The real estate blitz is having a noticeable effect on state revenue: Washington state’s surging economy, driven by a continuing construction boom and red-hot real estate market, will pump an additional $493 million into state coffers, forecasters said today. The good news – the third quarterly revenue surge in a row – brings the state’s…
Year: 2005
How Long Can Huge Price Gains Continue?
To me it’s not a question of whether or not the ridiculous price gains of recent years will continue, but rather how long will they continue? Though other parts of the country have shown some signs of slowing, in the Seattle area the answer is apparently “a little longer.” King County’s home price increase means…
Snohomish County Budget Balanced on Home Sales
Are local governments setting themselves up for budget troubles if/when housing takes a downturn? That is to say, are they taking increased revenues from the high volume and high price of home sales and using them for regular operating expenses, rather than treating it as a surplus? More tax money is forecast to flow into…
What’s Special About Seattle?
One of the arguments that is frequently heard from people who don’t think there is a real estate bubble in Seattle is that the Seattle area is somehow special, and has unique characteristics that will protect it against real estate price corrections. Although I agree that Seattle is a wonderful place to live (why else…
Early Slowdown Signs in Olympia
Following up on the Olympia market is today’s story in The Olympian: Home sales surge in August He noted that there were 1,038 homes listed for sale last month, a 9 percent increase from 955 listings a year ago. Also, he said, homes that sold last month were listed an average of 45 days, 8…