Thanks to everyone who responded to the call earlier this month from KUOW for help on their story about the soft market.
Here’s the resulting piece: It’s a Tenants Market for Downtown Seattle Office Space
There may be signs of recovery in the region’s housing market, but not so for the region’s office market. A recent survey from Price Waterhouse Coopers says commercial property values in Seattle are expected to decline up to 15 percent this year, that’s more than the national average. The survey predicts the market will remain in recession for two more years.
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[Large downtown Seattle landlord UNICO’s Chief Financial Officer John] Lamb says it’s going to be a while before the market begins to stabilize. He says vacancy rates will continue to rise, and don’t be surprised if some commercial office buildings in Seattle end up facing foreclosure.
Also, last Friday’s “weekday” discussed the residential market, with : Short Sales, Foreclosures and First Time Home Buyers
Friday’s program had the same guests that were on the program in early May that we mentioned here: real estate agent / appraiser Richard Hagar, Urban League housing director Linda Taylor, as well as new guest certified financial counselor Andrea Misiano.
They discuss foreclosure / refinancing rescue scams, including some good advice for first-time buyers—take the emotion out of the home-buying process. I haven’t been able to listen to the entire program, but apparently there was also some questionable advice mixed in this time, including the claim that (according to a Seattle Bubble reader) “it’s better to get the low interest rate than the “one-time” lower house price.” In any case it’s overall worth a listen when you can make the time.
Kudos to KUOW for continuing to give the local real estate market some decent, thoughtful coverage that goes beyond the usual “ra-ra” pro-industry pieces that have been all-too-common in most news sources.