Let’s check in on the sales histogram again.
In exploring this data, the biggest thing that jumps out to me is how much non-distressed homes above the median price have surged in the last year. Last November there were 407 non-distressed single-family homes sales in King County under $350,000 and 621 for $350,000 and up. This November there were 547 sales below $350,000 (a 34% gain) and 1,064 at or above $350,000—a 95% gain! It definitely seems like the high-end buyers and sellers are getting back into the market.
To generate the chart below, I took all the sales data for single-family homes sold in King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties from the beginning of 2010 through the end of November. Since my data download puts late-reported sales into the month that the sale actually took place rather than in the month they were reported, there is a slight difference in the number of sales I’m counting vs. what the NWMLS reports each month.
By default the chart shows just King County sales in November. Use the controls below to scroll through different months, or to see what the mix looks like for Snohomish or Pierce County. I’ve also added color-coding and controls to separate out “non-distressed” sales from the sales of bank-owned homes and short sales.
As you explore the data for yourself I’d love to hear what stands out to you. Let me know in the comments!