ESTATE Ferndale home sales down 7.4% compared to rest of county

WHATCOM — After typically leading the rest of Whatcom County in the frenzied real-estate market of the past couple years, Bellingham dipped more than smaller communities in the second quarter.

e median price of a Whatcom County home sale in this year’s second quarter was $600,000, down 7.6% from a year ago. Also, 674 homes were sold countywide in the second quarter, a drop of 18.3% from last year, according to Peter Ahn, co-owner of e Muljat Group in Bellingham. Ahn prepared a report based on data from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

However, those statistics were better than just Bellingham, which saw the median sales price drop 9.3% ($712,000) and unit sales fall 24.1% (199) in the second quarter.

“ e golden interest rate era brought signi cant increases in sales prices throughout the more sought-after neighborhoods in Bellingham whereas the prices did not increase as signi cantly and drastically in other areas,”

Ahn said. “With the increase in mortgage rates over the past year, the adjustments in the market have been more pronounced in Bellingham than the smaller communities.” e median sales price, average sales price, number of units sold and average days on the market (DOM) before a sale for the county and individual communities for the second quarter of 2023, with percentage comparisons to the second quarter of 2022 follow.

Examples of markets that outperformed Bellingham in the second quarter are Lynden, where the median sales price rose 1.4% to $635,000, and Birch Bay/Blaine, which watched home sales jump 19.1% to 125.

“As for the rest of 2023, I expect sales to be consistent on a seasonal quarter to quarter basis as long as we don’t see a sharp increase or decrease in the interest rates,” Ahn said.

-- Information provided by Peter Ahn, co-owner of e Muljat Group.

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Mt. Baker Lanes Pizza & Bowling Party

Whatcom County News Briefs

Area residents graduate from Linfield Univ.

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. — Following the spring 2023 semester, Lin eld awarded 127 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees, 115 Bachelor of Science degrees, 81 Bachelor of Arts degrees and 15 Master of Science degrees to 335 students. Of those, two are from north Whatcom County: • Luz Guadalupe Medina Castaneda of Lynden graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

• Evan Neitling of Nooksack graduated with a Bachelor of Science in economics and mathematics.

Honors are determined once a student’s nal grades have been submitted. For undergraduate students, these include summa cum laude (3.9-4.0 cumulative GPA), magna cum laude (3.8-3.89 cumulative GPA) and cum laude (3.65-3.79 cumulative GPA). Graduate students earn honors or high honors for earning a GPA of 3.8-3.89 and 3.9-4.0, respectively. Lin eld University is an independent, nonpro t university with two physical campuses in McMinnville and Portland, Oregon, and an eCampus. Learn more at www.lin eld.edu.

Literacy Breakfast with Nancy Pearl

FERNDALE — e Whatcom Lit- eracy Council will host the annual Literacy Breakfast with Nancy Pearl fundraiser on ursday, Nov. 16 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the Ferndale Community Pavilion, 2007 Cherry St., in Pioneer Park. Seating will be limited to 252 guests. Cost is $30 to reserve a seat. Register after Labor Day at whatcomliteracy.org. A donation will be expected at the event. Sponsorships are still available.

After a short program about the council, Nancy Pearl, author/librarian/NPR commentator, will review her favorite titles for the year. Village Books will be at the event selling the books Pearl has recommended. e program will be broadcast live on BTV, Bellingham’s free television station, channel 10.

See Breakfast on A5

Fresh Perspectives

We've changed our name to Cordata Gallery! Come and join us for our inaugural exhibition "Fresh Perspectives”, showcasing juried artwork by the talented artists of the Women Painters of Washington, an all female arts organization founded in 1930. Through their use of various mediums and techniques, these artists have brought to life stunning representations of their imagination, emotions, and experiences.

Public Opening: August 5, 3-5pm

Exhibition: August 5 - October 21, 2023

Tues-Sat, 11-4pm and by appointment