San Juan Islands: The Hottest Luxury-Home Market in the Country

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The San Juan Islands, an archipelago off the coast of Washington State long cherished for its remoteness and simplicity, is now the hottest luxury real-estate market in the country.

The priciest 10% of the area’s real-estate market rose faster last year than any other U.S. county, according to Realtor.com. The median home value in San Juan County is now $444,300, up from $377,600 in 2014, according to real estate marketplace Zillow. Right now there are four homes priced at $15 million or higher for sale, including one for $20 million.

Former Amazon executive Rick Ayre, the owner of the $20 million house, says the price reflects the property’s distinctiveness. Near San Juan Island’s main town of Friday Harbor, it is 8,000 square feet on 98 acres and features 765 feet of waterfront, a runway, three ponds and an indoor pool. Mr. Ayre bought the slightly curved house in 1999 for around $6.3 million and spent about $3.5 million renovating it. Even with minimal landscaping (“you can’t own the land,” is his philosophy) the garden alone cost about $1 million because of the fencing and irrigation.

Some locals worry that the low key San Juans could become overpriced, overdeveloped and overcrowded. The growth in demand has been fueled in recent years by an influx of high-tech companies to Seattle, where soaring home prices make the San Juans look like a bargain. A 2000 study commissioned by the county’s planning department concluded that, due to similarities in size, scale, access, environment and trends, the San Juans could well end up like Nantucket or Aspen, places where the report said wealthy purchasers of vacation homes have changed the character of the communities and placed substantial pressure on residents. “We’re trying to figure out how not to be like that,” says Rick Hughes, chair of San Juan County Council.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/san-juan-islands-the-hottest-luxury-home-market-in-the-country/ar-BBBgSGf?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=edgsp

I've been doing a few jobs in the San Juan Islands over the last year. Because of the high cost of hotels it's actually been less expensive to commute every day.

Many of the locals I've spoken to have to work two jobs to afford to live there.

[PearliePoo2]

1. Yup, lived here since 1971 (both on Lopez and San Juan) poor as could be and worked 2 jobs too!

And yes, as it mentions in the article, my farmer friend DOES plow her field with a draft horse. (though more out of novelty really)

Fortunately, there was a lot of wisdom back in the 70's with planning. The land has been zoned in such a way that the days of chopping up and spitting out little parcels for pure development (and $$) are long over.