Danielle Groeneweg

Danielle Groeneweg, Realtor®

MANAGING BROKER

Danielle Groeneweg

Planning for the Best You in 2021

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It is almost time to turn the page on 2020!

I’m sure a lot of us are ready to say good-bye to this year and wish for better things in 2021! I came across this great list of 12 steps to plan for a better you in 2021 and wanted to share. If you wanted to read the full article from Millennial Grind you can click here.

I liked this list because I thought it helped cover your habits, thoughts, self care & gets you thinking about goals and your future. In real estate, we talk a lot of self motivation and goals. I have found that breaking down your bigger goals does make a big difference like in step 10. I have also started a vision board in my office like it discusses in step 4. Finally, I talk with my assistant often about our goals and how we are going to achieve them like in step 11.

That’s only 3 out of 12 steps so it looks like I have a few more things to go over before the start of 2021. I hope you’re able to do the same and that by this time next year we can reflect on how great a year 2021 was.

 

 

Thankful Trees for Thanksgiving

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How many of you already have a Thanksgiving tradition of making a Thankful Tree? How many of you are wondering what a Thankful Tree is? A Thankful Tree is when you create a tree and you write on the leaves or branches what you are thankful for. I’ve seen a few ideas floating around. Some people start their tree early and throughout the whole month of November leading up to Thanksgiving they write on their leaves letting family & friends also share what they are thankful for. Then, at Thanksgiving dinner they will read their leaves out loud. Other families will do it all on Thanksgiving day. I think this is such a fun tradition. I know a lot of families will go around & say what they are thankful for but this adds another element to it. If you start the tree at the beginning of the month, it is also a great reminder to be thankful every time you walk past it.

What does a Thankful Tree look like? It can be whatever you want it to be! Some use real leaves & branches, others make the leaves out of clay or even gather some acorns to add to the tree.

 

Here are a couple sources if you would like to gather some ideas to create your own Thankful Tree:

  • Rythms of Play has 10 really good ideas on their blog for how to make a Thankful Tree. This is a blog directed towards families with younger kids. Click here to see them.
  • Good Housekeeping also has a few really good ideas. Their trees are so pretty! They have some ideas that should work with fall décor you might already have up in your home. Click here to see them.

 

I hope you are able to create your own Thankful Tree this year!

 

 

 

Industrial Shelving Finally Complete!

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Do you remember reading my past blog about our new office renovations? If not, you can see the before & after’s here.

The final piece of the puzzle was finishing off our gorgeous industrial shelving from Rachel at Recreated. She is a local vendor here in Lynden who does amazing wood working! If you ever have a vision for anything rustic or industrial that involves some sort of old barn wood she is your gal. She makes everything by hand so she can easily customize your order and bring to life whatever you are envisioning.

 

As promised, I wanted to share the completed project of our industrial shelves that are in my office. Rachel came and installed them. Thankfully, because that part look very confusing with all the different lengths of industrial piping. I finally got around to finishing the decorating. The final item, that I’m loving, is a few framed photographs from past listings. I’m thinking I might have to switch those out too! It was so hard to pick only 4 pictures that I might need to do a rotation. 😉

 

I’m loving how it all turned out & completed our office space. If you haven’t had a chance to stop by yet, please do! We are located right off of Front St at 103 Third St. I would love to see you!

 

Parks in Whatcom County to help Beat the Heat

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I love that Summer FINALLY arrived! It’s suppose to 90* a few days this week and stay in the 80’s for a lot of next week. I’m not going to complain that it is too hot but it would be nice to know of a few parks to take the kids, dogs or just yourself to cool down this week if needed. Here are just a few parks in Whatcom County. If you know of any other hidden gems please let me know!

 

(https://www.facebook.com/sumascityhall/photos/pcb.587184831994952/587184791994956/)

City of Sumas Splash Pad!

The Splash Pad just got finished a couple weeks ago. It’s located on the corner of Sumas Ave & 3rd st. This park is open 9:00-9:00 all summer long. Check out the City of Sumas Facebook Page for updated details. Also it has been said it can be a bit slippery but sounds like the city is looking into this problem and should have it fixed soon.

 

(https://www.lyndenwa.org/parks/#iLightbox[image_carousel_2]/2)

Lynden City Park

The Lynden City Park has a great playground surrounded by trees so you can soak up some shade. You can enjoy the Fish Trap Creek right alongside the playground if you are needing a cool down! This park is located at 8460 Depot Rd, Lynden. It is open 8:00 to dusk.

Want more info about this park as well as other parks in Lynden? Click Here.

Photo Link

 

Bloedel Donovan Park in Bellingham

Bloedel Donovan has lots of ways to cool down! This park is located in the Silver Beach Neighborhood on Lake Whatcom. The address is 2214 Electric Avenue, Bellingham and the park opens early at 6:00 am until 10:00pm. If you are looking for a spot to bring your boat- here it is! The park also offers a lot of swimming & sandy beach options as well. If you want to see all the amenities & rules for Bloedel Donovan Park click here. 

