Surprise, surprise—Barbara Clements of the Tacoma News Tribune reports on a slowing market in Tacoma!
If your home’s taking longer to sell, you’re not alone.
Home prices are still going up, even though sales have dropped dramatically when compared with 2005.
And now that it’s spring – prime home-shopping weather – more for-sale signs are popping up in neighborhoods around the South Sound. (Sellers: Read that as “more competition.”)
…
More homes on the marketThe Pierce County market has seen a surge of home listings, up 29 percent compared with this time last year.
Fewer transactions
Pending sales, in which offers are made and accepted but not yet closed, dropped by 12 percent last month versus 2005.
…
Local brokers are puzzling over what this means as they look toward the traditional summer selling season. Dick Beeson, MLS director and broker with Windermere Real Estate/Commencement Associates in Tacoma, said the market seems to be “taking a bit of a breath.” “We just don’t know how big a breath,” he added. “We don’t know if it’s a big gulp or kind of a sigh.”
Kudos to Ms. Clements for actually telling the full story of the housing situation in Pierce County. It’s only a matter of time before King County starts to see numbers like these. Maybe then our local reporters won’t be able to ignore the reality that the slowdown is upon us. Maybe.
(Barbara Clements, Tacoma News Tribune, 05.06.2006)