and hobby farming.  3:07 Whatcom County areas to find acreage. 4:41 Private wells and water use-age. 9:30 Se...

Valerie Richardson and Paul Balzotti give a Real Estate market update for April of 2022.  This includes breaking down the 1st quarter statistics, along with Valerie sharing some incredible sales stories from this first part of the year.  0:10 Introduction of Valerie Richardson. 1:30 Paul shares the 1st quarter market statistics. 3:10 Valerie shares stories of extreme bidding wars she was involved...

Peter Roberts has 35+ years in the Real Estate business and 29 years working with bank REO properties. Peter has sold more foreclosed homes than anyone in Whatcom County over that period. In this episode, Paul Balzotti and Peter discuss the foreclosure process, how to find bank foreclosure listings and tips for buying a distressed or foreclosed home.  0:48 Peter Roberts sales & bank REO backgr...

Eric & Bre Green are a top producing Real Estate team and also owners of the Greenhouse Furniture & Home store in downtown Bellingham. Their staging services has been featured on HGTV "Unsellable Houses" for 2 seasons. They are also now the leading staging service in Whatcom County. They share how they got into offering staging, as well as some tips & insights into preparing...

Bellingham has seen a surge of people relocating from the Greater Seattle area to Bellingham over the last 2 years. Nicole Tingvall is a Realtor who made that same transition just a few years ago! After growing up and living in Seattle for many years, she made the move to Bellingham in 2018, knowing no one! She started her career in Real Estate in Bellingham and has never looked back. She now spec...

Cherisa & AJ Hoekema are military veterans & and a well-established Real Estate team. They share their story of using the VA loan to both buy their primary residence as well as investment properties with zero down. They also talk about the resources available to active military and veterans in the Pacific Northwest.  You can reach them at hoekemateam@gmail.com or ajh@johnlscott.com. 1:00 C...

In a hot Real Estate market, the topic of affordable housing has never been more important. Julia Menkee is a veteran Realtor, and also the director of Whatcom Skagit Housing. Whatcom Skagit Housing is a local non-profit funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (through Rural Development) to assist limited-income families in building their own homes.  Julia shares the details of this program a...