A demographic shift is underway in the Pacific Northwest’s real estate markets, disrupting the simple narrative of pandemic-driven migration. On Camano Island, a lifestyle-focused community north of Seattle, agents are seeing unusual buyer patterns: a simultaneous influx of first-time buyers and a wave of downsizing seniors.
Ellen Bohn, managing partner at The Agency Camano Island, says the market is being driven by two distinct groups: younger families entering homeownership for the first time and seniors looking to downsize. This simultaneous demand from opposite ends of the demographic spectrum is producing turnover across nearly every price point—a shift she views as far more significant than a routine post-pandemic correction.
First-Time Buyers Redefine the Island
The growth in first-time buyers marks a significant departure from Camano Island’s historic status as a retreat for seasonal residents and snowbirds. With 52 miles of coastline and a location between Seattle and the Canadian border, Camano was long dominated by part-time residents.
“Camano used to be more of your summertime Snowbird residents,” Bohn says. “Now it is a much more full-time community with families, and it’s growing all the time.”
This trend is reshaping the island’s infrastructure needs and community expectations. A full-time residential population requires year-round services, different property types, and more robust amenities than a seasonal destination. The steady arrival of younger families indicates that remote work flexibility, which expanded during the pandemic, has become a lasting feature for many buyers.
Proximity to Seattle remains a draw. “If they work from home, it’s a lovely thing,” Bohn notes, describing the island’s appeal for remote workers who want space, nature, and community while still being able to commute to urban jobs when necessary.
Downsizing Seniors Seek Community
At the same time, Bohn reports a strong uptick in seniors looking to downsize. This reflects the aging baby boomer population and a shift in what older homeowners want from their next chapter.
Instead of remaining in larger homes, many seniors are choosing communities that offer a sense of belonging and engagement. Camano’s appeal includes “a tight-knit community that pulls together,” a “very vibrant artist scene,” and “events that bring thousands of people to the island,” Bohn says.
For these buyers, the draw is not just smaller homes but a lifestyle that emphasizes connection and activity. The decision to move is motivated as much by community as by the desire to simplify.
Demand Across All Price Points
The most notable effect of these trends is robust demand across a wide range of price points. “We have luxury from one to four million that sell fairly quickly, and then we have our first-time home buyer bracket as well,” Bohn says.
This pattern suggests the market is not experiencing a simple reversal of pandemic gains but is instead accommodating real demographic changes. Camano’s varied housing stock—ranging from original beach cabins to homes on acreage and waterfront estates—caters to both ends of the buyer spectrum.
For first-time buyers, Camano remains more affordable than Seattle. “I still feel Camano is an affordable community in the scheme of what we are seeing in the Seattle East Side market,” Bohn says. Median prices on the island fall between $700,000 and $1 million—a range that Bohn calls “an interesting middle ground—luxury enough to attract quality buyers, but more accessible than Seattle proper.”
For downsizing seniors, those same prices allow them to sell larger homes elsewhere, purchase on Camano, and often improve their quality of life in a community-focused environment.
Market Uncertainty and Structural Change
Whether these demographic trends will last depends in part on broader market conditions. Bohn notes that “the teeter totter is currently a little imbalanced,” pointing to higher interest rates, elevated home prices, and economic and job security concerns that have slowed activity.
Despite these headwinds, Bohn observes that turnover is occurring “in all price points” and across “all different demographics.” This suggests that the current demand is rooted in lasting demographic and lifestyle preferences rather than short-term market shifts.
The island’s transition from a seasonal to a full-time residential community, its integration with the Stanwood-Camano school district, and the expansion of year-round infrastructure all indicate that these changes are structural. The community is evolving to meet the needs of a diverse and permanent population.
Lessons for Other Lifestyle Markets
Camano Island’s experience may offer a model for other lifestyle-oriented communities in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Markets able to serve both first-time buyers seeking space and affordability and seniors prioritizing community and lifestyle may prove more resilient to market volatility than those reliant on a single demographic.
The Agency Camano Island’s approach reflects this reality. As Bohn puts it, the firm sees “luxury as not a price point, but an experience”—ensuring that every client, regardless of price bracket, receives high-level service.
This philosophy is well-suited to markets with a diverse buyer pool, where the common factor is a desire for a particular lifestyle and community, not just age or wealth.
Whether other Pacific Northwest markets will see similar demographic splits may depend on factors such as proximity to employment centers, community character, and the availability of varied property types across multiple price points. For now, these are the qualities driving Camano Island’s unique market dynamics.
