Sequim Real Estate Market Report 2017

In a most recent report in the Sequim Gazette Managing Broker Doc Reiss came up with some really interesting numbers. Let's just pick up a few relating to our blog post "Sequim House Sales are soaring", which will be helpful for those who have not given up on finding the perfect house to buy in Sequim at the current house sales slowdown this September and October.

In August, 77 home sales were down 30% from the level at the same time in 2016 but up from the number sold in July. The average house purchase price of $357,507 is definitely of interest for potential home buyers which is 20% up from 2016. The lack of inventory has buyers  scrambling to buy the house they want reflecting our market observation expressed in our blog post. Last August the average home that sold was 75 days on the market. This August houses lasted  just 36 days on the market. Looking at the year so far, the average home has gone from 76 days on the market to only 54. Bottom line: Home Buyers be aware. Homes are selling 35% faster than last year.

Our personal opinion is that sales might not slow down over this fall or winter season with climate change and weather reports of devastating hurricanes, century floods and wild fires becoming the regular norm across the United States. The nice, sunny weather all over the Olympic Peninsula this summer
attracts lots of home searchers looking for moderate weather.

Sun over Sequim and dark rain clouds over Seattle in the East and Port Angeles in the West produce the most impressive double rainbow over  Sequim town

USA Today picks Sequim as Best Northwestern Small Town

What a surprise to see Sequim get chosen as the Best Small Town in the Northwest among 20 others in WA, OR, AK, ID, MT and WY. This win will definitely influence people's decisions to visit Sequim or even to move to this lovely small town with big town amenities as we did 10 years ago.

The last snow before spring 2017

It seems Sequim received this precious award just at the right time. Sequim's Irrrigation Festival Grand Finale continues on this weekend with multiple events:
Grand Parade on Saturday, Logging Show, Hot Rod & Harley, Strongman Show and more.

Sequim Irrigation Festival 2016

Not only that we celebrate Sequim's 122nd Irrigation Festival and got awarded with the Best Western Small Town, Spring is in full bloom with the lovely sweet
scent of Lilacs and colorful Rhodies everywhere after tons of daffodils in Sequim residents' front yards.

Real Cherry Tree promises big 2017 harvest

The run for a nice house in Sequim to buy, keeps realtors already very busy with several bets on houses for sale. Inventory is low and the competition is big for what's available. Ask our friend Tom Blore whose "pending" signs are all over town. Do what we did, research the area, make a list of houses you are interested in and then set up a vacation for a real visit. Don't buy 'unseen', even if it sounds more than tempting.

Cherry Blossom Trees everwhere

Lucky we live in Sequim

Dear Sequim town blog visitors,
We can't believe it, our 10th anniversary of our life in Sequim is coming up on January 12th 2016. Time to celebrate! For all those of you who seriously consider to move to the Olympic Peninsula now or in the near future, let us tell you, we never regretted the move here one bit. Reading the news about nasty weather reports like tornadoes, snow storms, floods, icy roads and more in states like Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico make us even feel better. Visit Sequim, check it out and make your decision. We welcome new arrivals on a daily basis. Realtors are happy about the 'rush'.

New Railroad Bridge

We are closing the old year 2015 with some good news. In February the rain and high winds from a passing through storm damaged the Railroad Bridge at Dungeness River Auduborn Center and resulted in the closure of the bridge. As the bridge is part of the Olympic Discovery Trail and is frequently used by Sequim residents - we love our bikes past Sequim Airport to Robin Hill Park - and visiting bikers as well, the closure caused lots of inconvenience and detours. After about a 10th month waiting, the new bridge is completed (see my photos from Christmas Day). There will be a Grand Opening of Railroad Bridge steel truss trestle on December 30th at 1pm at the Railroad Bridge Park. See you there!

New riverbed of the Dungeness River

Location of Dungeness River before storm

Another big event negatively affecting the lives of hundreds of active, health oriented Sequim senior citizens happened when our beloved SARC Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center closed at the beginning of November - totally unexpected, we were promised by the board members that SARC will stay open at least till August 2016. Prior to the closure we attended a final meeting at the City Hall about the necessary closure. Hearing that SARC was working on its last reserves of about $20K(!), we were totally shocked and especially surprised when people in charge did not take responsibility for the failure by resigning from their position. This failure did not happen from one day to the next. No private business could have done that.

