I've heard and read much about Seabrook and have finally made it a point to take a look for myself during a family vacation at Pacific Beach.

Seabrook is a planned beach resort community just outside the town of Pacific Beach, Washington, that implements a new approach to urbanism that is actually an old approach. It's like stepping back in time when neighborhoods were connected with sidewalks, when parking was an afterthought because the automobile was not a focus and when the pace of life was slower. It's a place where homes are close together and have front porches where neighbors can meet and sit to watch the kids play in the street.

There are no cookie cutter homes here. Every house has a distinctive style, and each one is cuter than the next. It's an eclectic mix of Craftsman homes, Victorians, beach cottages and New England salt box style homes that blends together into a quaint charm with surprises around every corner where you'll discover park benches, pavilions, community fire pits, play grounds and even a lemonade stand.

If you've ever wished you could jump into a Kincaid painting, wished there really was a place like Disney land's Main-street, or fell in love with a charming European village, you'll love Seabrook. It's not sugar coated, fake or pretentious. It is a real and organic quality community that blends into surrounding nature as if it's been there for centuries, when in fact it is less than 5 years old.

The hub spots of the town are the cafe, the market and the park. The most common way to get to those places is by bike or foot. As a matter of fact, every new home sold comes with two bicycles.

Vacation home rentals start at around $250 a night, but the homes and cottages get booked up quickly and one has to reserve plenty of time in advance. I was surprised how inexpensive the rental fees were in comparison with the high purchase costs of the homes. Supply and demand have driven home prices mostly above $500,000. I've encountered a small vacant land lot priced at $249,000. At those prices home owners aren't buying there for investment purposes. There is no way to re-coup the purchase costs through rental fees. Buyers simply buy at Seabrook because they want to own a piece of the magic. 

There are some re-sale homes available, and new homes are still being built. I'm excited to follow the progress of the town, as much is still in store for Seabrook. I can imagine that an art gallery, a pub and a community pool would be great additions for the town once it is built out.

Congratulations to Casey Roloff and his Seabrook Land Company team for realizing their vision of a new town. I wish there were more versions of Seabrook in Washington, as even without the beach, none of the attraction of a place like Seabrook is lost.

Sandy Nelson

Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com

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