Why I Left Sudden Valley

I recently moved out of Sudden Valley. I lived in my little blue house in between Gates 9 and 13 for four years. It was my first house in the Bellingham area, the place I lived while I learned so much about this place that I love. Love found me while living in this house, and I moved in my new husband. My children progressed from teens to adults, I made new friends, and learned sooo much about Whatcom county. Close relationships formed with my Sudden Valley neighbors, I learned more than I wanted to about the HOA, and explored everywhere there is to explore in Sudden Valley. I walked my dog, eventually dogs, miles and miles and miles on Sudden Valley roads. I crossed Lake Louise Drive and walked the Rufus trail on Lookout mountain weekly, sometimes more often. Mushroom hunting became an obsession for me on Lookout Mountain, I loved capturing dozens of different mushrooms with my camera.

As you can tell, I didn’t leave Sudden Valley because it isn’t a great place to live, it is. I left Sudden Valley because, simply, the drive became too burdensome for me. Being 20 minutes from downtown is not a long time, and I drove there regularly throughout the years. I met clients in Bellingham, and showed homes all throughout Whatcom County, and Skagit county. I grocery shopped in town, I met friends in town, I went to shows in town. Mostly, I worked in town. Showing property, meeting people for coffee to discuss their real estate needs, stopping by the office, dropping off earnest money checks, all of the million things I do in a day became burdensome when I work from home in Sudden Valley. During my busiest times I found myself going back and forth to town as many as four times a day. It just became too much.

Reasons Sudden Valley is Awesome

1. Sudden Valley is just gorgeous. There isn’t anything similar anywhere close by, (except for maybe Glenhaven). The trees, the woods, the mountains, the lakes, the trails, the beaches on Lake Whatcom…all just stunning in their beauty.
2. Sudden Valley’s home prices are just a tad bit more affordable than Bellingham.
3. The neighborhoods are diverse with homes being built from the early 1970’s to brand new builds, 800 square foot cabins to soaring mansions over 4000 square feet.
4. It has a small town, community feel. You are set a bit outside of Bellingham with approximately 8000 other people. When someone is in need the community pulls together to help out in a way I haven’t ever seen before.
5. There are places to walk everywhere from Lake Louise trail to Lookout Mountain
6. The quiet is just so peaceful
7. The wildlife is abundant. From deer, to owls, to raccoons, and even to cougars…they all show up.
8. The dog park is fantastic. Right on Lake Whatcom so you can swim with your puppy if you want!
9. Storage of your kayaks, SUP boards, and even boats is affordable and right on the shores of Lake Whatcom so no more putting these on your car to drive them to the water when you want to use them.
10. The gym and the outdoor pool are awesome and included in your monthly dues.

Reasons I left Sudden Valley

1. The drive became too much when returning to Sudden Valley between appointments and errands.

Things that had Nothing to do with Why I left Sudden Valley

1. The lack of sun. It is true some homes never get sun, but that was not the case with my home. If natural light is important to you, this is something to make sure of before you buy a home.
2. The HOA drama. The HOA was taken over in November 2020 by a new group that is running the community in a very different way. Since then I have been comfortable and confident that things are improving and being handled by a board that is fiscally conservative as well as transparently open.
3. Moisture issues. I hear often that it is so wet in Sudden Valley that everything is moldy. I did not experience that.
4. It’s too far away. It is not too far away if you plan on going to town once a day for work, grocery shopping, or meeting friends. It is too far away to drive back and forth to town multiple times a day, most days of the week.
5. The roads and driveways are too steep. My driveway and roads to my house were not too steep. I drove a Prius the whole time I lived there and was only snowed in a couple of times.
6. Cell phone coverage is terrible out there. My cell phone worked out there. I DID have to switch from Verizon to AT&T though.

Sudden Valley is still one of my favorite places to sell homes. I still get excited about homes with a creek in the backyard, or a waterfall! (Yes, I actually sold a house with a huge waterfall in the backyard in Sudden Valley). I love the big trees and the quiet in Sudden Valley, and my son misses using their gym. My neighbors, our hummingbirds, and our private backyard are all missed. Sudden Valley will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will never regret the years I spent living there.