To cut a long story short, after lots of discussions and meetings of all the different entities - such as Clallam County, City of Sequim, Olympic Medical Center, Sequim High School - which realize how important SARC is to the healthy life styles of Sequim residents is, finally joined forces and a solution for SARC's reopening is in sight. Please, follow the discussions at the Sequim Gazette and at the Peninsula Daily News We are all very happy that a reopening of SARC has become feasible but we are very disappointed about the set time frame for July 2016. Til' then we signed up for two different gyms: Anytime Fitness offers AARP members (United Health) an affordable alternative but I signed up with the general affordable fees of Sequim Gym. Last but no least, forget about doing your swimming at the William Shore Pool in Port Angeles - they raised the daily fees FOR SEQUIM RESIDENTS from $3.50 to $10.50, which we consider totally unethical because the majority of Sequim residents are seniors on a fixed income.

We are looking forward to reuniting with all our kindred spirit Sequim friends at SARC soon.

Sequim weather in October

"What's the weather like in Sequim in September and October?"

Potential guests often ask us when making plans for a monthly Sequim visit at our vacation rental. We always give them the same answer: Next to the summer months July and August, September and October are beautiful fall months here on the Olympic Peninsula. Perfect for hiking the Olympics, visit Sol Duc Hot Springs, kayaking the Straits, joining other visitors on a whale watch boat trip or enjoy an outing to Seattle or Victoria B.C. on Vancouver Island.

OK admittedly, we have to wait a little longer in May for comfy warm spring weather when our friends in Canada in the Okanagan Valley (desert climate) already brag about some warmer temperatures but to tell you the truth, Sequim's moderate summer temperatures and the Indian Summers in September and October make all up for it. It feels like a never-ending summer at this time of the season: blue skies, lots of sun, warm pleasant temperatures after 10am with lots of bikers runners and walkers out on the Olympic Discovery Trail. And yes it's true, Sequim residents still greet each other!

Like the rest of happy Sequim people, we enjoy the extended summer - on Sunday it was a bike ride via the Railroad Bridge to Sequim Airport - as much as we can and as long as we can. Don't forget sometimes the 'change' in weather to the colder season can happen without much ado. Well, and for those, who want to find out what Sequim weather is like in November and December during the holiday season, here is the good news. We had a cancellation at our fully equipped vacation rental for November. The apartment is now available starting November 11, 2014. If you are interested and/or have any questions, please, email us. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
p.s.
Thanks Erin & Kevin for your wonderful photos from the Pumpkin patch.

Is Sequim the best town to retire in US?

Sequim best retirement city?

Yes, for us definitely. For all those who have followed our blog "Sequim Town" over the years or even for the many guests who stayed with us at our Sequim Vacation Rental over the last few years - by the way, an impressive 50% of those ended up moving to Sequim and live here now for good - this is nothing new.

View from Bell Hill over Sequim Bay, the Straits and Cascade Mountains

But now the 'Huffington Post' and 'Fox News' individually named Sequim as best retirement city in the USA, which makes our little town really stand out among retirement options. However, we can't agree with all the reasoning of those two -  like pot is now legal in WA and therefore in Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula, which might be the biggest attraction for some - we love best the closeness to the ocean (Straits de Juan de Fuca) and the mountains (Olympic National Park), the moderate temperatures all your round with a very average of annual rain fall between 12 - 15 inch. One can't beat small town living with big town amenities - Costco and WalMart on the top of shopping opportunities.

View over Sequim Valley, with the Straits and Mt.Maker in back

SARC Sequim Aquatic Recreational Center including modern work-out equipment, big variety of exercise classes, Olympic size swimming pool, steam and hot saunas and wonderful jacuzzi has become the morning meeting place for seniors, "competing' with our top notch Senior Center, to socialize and stay in best shape ever.

Coming back to the fact that Sequim got named in the top of best national retirement cities, this development is not welcome by everybody in town. We all love our peaceful living, wonderful natural environment and neighborhood watches to keep us safe. So some consider more retirees as 'intruders', even though most of them have been one not far ago.

