Andi Dyer Real Estate

09/15/2026

🏠 Does spending $250,000 on renovations mean you’ll make $250,000 more when you sell?

Usually, no. And sometimes you can actually net less.

I recently compared four different strategies for a home:

• Sell it as-is
• Spend about $36,400 on a targeted cosmetic refresh
• Complete a $250,000 renovation, best-case outcome
• Complete a $250,000 renovation, worst-case outcome

The interesting part? The full renovation actually netted slightly LESS than selling the home as-is.

Why? There’s a ceiling to what buyers will pay in any given location. Once your renovation pushes a home beyond what its street and neighborhood typically support, you may be improving the house without increasing its value dollar-for-dollar.

In this example, homes above $800,000 in the ZIP code are overwhelmingly properties with something else driving the value: lakefront, views, acreage, or newer construction in a handful of higher-end streets.

Then there’s the cost we often forget: time. A major renovation could mean another 5–6 months of mortgage payments, utilities, taxes, maintenance, and the inevitable “while we’re at it…” expenses before the home even hits the market.

The sweet spot here was surprisingly modest: about $36,400 for flooring, paint, and popcorn-ceiling removal. It produced roughly the same projected net as selling as-is, but with the potential for a faster, easier sale.

The goal before selling isn’t to make your house perfect. It’s to figure out which improvements the next buyer will actually pay you back for.

That’s a very different calculation.

Thinking about selling in Whatcom County and wondering what’s actually worth fixing first? Send me a message before you start spending. I’m happy to help you look at the numbers and prioritize the improvements most likely to matter at resale.

09/11/2026

𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 🏡

I recently had the opportunity to represent the buyer on this Blaine home, and it’s a good time to look at what’s happening in the 98230 market.

August numbers show a market giving buyers a little more breathing room:

• 184 homes for sale, up 17.2% from last year
• 5.9 months of inventory, up from 5.2 months
• Homes that sold took 73 days on market, compared with 32 days last August
• The median sales price was $569,950, up 3.6%

What does that mean for buyers? More choices, more time to evaluate a property, and potentially more room to negotiate, depending on the home.

But it’s not a bargain-bin market. Blaine prices are holding relatively steady, so understanding the individual property, its competition, and the seller’s position still matters.

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁.

09/06/2026

09/04/2026

Macduff's taken the wheel. VP of Puplick Relations, on duty for listing prep day around Whatcom County. 🐾🚗

License status: questionable. Enthusiasm: fully current.

08/28/2026

Open House · 5836 Chuckanut Drive, Bow — 9.93 Private Acres

Saturday, August 29 · 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Saturday, August 29 · 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Sunday, August 30 · 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

5836 Chuckanut Drive
Bow, WA 98232

Set back from the road on 9.93 private acres, this custom home looks across open farmland to the Chuckanut foothills — and a protected natural buffer keeps that privacy permanent. Mature cypress and maple frame the entry; a picket fence and arbor gate lead to the door.

Originally a 1920 farmhouse and rebuilt as a custom home in 1997: 2,082 sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 1.75 baths. Everyday living is all on the main level, with a bedroom and a studio upstairs. Hardwood floors, curved architectural detail, custom millwork columns, a barrel-ceiling great room, and a walk-in pantry. The kitchen is set up for a serious cook, with a commercial-style gas range and professional hood. A substantial covered patio extends the living space through the season.

Two separate outbuildings: a 3-bay shop with room for an RV, two cars and all the gear, and a second shop set up for woodworking or art. Specimen trees, driftwood accents and gravel paths throughout the grounds.

Offered at $1,099,000. Stop by any of the three windows below — no appointment needed. Come walk the acreage and see the shops.

Saturday, Aug 29 · 11–1 and 1–3
Sunday, Aug 30 · 12–2

Questions?
Andi Dyer · (360) 734-6479
Andi Dyer Real Estate

REMAX Whatcom County
Full details and photos: andidyer.com/property/5836_chuckanut_drive

08/26/2026

08/22/2026

My phone is still ringing about a house that is already pending.

137 33rd St went on the market on a Thursday. By the following Tuesday we had multiple offers and an escalation addendum, and it was under contract at full price. Five days.

And here is the part I did not expect: buyers are still calling. Not to tour it — to ask whether the inspection might fall apart so they can get in line. One of them told me they had driven past it twice before it listed and talked themselves out of calling.

That is the whole lesson, honestly. The house that looks like it "went fast" was not lucky. It was a 1931 Sehome home one block from the Arboretum trailhead, priced where the market actually was, photographed properly, and open to everyone at the same time. Then the market decided.

If you have been talking yourself out of calling about a house — or about selling yours — that is the call to make.

Congratulations to my sellers. And to the buyers who wrote strong, clean offers, thank you for making that easy to present.

Andi Dyer · REMAX Whatcom County, Inc. · (360) 734-6479

08/21/2026

PRICE REDUCED — $899,000, now $783,655.

That is nearly 10 acres with a 2,861 sq ft home on it, and I do not think there is better value in Whatcom County right now. Come see for yourself this Sunday, 12–2pm.

3395 Mack Rd, Everson. Built in 2005, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, hardwood through the main level, granite kitchen with a big island open to the living room and its stone fireplace. Upstairs the primary is genuinely large, plus three more bedrooms and a vaulted tongue-and-groove bonus room.

Outside is the real story: open, usable land bordered by farmland, wide eastern views, room for pasture, gardens, an RV or a boat. Not in a floodplain. Vacant, so a quick close is easy.

No appointment needed — just stop by.

3395 Mack Rd, Everson, WA 98247
Sunday, August 23 · 12–2pm
Andi Dyer, REMAX Whatcom County, Inc. · (360) 734-6479

08/12/2026

What a wonderful day. 💛

I had such a great time at Senior Day in the Park last week — thank you to everyone who stopped by my booth to say hello, and to Whatcom Council on Aging for putting on such a wonderful event for our community.

Thinking about downsizing, an inherited home, or a move that comes after a long life in one place? I'm always here for that conversation.