On Wednesday, July 27, over 100 brokers from all over Western Washington gathered at Broadmoor Golf and Country Club for Windermere’s monthly Premier Breakfast.

The breakfast opened with brokers presenting the newest luxury homes from Blaine to Eatonville and throughout the Puget Sound area. Following that, a guest panel including Khue Dang and Richard Blacharski of Union Bank, Cory Brewer and Lori Gill of Windermere Property Management, and Ty Evans of Windermere Bainbridge Island, discussed vacation rentals, second homes and the complexities of financing second homes, with an emphasis on luxury properties.  Ty Evans spoke about dealing with buyers’ expectations with regards to inventory and the cost of owning waterfront property on an island.  Lori Gill shared information of the great success her team has had with Windermere Vacation Rentals in Lake Chelan. Khue Dang and Richard Blacharski offered advice on helping clients understand the different financing options for these homes and how to best set up buyers for success by going through a pre-approval process prior to shopping for homes.

Windermere President, Jill Jacobi Wood, closed out the breakfast talking about the remarkable difference between Mercer and Bainbridge Islands. Jill noted that Mercer Island has never been considered a second home market, unlike Bainbridge Island, but how in recent years, Bainbridge has become more of a bedroom community to Seattle, with 80% of all residences now being primary homes, many of whom commute to Seattle via ferry.

We appreciate all the Windermere brokers who attended this month’s Premier Breakfast, sharing both their listings and extensive knowledge of luxury markets throughout Western Washington.