John Wayne Marina

We all got to realize that only change can make things happen. Wouldn't we all like to see the value of our real estate property going up or see our health care system further improve?! So let's embrace change and welcome the new retirees to Sequim!

Sequim Jamestown Golf Course views

Come for a visit and you might want to come back to stay!

Sequim Library hosts a 'Whodunit'

Dear Sequim visitors,
First things first, we really love our Sequim library. One can find almost any book there and if they don't have the book you want at our Sequim location, it's easy to order it. The Sequim library also offers book sales at least once a month where you can buy paper backs as cheap as 25cents. Perfect for getting books for going on vacation. Those who come on vacation to Sequim will like the Sequim library a lot because it also offers free Internet service.

The Sequim Library 'Whodunit' seems to be a great fun addition to the library. This past Friday night a hoard of amateur CSI'ers descended on the Sequim library to solve the mystery of who killed the book author. The library hosted this event, inviting all, young and old, to come and solve the mystery. The Sequim library was packed and we were divided into groups of 4 to 6 persons, given a clue sheet and a crossword puzzle to complete in case of ties. There was a cast of 8 characters who read from scripts detailing the storyline and slipping in clues along the way. The story mixed in locales in and around Sequim, mostly in a funny way. We were given 3 breaks to discuss our clues and to roam the library to find more clues stuck here and there.

The Friends of Sequim Library provided a table of snacks to satisfy any hunger pangs brought on by all that thinking. The evening ended as we turned in our choices of who killed the author, the motive and the weapon used. The first place team received $25 gift certificates for a local restaurant, 2nd and 3rd place received a Lotto ticket each. All in all it was a great way to spend a couple of hours on a Friday evening. I for one am looking forward to the next mystery to solve at the Sequim Library.

Tags: Whodunit at Sequim Library, Sequim Library mystery

Sequim Retirement Home celebrates

To be specific, well-known Sequim retirement center 'The 5th Avenue' turned 25 on Thursday this week and celebrated its birthday with Sequim residents. The retirement center had invited visitors to 'high tea' and tours at the retirement home. We joined the afternoon celebration which included a few birthday speeches, horse-drawn carriage rides a taste of the delicious food the retirement serves its residents and tours through the building in a beautiful garden setting. See my photos.

On the tour we were able to view some of the apartments which include , 1-Bedroom and 2-Bedroom units which are available for rent on a month to month basis. Most of the apartments have large patios or balconies. Amenities and services like full meal service, house keeping, utilities, transportation and activities are part of the monthly rent. Sequim retirement home rentals start at $1950/mo. for a person. A 2-Bedroom condo rents for $3225/mo. for a couple meaning one definitely has to have some decent savings or have a good pension to be able to retire at '5th Avenue' Sequim retirement home.

With 87 being the average age of residents, Sequim residents obviously take their time to check themselves in. We all want to be and stay active, healthy and independent as long as possible. However, it's a good thing to know that Sequim town has a nice retirement home as '5th Avenue'. To check things out on your own, you can always come to Sequim. An affordable charming Sequim vacation apartment makes your visit easy.

Tags: Sequim Retirement Home

Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center goes high tech

As regular Sequim Town blog visitors you know that one of the reasons we love Sequim so much is because it's a town which offers the ingredients to keep you young and in good shape and health. It's all up to you! We love biking the Olympic Discovery Trail, hiking in the Olympic Mountains or just walking Carrie Blake Park!

Of course, there are also those months when outdoor activities are limited because of the weather. Rain shadow and blue holes are good but Sequim is still in the PNW. When we investigated about Sequim as our retirement option, we read about SARC Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center. We say it again 'This is the biggest bonus the Sequim retirement community enjoys DAILY!. The Center offers any cardiovascular or muscle-building machine you can dream of - come and see for your selves - two pools, jacuzzi, steam sauna complement the workout with nice recreation and relaxation features.

