Whatcom County bought out homes in the flood zone. Now they want them moved

Homes and structures on properties in a flood zone along the Nooksack River that have been bought out by Whatcom County will soon be available for purchase.

The Whatcom County Council unanimously approved three resolutions Tuesday night to allow the homes and structures on three frequently flooded properties to be sold and relocated, rather than demolished at the taxpayers' expense.

“These all are involving properties that were flood buyouts, and we’ve been looking into the concept of trying to sell the actual house off the property and then have it relocated into an area that’s not flood-prone,” Whatcom County Public Works employee Andrew Hester told the council on Tuesday.

Whatcom County will remain the owner of the properties themselves. But this move to designate the structures on the properties as “surplus” would allow the county to save money that would otherwise be spent on demolition, Hester told the council.

“Our bid is set low — $500. It’s not that we’re trying to make money off the property,” Hester said. “What we’re trying to do is save money on an expensive demo.”

The three properties with available structures are located at:

• 4773 Deming Road in the Deming area. The property features a single-family house.
• 8134 Northwood Road just southeast of Lynden. The property features a single-family house and four barn/storage buildings.
• 2096 Valley Highway in the Acme area. The property features a single-family house.

A bidder would be fully responsible for the cost to move any of the available structures. They must be able to prove that they own or control “real property” located outside frequently flooded and geohazard areas where they can legally relocate the house or structure, according to the resolutions.

The buyer must also obtain all the necessary permitting for relocating the home or structure, which must be done no later than one year after an agreed-upon contract, the resolutions state.

Moving a home can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $200,000 depending on a range of factors including how it is moved, where it is moved, the home’s size and the length of the move, according to Realtor.com.

Several local companies offer house, shed and barn moving services including Whatcom House Movers and BOSS Construction.

Rachel Showalter

The Bellingham Herald

360-715-2212

Rachel Showalter graduated Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2019 with a degree in journalism. She spent nearly four years working in radio, TV and broadcast on the West Coast of California before joining The Bellingham Herald in August 2022. She lives in Bellingham.