The Olympian wins the contest again for having the first story in my inbox about April’s numbers. Their story only covers the Olympia area, but it should be enough to whet your appetite for the full NWMLS numbers that are supposed to be released later today.
In April, home sales rose 10 percent over last year, according to preliminary data released Thursday by Olympic Multiple Listing Service.
The sudden increase in April home sales is partly because of seasonal factors, such as better weather. But it also reflects Thurston County’s strong economy with 4.3 percent unemployment, said Olympic MLS Manager Jerry Wilkins.
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From March to April this year, the median price of a home rose from $244,000 to $252,200. The median price of $252,200 in April was 22 percent higher than the median price of a home for the same period last year.The 10 percent increase in the year-to-year April figures reverses an earlier trend in which March home sales declined by 1 percent.
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April had 1,113 active home listings compared with 832 for the same period last year, according to the Olympic MLS data.
To hear Rolf Boone tell it, everything is rosy in Olympia. However, note that inventory is up 34% from a year ago, while demand is only up 10%. While not as extreme as last month, when inventory was up 77% and demand up 19%, it’s still a slowing trend.
(Rolf Boone, Olympian, 05.05.2006)