 

Photo Link

 

Lake Padden Park

Another gorgeous park with lots to do in Bellingham is Lake Padden. This park is located at 4882 Samish Way, Bellingham. It is open from 6:00am-10:00pm daily. You can bring boats here just not motorized ones. The park also has lots of walking/hiking trails, fishing options, dog parks & more. For a full listing of the amenities at this 745 acre park click here.

 

Photo Link

Birch Bay State Park

Birch Bay State Park is located right along the ocean between Bellingham & Blaine. The address is 5105 Helweg Rd, Blaine. There is lots of exploring to do at this park! You will need a Discovery Pass (which they have pay stations available). Birch Bay is popular for crabbing, bird watching and there are lots of day shelters available for rent. For more details about this State Park click here. 

 

 

This is just a few of the local parks to get you started & hopefully help you enjoy this heat wave a bit more. Hopefully this will help get you outside & exploring our gorgeous county! We live in such a beautiful area that it is very easy to forget or take advantage of it. Enjoy & let me know where you end up going this week.

Happily Welcoming Phase 2-Whatcom County!

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Hello Phase 2- Whatcom County! It was just announced today by Governor Inslee that Whatcom County has officially been approved to start Phase 2 immediately. This means that real estate offices can start opening up again! Another change for real estate in Phase 2 is that three people can be in a home at a time versus just the two people allowed in Phase 1. We will still need to practice safety protocols and keep up with social distancing.

Here is a little information from the Bellingham Herald Article that was released today by Robert Mittendorf.

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“Phase 2 will allow these activities, according to the Health Department:

▪ Social gatherings — inside or outside — with no more than five people from outside your household.

▪ More manufacturing and construction, domestic services, retail stores, real estate. services, professional services, nail salons and barbers, with some restrictions.

▪ Restaurants can open at 50% capacity but without bar seating.  “

To read the entire article from Bellingham Herald click here.

There was also an official news release from the Washington State Coronavirus Response website. If you want to read the article that was released today, click here.

 

Overall, I could not be more excited that our county continues to go in the right direction! I’m hoping everyone stays safe and we can continue moving through the phases.

 

 

New Lynden Office- Bold Before & Afters

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We have MOVED! Our new Lynden Office is located at 103 Third St, Lynden, WA 98264. I’m so excited to be in downtown Lynden & see a lot more people walking by everyday! We put a lot of work into transforming this office into the perfect space. I couldn’t be more thankful to my contractor husband for helping me pull this together! He helped me paint, add a window between the rooms to create more light, built a pony wall to help with privacy, redid all the flooring & trim and more. Did I mention all of this in less than 2 weeks?!

I have to share the Before & After’s because it was such a transformation! Let me know what you think of the BLACK accent wall. It was a bold choice but I have noticed that trend in recent homes I’ve walked through and it is true Bellwether so I decided to go for it. We are also waiting on gorgeous shelving from Rachel with Recreated. I will make sure to post some pictures after we get those installed. In the meantime, here are the pics I have so far.

Make sure to stop by if you see us here!

 

 

Lynden FroYo Reopens with Limited Hours

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Did you hear the good news? Lynden Fro-Yo just reopened last week! Their operations are looking a little differently. They are only open from Wednesday-Sunday 2:00-8:00 for take out. Sounds like they have all the same delicious yogurt options but the toppings are limited. They are being extra safe and only offering closed canister toppings or single serving toppings.

This is one of my favorite treats with the family, especially on a hot day. They are located in Bender Plaza in Lynden.

Want more information or to see what their current flavors are? Make sure to check out their website here.

Lynden Comes Together with the Community Pantry

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I just wanted to put a spotlight on the Lynden Community Pantry which is run by Brenna Sebens and other volunteers. Brenna recently won the Silver Linings from Praise 106.5 for her efforts. You can read that full article here.

The Lynden Food Pantry has been a huge help for local families. They have a pantry off of Judson St in Lynden where families can pick up items or drop them off. The pantry is open 24 hours a day (even has a light inside). Drop off’s can be put on the porch. There is a cooler provided if needed. They just ask for no home made items at this time.

Here is a link to the Facebook Page if you would like more details. Click here. 

Thanks for everyone who helps out with the Lynden Community Pantry! I love how much our small Lynden community does for one another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

820 Vine Circle, Lynden

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I’m so happy for my client’s that we were able to get their home officially sold! We listed this one back in February and got a dream offer right away! We also were able to have a longer pending so that the my seller’s weren’t out of a house for too long since their new home was still under construction.

 

Looking to sell your home? I would love to give you a free estimate of value. Feel free to give me a call or email anytime.

 

Zoom Call- April 23rd at 10:30am

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I just wanted to share more information about a ZOOM call I’m planning doing next Thursday. I would love to talk about the current real estate market as well as the impacts on the mortgage industry and getting a loan/preapproval as well as the effects that COVID-19 has had on how we can conduct real estate during this time. I am looking forward to discussing this topic since I’ve had so many people ask me about it.

 

If you’re interested and would like the invitation link please send me an email at Danielle@bellwetherrealestate.com and I will send you the link! If you have any other questions but aren’t able to attend at that time please still email me and I would love to discuss it with you when you’re available.