SARC has changed and improved a lot ever since we joined 4 years ago when moving to Sequim. It seemed to me that SARC had achieved a high level in quality equipment and exercise classes, including Keoki's very own 'Easy Stretch class' on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 10:30am, but it still got better. When I walked into the aerobic workout room over a week ago, there were two new cross-trainers, my favorites ,and 5 new treadmills equipped with its own TV. I brought my airplane headphones and tried one of the cross-trainers. Really nice!

Reading when on the cross-trainer does not come easy and a 20-30min workout can stretch when not doing anything but pumping your arms and legs. With the new TVs, any workout becomes a piece of cake. Interestingly, the first week the machines stayed surprisingly empty but as it was and is with any technology, seniors need a little while to adjust to the challenges of new buttons. The figured out computers and cell phones. Sequim seniors will line up at the new machines pretty soon. Thanks SARC for going high tech!

Tags: Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center, retire in Sequim

Sequim Council approved impact fees for new home builders

Welcome back to Sequim Town Vacation blog,

Decision is made by Sequim council: Building a new house in Sequim will soon cost Sequim home builders more money. We discussed the issue of impact fees as a means for Sequim town to make some extra money to maintain streets, parks etc. in our recent post 'What is new for Sequim home owners?'

On March 222 Sequim city council and its manager Steve Burkett voted to adopt new impact fees in order to keep Sequim's infrastructure up-to-date. Starting in July 2010 new home builders in Sequim will have to pay for each single-family home an extra $4,868 in impact fees. Those charges will be added on the current $15,800 cost of a building permit.

We are happy that we did not postpone the building of our new Sequim home after we had bought our new town lot with those wonderful views of the Olympic Mountains. Building in 2007 saved us in hindsight a lot of money. Well, we don't know how much money the City of Sequim can rake in with that new impact fee, if the applications for building permits stay the same low as in 2009.

We have been talking and are still talking to quite a number of people who found Sequim Town Vacation blog on the Internet and have serious plans to move to Sequim for good. Most of them, don't want to go through the hassle of building a new home - who does when being retired and looking for an easy relaxed life. The majority wants to buy a house in Sequim which fits best their budget and expectations.

Also read our post about 'Sunland Golf Course'.

Tags: Sequim real estate, impact fees for new Sequim home builders

What's new for Sequim home owners?

Well, the 'Economic Slowdown" did not go around the city of Sequim, as Sequim home owners might have hoped for. Sequim City struggles to make ends meet just like the rest of the nation. The big question is where to get the money from for improvements of streets, parks, public transportation, police etc.

Financial means for education seems to be taken care of after a recent vote for Sequim Schools where 61% of Sequim residents voted for a higher property tax for Sequim home owners to generate some extra money for Sequim education. The votes included Sequim residents who don't own a home and won't be affected by the higher taxes, at least not at first glance. Eventually, home owners who rent out a second home will try to get some money back from their tenants by raising their rent!

We were actually quite happy when we noticed that our high Sequim property tax had gone down for 2010 but that 'saving's evaporated with the recent vote approval for raising the taxes for schools which meant another $200 more property tax on a Sequim estimated home value of $250,000. Quite a steep raise, we think.

Still there remains the question where to get the money from for keeping Sequim's infrastructure updated and in good shape. Well, the solution seems to be very easy, at least according to a consultant the City of Sequim hired. The 'magic word' is introducing 'impact fees' to new home owners and builders. If the City of Sequim approves the new impact fees, then new Sequim home owners will have to pay an additional $9036, whether they build a new home for $1million or $200,000! The new impact fees would cover Sequim town's future expenses for improvements of infrustructure, parks, transportation, general government and police.

This will be a tough decision to be made by the City Council and Sequim City's new manager Steven Burkett. Naturally, the new impact fees find strong opponents among Sequim builders and realtors. Imagine in 2005 about 190 new building permits were issued for Sequim and area, whereas in 2009, it was only 11 building permits. Sequim builders and realtors believe that those steep impact fees in a slowed-down economy, will have further negative effects and might turn off potential home builders from building in Sequim. The Sequim consultant argues that better parks and infrastructure will attract new home builders to Sequim. What do you think?

