WITH THE MORTGAGE meltdown and declining real estate prices, it is hard to imagine much demand --much less significant sales -- in vacation and investment homes right now. But the surprise is that they still accounted for about a third of all home sales last year, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

The Pacific Northwest seems to be weathering the tumult in the real estate market ? including the market in second homes ? better than much of the rest of the country. Glen Crellin, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, speculates that Washington's relative stability in second home prices might be due to, well, location, location, location.

"We've always run a bit behind the national norms," he says. "Our market became hot much later than other markets, like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Palm Springs and Hawaii. Now, the flip part of that is that some of our more popular second-home locales, like Ocean Shores or Lake Chelan, are quite affordable compared to, say, Sandpoint Idaho, so that may make a difference in how Washington sees second-home prices staying a bit more stable than other markets."

The second-home market has been less affected by the mortgage meltdown because those buyers are more likely to have a high disposable income. Crellin says that more than likely they fall into a different bracket than the typical first-time buyer.

"One of the big differences that I see in people buying second homes right now, as opposed to trying to get into that first home purchase, is that, generally, those looking at purchasing a second home are finding it easier to qualify; their credit may be more stable, their incomes and jobs tend to be more stable. ... For that reason alone, developers and resort owners may be a bit more willing to deal on actual home prices since it's more likely they'll actually close on someone who's purchasing a weekend getaway."

And developers of new properties ? and owners of existing properties ? often are willing to deal on everything, not only on sale prices, but also on luxury build-outs, turnkey furniture packages and landscape allowances. The typical vacation home buyer last year was 46 years old, had a median household income of $99,100 and, on average, purchased a property that was located just slightly less than 300 miles from his or her primary residence.

For many residents of Washington, that trend could translate into a second home in British Columbia, Oregon or Idaho, not to mention a number of attractive choices within our borders.

If you're looking for a place to get away for a weekend, or a week, or even as a potential retirement home, here are several developments in the Pacific Northwest -- a few coastal, a few in the mountains and one that redefines sustainable urban chic -- worthy of a second look.

WASHINGTON

Typically, when one hears about new homes for sale along a coastline, it is about a development that has just been built out. At Seabrook, it is about an Olympic Peninsula town that's been newly built. Once home to hunters and trappers -- and later to the U.S. military -- Seabrook is located one mile south of Pacific Beach and just 25 miles from Olympic National Park.

It's a charming town that could have been transplanted from Cape Cod, although Seabrook is still under development, with a total of 400 homes currently planned. Home sites have been slowly released since 2005 and built up at a pace of about 50 per year. A café opened a few months ago, and grocery, medical care and other businesses are expected to open in the near future. Current available homes range in size from 800- square-foot cottages to a four-bedroom view home (listed for sale at more than $1 million) and 40 oceanfront home lots. Prices vary greatly but start at about $400,000 for the smallest cottages. (www.seabrookwa.com)