I’m glad you’re here!

My name is Brandon Nelson.

Prior to becoming a Realtor I was a licensed home inspector, completing over 700 inspections here in Whatcom County. That education and experience is invaluable for my clients. Before that I was a full-time carpenter and licensed general contractor.

I've been "all about houses" since I was 20 years old.

I live on Squalicum Mountain with my wife Heather and our kids Hayden and Jazzy. We're an athletic family, with ocean kayak racing being our main sport, and both Heather and I taking a "serious amateur" approach.

I've achieved a Guinness World Record (24-hour distance), overall victory in the Ski to Sea 2016, and several other still-standing records in ultra marathon races in the US and Canada.

Heather has been 'Top Gun Female' paddler in the Ski to Sea more times than I can count, and has led her Whatcom Women's team to 11 straight Ski to Sea victories! When we're not racing, we get our share of week-long sea kayak camping trips or backpacking in the mountains with the kids every summer, too.

Let's connect and talk real estate, or about the 'NW Way of Life.' I'd love to meet you!

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I’m from michigan

I grew up in the beach town of Muskegon, Michigan. Running and riding the sand dunes, bodysurfing waves in Lake Michigan, catching salmon with our hands out of Stony Creek, all of it such a fun way to grow up!

But I had travel in my heart even at a young age, and as soon as I graduated high school I was off in search of adventure! Over the next decade I was an Atlantic Ocean lifeguard in Myrtle Beach, SC, a raft guide in California, a video kayaker in New Zealand, and had plenty of other adventures along the way.

My wife Heather and I met in '98 on the American River, spent a few years doing international expeditions and races, then moved to Bellingham in 2003. For the lovers of adventure that we are, we can't imagine a better place to call home!

I’m a father of two

My family is my wife Heather, my son Hayden, and my daughter Jazzy.

We take full advantage of the NW Way of Life in and around Bellingham, its waters, its trails, and its awesome community. Our basecamp is on Squalicum Mountain, where we take care of two dogs, two cats, and 20 acres of evergreen and alder forest.

Heather and I have raced surf-skis or outrigger canoes since we moved here in 2003. Hayden, class of 2026, is a proud member of the Squalicum High School swim team, track and field team, and cross country running team. Jazzy, class of 2029, is a student at Whatcom Hills Waldorf and competes in swimming as a member of the Bellingham Bay Swim Team, and also Life Force Ninja (obstacle racing).

If you want a local’s perspective on anything outdoor recreation, racing, or sports, just email us!

I’m an ocean kayak racer

Ocean kayak racing, or "surfskiing" as it's also called, is about as much fun as you can have in a muscle-powered boat!

Imagine sitting in a carbon fiber racing kayak as long as a ski boat but less than 18 inches wide. Your double-bladed paddle weighs mere ounces and with a few hard strokes, you accelerate onto the face of a wind wave in Bellingham Bay.

Suddenly you're moving at twice the speed you can paddle, carried by the wave for 40, 50, 80 feet as you search for another wave forming up in front of you. A few more strokes and you traverse from one wave to the next, linking them with a boost of acceleration each time.

This type of "downwind" paddling is pure magic, and there are races all over the planet where you can challenge yourself, and line up next to Olympians and world champions.

Bellingham has a strong surfski and outrigger paddling community, with races every week from March to October, and practically every weekend within a 2 hour drive of here. I definitely recommend trying it!

I’m a chainsaw carver

In early 2019 a windstorm knocked down a 30-inch diameter tree across our driveway.

It left behind a 5-foot tall stump, and as soon as I saw it, I became obsessed with the idea of carving it into an eagle. I still laugh when I look at that crazy bird, but it lit a passion in me that I have turned into a meditative practice that I try to make time for a couple weekends a month.

I've carved sea turtles, owls, tons of salmon and whales, a fox, mostly animals. Carving is my release from the busyness of work and raising two kids.

I have a long list of different carvings I want to make over time. I usually post them on my Instagram feed. I'm often asked by people, "How did you learn how to do it?" I just say, "Grab a chunk of wood and a chainsaw, draw a simple shape, and start cutting!"

I’m a Community Volunteer

I made a commitment to do more volunteering in January 2023.

My first choice was to become a Meals on Wheels delivery driver. I signed up at the Bellingham Senior Activity Center, did their 1-hour orientation and then a ride-along with some regular drivers on their route in Bellingham. I loved it from the start.

I've been a substitute on that same route 6 or 8 times, and have tried a couple new routes out in the County. Delivering food to mostly elderly people who don't get around too well anymore is incredibly rewarding.

It's a short check-in and drop-off at each house or apartment, but the gratitude expressed by the recipients, and the sense of contribution that fills me, keeps me coming back again and again.

I also started helping to serve lunch in the Senior Center on Fridays, maybe once every other month. It's the same fulfillment, sharing smiles and a meal with my new elderly friends, hearing stories and finding things to laugh about... I've come to love it.

I highly recommend checking out the Senior Activity Center and their programs!

I’m all about houses

Long before I ever helped a buyer or seller, I made my living as a home inspector right here in Whatcom County.

After graduating from Bellingham Technical College’s Home Inspector program in early 2004, I apprenticed under 3 experienced inspectors and then launched “KnowYourHouse.net Home Inspections.”

For the following 3 years I professionally inspected over 700 houses. The experience was invaluable, filling my brain with all the ins and outs of residential construction, common problems and themes with our Pacific NW climate and its effects on materials and spaces, and learning to communicate with clients about a home’s pros and cons.

I absolutely treasure my years as an inspector, and I bring the collected knowledge from that part of my career to work with me still, every day, with every client.

I’ve often said, “If becoming a Realtor required a 4-year college program, it would have to include a year spent training and apprenticing as a home inspector.

It is the ultimate way to know houses, how to look deeply into a house and really understand it, and how to communicate about it.”