Tags: Sequim town, impact fees Sequim, Sequim home owners

Best Retirement Towns by the Water

Just a short notice today that Sequim advances on list of best retirement towns! Our friends from Hawaii who follow our new life in Sequim on our Sequim Vacation blog, recently told us that Sequim is listed on Wallet Pop on their 'Road Map to Retirement 2008' as Number 3 of '6 Top Towns on the Water':

"Many baby boomers dream of retiring somewhere by the water. These half-dozen places are on a lake, a river or an ocean -- yet they won't sink your retirement budget." This is what their site is stating about our favorite retirement town Sequim:

Pros: Water, mountains, culture and a small town all at once.
Cons: The Pacific is a tad nippy for a swim.
Located two hours north of Seattle, Sequim (pronounced skwim) offers a lower cost of living and an easier pace than its burgeoning neighbor to the south. For about $300,000, you can get a three-bedroom house there. Read more about Sequim as a retirement option on their site.

Happy to share this information with everybody who put Sequim on their list of best retirement towns. Come and see for yourself. Enjoy a Sequim Vacation combined with house hunting and stay with us at our Sequim Vacation Rental.

p.s.

Speaking of house hunting. Remember our post about the Sequim house for sale auction in Sun Meadows. The winning bidder got the house for $205,000. Congratulations! That was one happy bidder!

Tags: Sequim, travel, vacation, best retirement town, vacation rental

Sequim weather-It can't be beat!

This a post about the weather in Sequim and the reason I'm writing this is because its raining outside and unfriendly.

Now don't get me wrong I love Sequim including the weather but every now and then the clouds come in and just hang around making for a grey day and on occasion we have rain. That's the kind of day I like to sit in my nice warm house and read a good book or as now write a post.

The one thing nice about Sequim weather is how mellow it is, no SEVERE weather for us, oh no.
When I sit at home watching CNN and see all the SEVERE weather that hits other parts of America and the world I say to myself "lucky you live in Sequim".

We don't have tornadoes, hurricanes, floods or extreme cold or heat. Sure we might have a grey day once in a while but I've never been hurt by a cloud and as far as rain goes we average less than 15 inches a year.

In the winter we have very few days that are below freezing and in the summer we have hardly any days that get up to 90 degrees. If it sounds to you that I like Sequim weather, you are right, I don't know of anywhere in our country with a more consistant weather.

Check out our post on fall weather in Sequim.

Enjoy your weather wherever you are.....Keoki

Tags: Sequim, vacation, travel, Sequim vacation, Sequim weather

Our new Sequim Home

Dear old and new friends,
Hooray, we finally moved into our upstairs quarters two days ago! Hard to describe how good that feels, even though the house walls are full of little blue stickers where the painter needs to patch up some blemishes and electric sockets need to be aligned. But who cares.

We are in after six months of house construction! As said before we enjoy the most beautiful mountain views of the Olympic Mountains and Bell Hill. Whether we sit at our breakfast table in the kitchen or on the couch in the living room or TV-room, we cannot say enough 'Aaah the views'! Hopefully, we will never get tired of enjoying the views.

We are wasted from all the moving but could not resist to already install flower boxes are on both balconies., always with the anticipation of taking inside and outside photos soon. Here is a first photo to awaken your interest for more. So stay tuned. More photos coming soon. Greetings to all Sequim friends from the Sequimers
p.s.
Sorry but we could not make it to the Sequim Walk and Bike . Just too much to do with moving into the new home. Now, comes the fun part...decorating and picture hanging. Landscaping will be a project for coming months.

Tags: retire in sequim, moving to sequim on the olympic peninsula

Bus service from Sequim to Seattle, and SeaTac Airport

Guess what you don't always need to take your own car when going to Seattle, SeaTac Airport, hospitals or doctors visits. Especially when going on a trip from Sequim, it saves you the extra costs for daily parking fees in Seattle.

The daily bus service serving Port Angeles, Sequim, Port Townsend, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Edmonds, Seatac Airport, Seattle Hospitals, Greyhound and Amtrak is convenient, comfortable and affordable.

