Author: The Tim

Tim Ellis is the founder of Seattle Bubble. His background in engineering and computer / internet technology, a fondness of data-based analysis of problems, and an addiction to spreadsheets all influence his perspective on the Seattle-area real estate market. Tim also hosts the weekly improv comedy sci-fi podcast Dispatches from the Multiverse.

September Stats Preview: The Last Gasp of Inventory in 2017

Posted on by The Tim

Let’s take a look at regular monthly “preview” charts. Now that September is in the past let’s take a look at the local housing market stats for the month. Short story: Inventory hit the highest point since a year ago in King County and were just slightly below last month’s high in Snohomish. Sales are still strong, and foreclosures are nearly non-existent.

Sadly I have nothing particularly new or interesting to share about what happened in the market in September. It’s more of the same cruddy market for buyers: Listings are scarce and sales are still strong…

Case-Shiller: Everybody get on board the Seattle real estate rocket ship!

Posted on by The Tim

Let’s have a look at the latest data from the Case-Shiller Home Price Index. According to July data that was released this morning, Seattle-area home prices were:

Up 0.6 percent June to July
Up 13.5 percent year-over-year.
Up 20.2 percent from the July 2007 peak

Over the same period last year prices were up 0.6 percent month-over-month and year-over-year prices were up 11.2 percent.

To get a sense of just how nuts it is here in Seattle compared to pretty much everywhere else, consider this chart of year-over-year home price changes in all twenty Case-Shiller cities over the past year and a half…

Amazon, Go

Okay, okay, let’s talk about Amazon HQ2

Posted on by The Tim

Everybody is talking about it, and it’s definitely going to have some kind of effect on the local economy in Seattle, so even though it’s a bit late, let’s talk about Amazon’s HQ2.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt seen the news that Amazon is seeking to build a second headquarters somewhere “in North America” that “will be a full equal to our current campus in Seattle.” GeekWire has been covering the story extensively (including a data-based city analysis by yours truly), so if you need to catch up on the facts, head over there. For the discussion here, let’s focus on the possible impact this development will have on the Seattle-area real estate market.

Cool: $140k “Micro-Home” packed with smart home features

Posted on by The Tim

The video is packed with quite a few obnoxious buzzwords (and some NSFW language) but I do appreciate the concept of this 352-square-foot home. It’s produced on an assembly line and can be “installed” in a wide variety of locations and configurations, plus it’s loaded with smart home tech and modular designs…

NWMLS: Seattle housing market shows no signs of slowing in August

Posted on by The Tim

Every month I hope to see some good news for buyers in the numbers. Every month I am disappointed. Listings are still in short supply, sales are strong, and prices just keep going up at a breakneck pace. Sorry, buyers…