To the editor:

Congratulations to the sponsors of the South Whidbey Real Estate Forum.

The forum promised to be “an assortment of professions discussing our housing market – the good, the bad and even the ugly.” They met their promise.

There were too many familiar names to list, but most impressive was their adherence to the guideline: five minutes to talk and questions, no selling, provide a fresh perspective. With one notable exception, they all succeeded.

We were reminded of previous real estate cycles; this time we have twice as much inventory and half as many sales as two years ago. The rental housing market fades out at around $1,200/month and the vacation rental market is booming. Most favored mortgages are from FHA and USDA; jumbo loans are still available at good rates.

It’s a good time to buy: plenty to choose from, interest rates are low, fixer bargains to be had.

The county assessor refreshed our understanding of assessed value vs. tax rate, in layman’s terms; we have some of the lowest tax rates and the highest assessed values in the state. Architects reminded us that the cost of building is going up, $200/sf is common and remodeling an older home or modifying an existing one is the most effective use of our money.

We heard from a local vintner, got an overview of the Sounder system and a perspective on the Whidbey Marina at Langley.

Very informative, heartfelt, a little long and a great first effort; I’m looking forward to next year’s real estate forum.

Daniel Goldsmith

Freeland