We had told our friend about this great service who had to drop his moving van in Kingston and after that he was supposed to drop his son at Seattle Airport for his flight back to California. We gave him all the information about Olympic bus lines and things worked out perfect...the son got on the bus to Seattle and our friend took his car back home to Sequim. It saved him a lot of additional driving plus the expenses for the extra gas.

Advance reservations are recommended. Passengers may board without reservations if space is available. For reservations or information, including fares, luggage restrictions and connection, you may call Olympic Bus Lines 8am - 6pm at 360-417-0700. If you have a late night or early morning flight, you may even ask for special Seattle hotel rates!

With our next flight from Seattle Airport, we will make use of this great bus service on the Olympic Peninsula. Seems like the perfect way to start a vacation. We will let you know how it went. If you have used the bus service, please, share your experience with our Sequim blog visitors. Have a great extended weekend. The Sequimers
p.s.
Carrie Blake Park photos coming soon. Sorry with the delay but there was a further delay with moving into our new Sequim house as the carpet had some flaws and had to be sent back. Luckily, we enjoy living in our downstairs apartment but who can blame us that we long to move into the upstairs quarters after a house building time of over 6 months now.

Tags: Sequim Bus service, Olympic Peninsula Bus service

Sequim Town Environmental Issues

Dear Sequimers and Sequim visitors,

Whether Global Warming is a myth or not, we all can and should do something for our Sequim town environment. When we chose Sequim as 'our' best US town for retirement, we were impressed by its cleanliness and well taken care store fronts and Sequim house fronts. We were impressed by little things like the beautiful flowering hanging baskets in Washington St and the bird sounds at traffic light crossings to let blind people know when they can walk...

Having lived in Sequim now for about 1 1/2 years, we became aware that each of us can actually do a better job to contribute to an even better, cleaner environment in our hometown Sequim. We don't know whether there are environmental groups who already pursue these issues. If so, we would like to hear from them and join efforts with all environment concerned people.

The fairly new Sequim weekly newspaper SequimThisWeek is a great addition to the Sequim Gazette. We welcome that Sequim This Week recently started letters to the editors. We intend to write a letter about Sequim and its environment issues. Just a few ideas. One cannot write a lot with the allowed 250 words but we think its a start.

Here are a few ideas how we think we can make Sequim a town of environment awareness.

1. Ride your Bike or Walk in Sequim

Lucky us that there is no industrial pollution in Sequim but what about all the car traffic. Do we really need to drive our car everywhere or wouldn't it be so much better to ride our bikes or walk?! We could kill two birds with one stone...do something good for our health and reduce the CO2 emission. With gas prices steadily rising, this will become a consideration and hopefully a healthy choice for more and more Sequimers.

We need: more bike lanes (Discovery Trail is nice but this is leisure!) and more bike racks in front of stores! The only store where to find a bike rack (for 5 bikes!!!!) is Sequim Safeway. This is pretty bad. Guess what there are already quite a number of Sequimers who regularly bike. So, we need the help of Sequim town authorities to make at least the big markets add bike racks in front. Of course, the motivated biker will find lots of bike racks in front of Sequim's bike shop Mike's Bikes and not only that. These guys help you find the right bike for your age and your needs. Give them a try.

2. Save a Bag when shopping at Sequim markets

Having grown up in Germany and the idea of recycling, I get really upset when people don't pay any attention to the waste we daily 'produce' and what happens with it. Why not take your own shopping bag or basket to the store instead of coming home from your shopping with 3 or more plastic bags each time which end up in the garbage because you forget to dispose them at Safeway (other Sequim markets don't even have a disposal for plastic bags)?! In Germany or other European countries, the shopper has to pay 25 Euro cents when they want/need a plastic bag. Believe me you don't forget your shopping bag too often. Bring your own bag to the store and help reduce waste 'production'!

3. Make efforts to Recycle your waste

I know easier said than done in Sequim. When we first set up our garbage pick-up with Waste Management of Sequim, we noticed that recycling was becoming an expensive issue. More than we wanted to spend on it. It took us quite some time to find out from neighbors that there is a free recycling place for glass, plastic, paper & cardboard and at Blue Mountain outside from Sequim off Hwy 101. We collect all our recyclable materials and drop them 1x a month at the recycle place. Why not join efforts with neighbors and share the car pooling?

