Local Market Analysis

Local Market Analysis Phill was Right! Spring Arrives Early for our Local Real Estate Market When Punxsutawney Phill climbed up to his perch at Gobblers Knob on February 2nd and did not see his shadow, an early spring was predicted. Little did we know that he would be referring to the real estate market! As we experience temps in the 30s and scattered snow showers in the first week of March, we […]
Local Market Analysis New Year, New Laws! What This Means for Consumers Moving Forward. Effective January 1, 2024, the statute in Washington that governs real estate brokerage relationships (RCW 18.86) otherwise known as the “Agency Law” – was significantly revised. The revisions modernize the 25-year-old law, provide additional transparency and consumer protections, and acknowledge the importance of buyer representation. KEY REVISIONSFor decades, real estate brokerage firms were only required […]
Local Market Analysis Matthew Gardner’s 2024 Economic Forecast Highlights Last week, my office hosted our 16th Annual Economic Forecast Event featuring Matthew Gardner. Matthew is a sought-after economist focused on the national and local economies and has a deep understanding of the housing market across the country and right in our own backyard. He is an economic advisor for the State of Washington, Governors Council, lectures […]
Local Market Analysis QUARTERLY REPORTS Q4 2023 The story of 2023 was balancing interest rates with home purchases and even home sales. The average weekly rate in 2023 was 6.8% and peaked in October at 7.94%. This caused some buyers to pause due to cost. Many sellers were reluctant to move and give up their low payments based on historically low rates, […]
Local Market Analysis Now or Later: When Rates Drop, Expect the Market to Tilt The question that many potential buyers are asking themselves right now is: should I wait for rates to drop before I buy? Higher interest rates have certainly made monthly payments higher and challenged overall affordability, however it is important to consider creative financing options and what the impact on prices will be once rates lower. Experts […]
Community Events New Agency Law Changes: Transparency, Consumer Protection & Commitment On January 1, 2024, major changes to the Law of Agency will go into effect. These changes result from the real estate industry in the state of Washington wanting to elevate the level of transparency and consumer protection surrounding buyer representation. Senate Bill 5191 was voted into law requiring adjustments in how brokers operate when working with […]
Local Market Analysis The Low Inventory Effect: Nationally & Close to Home The video below from Matthew Gardner, Windermere’s Chief Economist, refers to the effects of constricted inventory levels on the national housing market in a higher interest rate environment. Review the localized numbers that I gathered that pertain to King and Snohomish Counties and then check out what he has to say about the national trends. […]
Local Market Analysis Win-Win: How to Overcome Interest Rate Pressure with Creative Financing Lately we have talked about life changes leading to real estate moves. Sometimes moves are brought on by joyful advancements in life and sometimes they are motivated by hardship. Then there are times when your actual house just doesn’t fit your life anymore and it is time for something different. Whatever might be calling someone to make […]
Don't Miss Our Next Post
Subscribe Now
Community Events Should You Stay or Should You Go? Interest Rates Limit Inventory and Stabilize Prices There has always been a direct correlation between interest rates and home prices. The rule of thumb has always been when rates go up prices go down, and vice versa. This was temporarily proven true in the summer of 2022 when rates quickly rose by 2% (3.5%-5.5%) over 5 months. It created a price correction in the […]
Community Events Clarity Through Chaos: Using the Data to Guide Decisions. I think we can all agree that we have been on a bit of a wild ride over the last 12 months in the real estate market. When the Fed decided to change its trajectory on interest rates in mid-2022, it created some chaos and confusion. When big changes happen, it is a natural reaction […]
Local Market Analysis QUARTERLY REPORTS Q2 2023 The recovery from the 2022 correction continued in Q2 of 2023. Since December 2022, prices have increased at a rapid rate. Inventory remains tight and absorption is steady due to pent-up buyer demand. Shorter days on market and healthy list-to-sale price ratios illustrate when a seller meets the market with appropriate pricing and is in […]
Community Events A Busy Legislative Session for Housing: 10 Bills Passed That Will Affect Housing in Our State On April 23rd the Washington State Legislature adjourned after passing 10 new bills that will affect housing. Some of the bills are geared toward creating more transparency around brokerage transactions, some are intended to institute more opportunities for building density to provide more affordable housing, and some are more regulatory to help guide and ease […]
Local Market Analysis QUARTERLY REPORTS Q1 2023 We are seeing signs of price stabilization and some growth after the market correction of 2022! Illustrated on the front is the up-down-up trajectory that home prices have experienced over the last year. While we are in the midst of measuring the negative difference from the peak prices of the first half of 2022 to […]
Community Events Housing Absorption Trends, Interest Rates Hovering, and Inventory Constricting. Three key elements to pay attention to when assessing prices and the real estate market. As we round out the first quarter of 2023, three real-time trends to pay close attention to in order to truly understand what is happening in the real estate market are absorption data, interest rates, and inventory levels. Right now, we […]
Community Events Which is better, renting or buying?: The financial benefits of owning real estate. The financial benefits of owning real estate significantly outweigh the option of renting. Renting is certainly a must for some, and is what one may have to do while they build up to becoming a homeowner. Becoming a homeowner requires solid employment, good credit, and some type of down payment. Savings can all be built over time and […]
Local Market Analysis Holy Shift, Again! Most of the Market Correction Behind Us & Growth Ahead! Markets change fast! We experienced a substantial shift in 2022 with the first half of the year feeling like a completely different market than the second half of the year. A 3-point increase in interest rate was the main culprit along with inflation and affordability for the 2022 market correction we experienced. A market correction is defined […]
Local Market Analysis QUARTERLY REPORTS Q4 2022 2022 was a transitional year for the real estate market that started off incredibly seller-centric and ended in balance. We started 2022 with interest rates hovering in the low 3%, peaked at 7% in late fall, and ended the year hovering in the mid 6%. This significant jump created a correction in home prices as the cost […]
Community Events Matthew Gardner’s Top 10 Predictions for 2023   1 There Is No Housing Bubble Mortgage rates rose steeply in 2022 which, when coupled with the massive run-up in home prices, has some suggesting that we are recreating the housing bubble of 2007. But that could not be further from the truth.   Over the past couple of years, home prices got ahead […]
Local Market Analysis Returning to normal: buyer affordability dictates the market while sellers retain equity. There is no doubt that 2022 has been one of the most eventful years in real estate. This is saying a lot coming off the record-breaking years of the pandemic. We will probably never see anything like 2020 and 2021 again. During this time the market responded to a historical event that motivated the rearrangement […]
Local Market Analysis Navigating a balanced market: property preparation, pricing & negotiations. As we experience the fall equinox, when the length of a day is equal to the night, we are also experiencing a similar balance in the real estate market. We define a balanced market to have 2-4 months of available inventory. This means that if no new homes came to market, we would be sold […]