Hi Ed,

Olympia really is a wonderful place to live. We have raised our four children here and think it is a great place to be. The Briggs Village area is a neat master planned urban community. You have the Briggs YMCA just down the road from there too. They offer a fantastic gym and activities for the entire family! Merryman Place or Glenmore Park are two other projects in your price range and in that area that you might enjoy calling home as well.

We think you'll enjoy Olympia just as much as we do. Welcome!

There are many great homes in the Olympia School District. Briggs Village is nice, but there are other homes with Ward Lake access, and also a public access.

The Olympia area has an amazing amount of lakes and also saltwater shoreline. Do you want a lake to swim in, or paddle a kayak, or to go fishing? A motorboat lake or a no motor lake? We have them all very close in! Most of our lakes have a public access and/boat launch area, so you can visit whichever one suits your activity.

Great prices now--and great selection Our market hasn't been hit as hard as the rest of the country, but there is a surplus of new homes, which keeps the prices on resale homes down. Its time to buy!

Hi Ed
wait for cheaper interest rates, should be coming late 2008, early 2009.

good luck

UPDATE: One of the listing agents at Briggs believes that access to Ward Lake will be available through the arboretum this is planned. If you go to briggsvillage.com you can see what he is referring to by looking at the artist's rendering; in the N/NE edge of the drawing you can see the arboretum and the lake. What specific limitations on access, when it will be available, etc., are currently uncertain.
Hope that helps.

Hi Ed,
One of the great things about the Olympia area is you have many different neighborhoods, ranging from turn of the century craftsman style to new construction (such as Briggs Village), and for the most part, has easy access to I-5, especially in the Olympia School District. So it's really a question of the style and size home you are looking for (and lot size, etc.)- we probably have it!
I don't see that Briggs has access, but there is a park nearby and I will call the agent and post again with what I discover.
I would recommend getting out here if you can to tour the area for a day or two to see what best fits your needs. And hopefully this site is helping you find homes as well.

Hi Ed - Good choice. The Oly High area is great! (I happen to live in that area and think it's great!) There's a lot of homes in that area at that price. Best thing to do is contact a buyers' agent in the area to set you up and show you the different houses. I work as a buyers' agent in this particular area and could help you out if you like. Briggs Village is nice - the homes are great! However, lots are very small and the building phases have been very slow. Check out my website it has links and maps to all the new construction in Thurston County. Good luck!