We ask our Sequim town authorities to 'advertise' this possibility for new Sequim residents in our Sequim newspapers regularly. Especially since opening hours are 'just' Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Let Sequimers know when they can recycle for free! Better still make recycling a Sequim town concern!

We are looking forward to hearing from many Sequimers. Please, make use of the blog feature to leave a comment...click 'post a comment, sign in with 'other' (not google), add your name and URL (if you have any) and write what you think about our Sequim environment post. Enjoy the Sequim Irrigation Festival and the just opening boat season in Sequim Bay Marina. The Sequimers

Tags: Retire in Sequim, Life in Sequim, Olympic Peninsula

Spring in Sequim

Spring has finally arrived in Sequim! I remember when we moved to Sequim last year and our new neighbors would say say "Wait till spring is coming!". Yes, they were so right. I guess after all those those many years living on a tropical island one forgets about the magic of the seasons, with spring being the most impressive. Blossoms in all colors, buds and greens everywhere. Don't we just love our life in sunny Sequim?!

Today, we woke up to blue skies and beautiful sunshine. Don't get me wrong. At 10am, the mountain air is still crisp with 50F in the shade but by now we are used to bundle up and just enjoy the most amazing countryside setting with the blue Pacific Ocean on one side and the still snowcovered Olympic Mountains on the other. And all in between...there is spring in Sequim!

With the speed limit being in most streets a meager 25miles/hr, driving through Sequim is like taking a scenic tour. They should call not only call Sequim the lavender capital of the world but also town with the most cherry blossom trees. I am still 'hunting' for this one special photo taking a view of the trees with the mountains as background but was not lucky so far. The trees in front of the Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center should do for now. Tulips, daffodils, primroses, forsythia, early rhododendrons and more complete nature's spring design in Sequim.

Just a short update on our Sequim house construction. It seems like everything is on schedule. We will be moving out of our Sun Meadows house in about 14 days. To bridge the time till we can move into our new Sequim house in the peaceful Carrie Blake Park neighborhood, we have already rented a fully equipped vacation rental place with kitchen. We stayed there when vacationing and real estate hunting in Sequim in fall of 2005. Sequim vacation rentals are not cheap, we noticed. It might be an idea to look into offering a nice vacation rental at an affordable rate. Our many Sequim outdoor attractions and festivals like the upcoming Sequim Irrigation Festival on May 5 and the Sequim Lavender Festival July 20 attract lots of visitors who are looking for a Sequim vacation rental. It's something to think about.

We are looking forward to your comments or posts. For comments, just click comment, then 'Other' and write what you would like to share with our Sequim blog visitors (we will get your comment for approval!). If you have an idea for a post on our Sequim Town blog, please, email us. Enjoy spring in Sequim! The Sequimers.

p.s.

Hope the Sequim Elks won't do too much damage to farmer's and nature's efforts. We know we will be facing the deer roaming around our new house (Oak hill has been their long time habitat) and will have to come up with some special landscaping ideas.

Tags: Sequim town, retire in Sequim, Sequim vacation

Sequim Senior Center

First thing we noticed when we moved to Sequim - actually the sign was big enough to already spot it when we were on our Sequim vacation - was the Sequim Senior Center. The Senior Center and Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center are probably the most prominent places where retired seniors in Sequim meet and socialize.

For just $30 membership fees a year, seniors can enjoy a wide spectrum of activities or classes to keep mind and body in optimal shape or just having fun meeting other seniors. Most classes are free but selected classes require a fee. Here is a selection of the free activities at the Sequim Senior Center: Bingo, Scrabble Stretch Yoga, Pinochle, Taxaide, Senior Workout, Walking Group, Spanish, Knitting, Tae Kwon Do, Diabetes Support and more.

Frequent Tours and trips find a great resonance amongst the members of the Sequim Senior Center. Senior tours in March include trips to Tacoma's 3 Museums, trip to Phoenix and Marysville among others. The center is a non-profit organization and many members volunteer their time to keep it operating.

We are looking forward to seeing you at SARC and the Sequim Senior Center. The Sequimers.

