Mercer Island

Mercer Island sits in the middle of the lake, right between Seattle and Bellevue, and the floating bridge puts you 10 to 15 minutes from either one. Head west and you're in downtown Seattle with Pike Place Market; head east and you're in downtown Bellevue with its shops and its mall. That's rare for a place this quiet.

The island is almost entirely single-family homes, kept that way on purpose, with a mix you don't see everywhere: houses built about 50 years ago sitting alongside brand-new luxury homes from some of the region's best builders.

The Gold Coast, on the west side, is where you'll find the island's best Lake Washington views and its best sunsets. Up north, the Fruitland area is where I had my most recent listing, and it's one of my favorite pockets. One road runs the island's whole length, so where you land changes your drive as much as your price; I've seen homes sell anywhere from the low millions into the $20 millions and beyond.

Luther Burbank Park and the waterfront trails get as much use as anywhere I sell, and the island has its own food scene worth knowing before you move here. Mioposto does the best thin-crust pizza on the island (the potato pizza with Calabrian oil is my order); Las Bugambilias, the taco truck parked at the Chevron lot on the north end, is a local institution; and in summer everyone ends up at Hap's Burgers & Taps, burger and a shake, inside or out on the patio.