A recent report released by the National Association of Realtors® reveals a decline in the number of home sales across the nation in September 2018, following a “month of stagnation in August.” The number of sales, which are composed of closed transactions of single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, were down 4.1 percent from September 2017.
Read MoreI am pleased to present a look at housing market trends for the third quarter of 2018, from the shores of Bainbridge Island’s waterfront homes and in-city living opportunities to the Eastside’s most distinguished residences.
Read MoreSeattle Times recently told its readers that if they’re hoping Seattle-area rents will get cheap, they better not hold their breath. While the rental market has cooled in recent months, as vacancies and new projects have brought landlords to offer big incentives for tenants, “that doesn’t mean Seattle is suddenly a utopia for apartment hunters. In fact, it is among the priciest cities in the U.S. for renters—having grown 155 percent in twenty years—and steadying prices have come “only after seven straight years of large rent hikes that have made Seattle unaffordable to anyone not making decent money.”
Read MoreAs was expected, mortgage rates have increased again, putting them at the highest level seen since April 2011. Seattle Times reports on the change, which pushed the 30-year-fixed-rate up to 4.90 percent in a 19-basis-point jump (1 basis point = 0.01 percentage point), the “largest one-week spike in the 30-year rate since November 2016, when it increased 37 points.” Alternatively, fifteen-year rates reached 4.29 percent, up from 4.15 percent last week and 3.21 percent last year.
Read MoreHome to Amazon’s Seattle campus and explosive growth over the past few years, many will be unsurprised to hear that the fastest-growing neighborhood in the region is South Lake Union. The second neighborhood, however, may come as a surprise. To get there, you have to travel to the Eastside…
Read MoreInventory—particularly a lack thereof—has been on the mind of many Seattleites in recent years, particularly those that decide to take a leap into homeownership. And after years of the same story, things are beginning to change, as a Realtor.com report cited by Puget Sound Business Journal reveals “‘a quiet inventory turnaround’ in high-priced markets” as the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue region saw a near 30-percent increase in the number of active listings in July 2018.
Read MoreFor the first time in years, homes in the Seattle area are spending weeks—rather than just days—on the market, bidding wars become an exception to the rule, and sellers are bringing down sales prices to attract buyers in a cooling market. As Seattle Times reports, July 2018 was the first time in four years that the market began to lean in favor of the buyer, as inventory continues to increase, this time at a staggering 44-percent rate in King County.
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 MoreIn a recent special external affairs report, The Counselors of Real Estate® highlighted the Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate™ for 2018 – 2019, with a look at five short-term trends and five long-term items the industry should be looking at in the coming months and years. Below, you’ll find an outline of the five most pertinent issues impacting real estate now.
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