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There’s always a point in the year where I realize spring is here. It doesn’t show up all at once. It kind of eases in, and if you’re not paying attention you could miss it, but once you notice it, you start seeing it everywhere.
For me it usually starts with the color. I’ll be driving somewhere and suddenly, a pop of color that looks like a firework is visible on the side of the road as white and pink cherry blossoms begin to pop or walking a neighborhood with a client and all of a sudden the trees look different. The green isn’t the same green we’ve been looking at all winter. It’s lighter, almost glowing, like everything is brand new again. Even the evergreens shift a little. Those fresh pine needles start pushing out and there’s something about that softer green that just feels hopeful.
Then then there’s the smell. It’s one of those things that’s hard to explain if you haven’t experienced it here, but if you have, you know exactly what I mean. The ground is still damp, there’s a little bit of rain in the air, but then the sun comes through and warms everything just enough. It smells clean and earthy at the same time. It makes you want to slow down, take a deeper breath, maybe linger a little longer outside than you planned.
The weather never fully commits this time of year, which I’ve actually love. You’ll have a stretch of rain, then a break of sunshine, then back again. The air still has that cool edge to it, just enough to bite you on the tip of the nose and keep you aware of it, especially early in the day. You notice the light. It’s crisp and clean, you notice the warmth when it shows up. You don’t want to move through it on autopilot, it’s too beautiful, especially on the waterfront where it sparkles across the waves.
One of my favorite parts of spring is how everything starts to feel more alive. You see more people out, more birds, more movement in general. It’s subtle, but it’s there. The local farmers markets start coming back, which honestly might be one of my favorite parts of the whole year. The Port Orchard Farmers Market opening again means I get to head down and get fresh clams from Tom Farmer Oyster Company. I’ll pick up some lemongrass or scallions, depending on what I’m in the mood for, as well as a bottle of my favorite white from Rolling Bay Winery on Bainbridge. This is one of my favorite spring/summer time dinners.
Colello’s opens back up and I find myself stopping there more than I probably should. I’ll grab whatever looks good that day, berries, tomatoes, sometimes just whatever’s on the table, and you can actually taste the difference. It’s not complicated. It just makes meals better without having to think too hard about it.
This time of year also ends up being one of my favorite times to be out showing homes, I know, I know you’re probably thinking, “Well, of course you’re trying to tell me how great showing homes is. You’re a realtor, for crying out loud!”, but hear me out. Most people think of spring as just the busy season, more listings, more activity, more everything. That’s true, but what I think gets missed is how much more you can actually learn about a home this time of the year
On a sunny day, you get to see how the light really moves through the home. Not just how it looks in photos, but how it feels when you’re standing in it. Which rooms fill up with natural light, which ones stay a little dimmer, where you might want your morning coffee and a reading lamp, or where the afternoon siestas feel the best.
Then then the rain comes back, like it always does, and you get to see something just as important. You get to see how the home holds up under pressure. How it sounds, how it feels, whether it stays comfortable and dry the way it’s supposed to. A well-built home doesn’t fight the weather, it just does its job. It keeps the outside, outside where it belongs and lets the inside stay inside.
You don’t really get both of those experiences in the middle of summer. Spring gives you that full picture, and I think it helps people make more grounded decisions because of it.
I don’t know that I could point to just one thing that makes this place special in the spring. It’s more how all of it comes together. The color, the smell, the shifting weather, the markets, the way people start to reappear, the way homes feel in different conditions.
It asks you to pay attention a little more. Then when you do, it gives you a lot back.
I think that’s why I love it so much here this time of year. Not just because it’s beautiful, although it is, but because of how it feels to live in it day to day.
If you find yourself out looking at homes this season, I’d just encourage you to notice those things. Not just the layout or the finishes, but how the home interacts with everything happening around it. That usually tells you more about what it will feel like to actually live there than any list of features ever could.
If you ever want to walk through that together, I’m always happy to do that with you. Not just to look at homes, but to actually experience this place for what it is. This is my home, and getting to share it with you is just as important as helping you find yours.
Jessica Contreras
WA LIC#23005400
(951) 537-7460
Jessica is a buyer specialist with The Contreras Team at Windermere Professional Partners, where she focuses on helping first time homebuyers and clients shopping for vacation and second homes in Kitsap County. She is known for her calm, patient approach and her ability to turn an overwhelming process into something clear and manageable.
Jessica is an Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®), recognized by the National Association of Realtors, and she holds the Commitment to Excellence (C2EX) endorsement, reflecting her ongoing dedication to professional growth, ethics, and client care.
Her goal is simple: help people make confident decisions at their own pace, with clarity, honesty, and support every step of the way.
