Time for another monthly recap, where we wrap up the month and highlight the major posts of the month that just ended in a single place. The purpose of this series is to get a feel for how a month went, and catch up if you missed something. Let me know what you think of this as a recurring monthly feature.
- We kicked things off on the 4th with the stats preview, which saw a continued spike in local foreclosures.
- On the 5th the NWMLS released their August stats, showing a slight uptick in sales volume.
- We tackled a reader question on the 7th about HARP 2.0, with expert input from Jillayne and Rhonda.
- Price per square foot data from Redfin gave us an early indication on the 10th that local home prices have hit their 2012 peak.
- Homebuilder imaginations were in the spotlight on the 12th with “Renderings vs. Reality”.
- Our in-depth look at the recent spike in local foreclosures hit on the 13th.
- On the 14th I took Trulia to task for a massively misleading “study” comparing the cost to rent vs. buy.
- Our mid-month listing photo comedy relief on the 17th featured a majestic, soaring eagle.
- Bank-owned sales fell to a three year low, which we explored in some depth on the 18th.
- We broke down the median price into distressed and non-distressed buckets on the 20th, showing that non-distressed median prices are up just 2.1% year-over-year.
- In response to a reader comment, on the 20th we explored how 6% mortgage rates would affect affordability.
- The following day we looked at affordability a little more, noting that King County’s “affordable” price is 21% higher than the current median price.
- On the 21st we asked the question: Will local incomes climb or fall in the coming years?
- July Case-Shiller data came out on the 25th, showing another year-over-year increase for Seattle prices.
- Finally, in response to a request for more detailed income data, on the 27th we looked at local median and per capita incomes, both nominal and inflation-adjusted.