The real estate market is strong and active as of March 2019. Please refer to the following recent reports in reverse chronological order for trends and data that lead to this point.
Read MoreI was recently holding an open house when a curious neighbor came into the home to check out the new improvements and ask about current market conditions. After showing her the home and added value/improvements made by the seller—and asking her to tell everyone she knew—I briefly explained that we are going through a market correction, which began in mid-May (like a light switch on May 10th), and touched on the probable causes. I went on to say that current market conditions seem to have stabilized: generally, sales have increased and inventory began decreasing around mid-October (I saw it October 18th). I summed it up quickly with, “I believe it’s a great time to buy.” She looked at me and said “yeah, but what would you say to your friend or a family member. How would you advise them?” I shrugged and smiled as I replied, “I just did.”
Read MoreAfter seemingly endless months of a frenzied real estate market in the Puget Sound region in which buyers faced anemic supply and highly competitive bidding wars, the latest Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) press release reports that we are “finally returning” to a more balanced market, as “buyers welcome more choices, moderating prices.”
Read MoreThose searching for homes in Western Washington are now choosing “from the largest supply of homes in three years,” this according to the latest press release published by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS). As the report outlines, home price growth has slowed significantly, at 6.7 percent across all counties surveyed. This paired with inventory gains is alleviating some pressure on buyers in the market.
Read MoreAccording to a recent article featured in Seattle Times, Seattle is finally seeing inventory increase “as the rapid-fire market that has led to extreme bidding wars and lightning-fast sales slows a bit.” To be sure, looking at numbers from June 2018, the number of single-family homes “jumped an eye-popping 43 percent” while “condo inventory rocketed up 73 percent.” Neighborhoods such as Ballard/Green Lake/Greenwood and SODO/Beacon Hill doubled their inventory, while downtown Seattle condos saw a three-fold increase.
Read MoreThe headlines over the past few months in the greater Seattle region have often felt like “stale news,” with housing prices continuing to increase as inventory dwindled and demand rose. Yet homebuyers received some welcome good tidings last week, as the latest Northwest Multiple Listing Service press release revealed that the number of homes available for sale actually increased in May. Puget Sound Business Journal reported on the news, writing that “the four-county metro area had nearly 10,500 new listings in May, 1,000 more than the same month in 2017.”
Read MoreThere was good news for Seattle-area homebuyers in the latest Northwest Multiple Listing Service Press Release, as April 2018 data revealed a slight increase in inventory. In all, “Northwest MLS brokers added 11,271 new listings to inventory during April, a gain of 6.3 percent when compared to March; and up nearly 5.9 percent versus a year ago.” Despite more homes on the market, just 6 of the 23 counties covered reported year-over-year inventory gains, and “King County was the only one in the Puget Sound region to notch a gain, up 13.6 percent from a year ago.”
Read MoreAccording to the most recent data from Northwest Multiple Listing Service, Seattle-area home prices have now reached $820,000, and as Seattle Times reports, the highest gains can be found in South Seattle, a traditionally more affordable part of the city. Looking at South Seattle’s neighborhoods, the Southwest region (including SODO and Beacon Hill) had a median home price of $222,000 in 2012, a figure that in 2018 has reached $661,000. In the Southeast area, the $275,000 median of 2012 has increased to $650,000.
Read MoreIn looking at data from last year’s home price growth and number of sales, one clear trend emerges: a lack of available homes for sale was a major theme in Seattle’s market. And as Curbed Seattle reports, “so far this year, inventory has been even more sparse,” as recent Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) data shows that there was less than 1 month of available inventory in February, down from just over one month last year.
Read MoreIn their latest press release, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) reports that the January 2018 real estate market far from slowed down, as "activity shows a slight year-over-year gain in pending sales, a double-digit increase in prices, and continued shortages of inventory."
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