Such specificity! "Apartment vacancies expected to fall, then rise" http://t.co/1IFk7l1I # "WaMu's former leaders reportedly settle FDIC suit" http://t.co/VQtd1k4Z via @seattletimes # RT @jontalton: WaMu getting away with it http://t.co/GhkoTSle # From a reader: Bubble houses! http://t.co/7Y6XsnvA (Not the type of bubble we typically talk about.) # WaMu / Russell Investments Center up for sale…
Year: 2011
Big Picture 2011: Unemployment and Foreclosures
To close out the week, let’s take an updated look at a couple of factors that are continuing to drag the local housing market down: unemployment and foreclosures. From 1990 through 2006, the average unemployment rate in King County was 4.9%. The unemployment rate is currently 7.9% (61% higher than the 1990-2006 average). Over that…
Weekend Open Thread (2011-12-16)
Here is your open thread for the weekend beginning Friday December 16th, 2011. You may post random links and off-topic discussions here. Also, if you have an idea or a topic you’d like to see covered in an article, please make it known. Be sure to also check out the forums, and get your word…
Big Picture 2011: Price to Income Ratio
Okay, let’s have a look at how local home prices compare to local incomes. This is basically the same thing we’re looking at when we talk about affordability, but with interest rates taken completely out of the picture. First, let’s check out the ratio between home prices and King County median household income data from…
Big Picture 2011: Price to Rent Ratio
Big Picture Week 2011 continues with an updated look at Seattle’s price to rent ratio. Here’s our chart of single-family home prices divided by annual rent: Another chart with dramatic improvement since last year’s Big Picture Week. When last we checked in on this measure (June 2010 data), the ratio was 20% above its 1990-2001…