Tags: Sequim Senior Center, Sequim

Sequim Stretch Class at SARC

Hi everybody,

When you move to Sequim, the first and most important action, after buying a house, is signing up with Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center SARC. This will keep you in the best shape of your life plus contribute to meeting new friends in Sequim.

The annual membership is quite affordable, especially when you are a senior. With your SARC membership you don't only get access to all the fantastic gym exercise machines and aquatic recreation, but you will also get a huge discount on all classes Yoga, Tai Chi or Stretch Class.

After we moved to Sequim in January 2006 and got settled in, we joined SARC and Keoki started teaching his Easy Stretch class. He had been teaching his stretch class in Hawaii for over 20 years to senior citizens. This was a great opportunity to continue spreading the word of the importance of stretching for health in the lives of Sequim senior citizens. Now, he teaches the Easy Stretch class twice a week Mondays and Wednesdays 10:30am - 11:30am at SARC.

Just come by and check out the fun stretching your body (easy full body stretches!) and a guided relaxation at the end. Get your energy flowing with a nice chant, just as the Hawaiian people do. You are gonna love it. If you want to get into a nice regular stretching routine, you can also buy Keoki's Easy Stretch video: A video combining 30min of full body stretches and 10min of guided relaxation to the sound of gentle ocean waves, with your guide Keoki. Stretch with Keoki's exercise video in the privacy of your home. Read more below about the benefits of stretching and how this Hawaii stretch & relaxation video had developed.

Feel free to contact us for more information on the 'Easy Stretch video - Body/Mind Relaxation'. You may also visit our website Hawaii Stretch Video for benefits of Stretching and Testimonials from Happy Easy Stretchers.


New Easy Stretch DVD is now available at low price $24.95 + FREE shipping through PayPal's secure server. Sold USA + Canada Only:

Sequim residents can call us 360-504-1157 for buying Easy Stretch video or DVD. No S/H fees apply. See you at Stretch Class in Sequim. Keoki, stretchguy

Tags: Sequim Stretch class, Stretch Video, Stretch DVD

Retire in Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula

Why we retired in Sequim on Olympic Peninsula in Washington state?

We are living in a blogger world now. I guess that's the best way these days to get the word out to family, friends and strangers about what's happening in people's lives. Here we go about our life. Ever heard of the town Sequim? Most people have not. Well, we moved here in January of 2006 in order to retire. Retire from where, you ask. From Hawaii we answer. How can somebody move from Hawaii to Washington state? We had lived there for 30 (husband) and myself for 15 years. We decided it's time for a change. We were able to sell our property and vacation rental business and move on with our lives. Feeling happy and free!

Best places to retire?

However, before we moved to Sequim, the biggest question was where to retire to? We boggled our minds with Thailand (too hot and tropical diseases), New Zealand (wonderful but they don't welcome the older folks, want to have 2 million NZ $ from immigrants, which we didn't have, plus still does not allow you to stay their all the time), Costa Rica was in the talks with all the American retirees (stories about safety and security issues were not really encouraging), San Diego was too expensive and so on and so forth. At that point, friends, who had moved from Hawaii to Portland, told us about the lovely small town of Sequim (means peaceful waters in Indian) surrounded by the the great panorama of the Olympic mountains and offering the splendid views of our so much loved Pacific Ocean!!! So, we we started our biggest research...about Sequim.

Sequim research over the Internet

Naturally, the Internet was our biggest resource. Luckily, one can find anything there from rainfall to real estate, from fitness center to health food stores. So, when we visited Sequim in fall 2005, we came prepared. We found a lot of information in the local publication Sequim Gazette. Had a list of houses for sale, knew all the things we wanted to check in Sequim town. And fell head over heels in love with this unbelievable retirement city. Bought a wonderful home 1 mile from Sequim town and 1 mile from John Wayne Marina, sold our Hawaii property and business and moved to Sequim beginning of 2006. Whether you believe it or not but we never regreted it one minute over the last 8 months.

Stay tuned for further news and gossip on our wonderful life in Sequim One last thing...Sequim is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and has an average annual rainfall of only 12" with a very moderate climate all year around. More about that later.

Tags: Moving to Sequim, Retire in Sequim