One set of data we like to check in on occasionally is the big picture of local housing supply and demand, measured by comparing the total number of housing units to the total number of households. You may recall the last time we checked in on this data back in March: Local Housing Oversupply Could…
Category: Features
Drive by sign of the times
Everyday for well over a year I drive by this development hovering over Hwy 2 as you head eastbound to Lake Stevens or Snohomish. I noticed this one lonely house (with paint all over it) with a tree surrounded by vacant lots. Late this afternoon on my way home from the office in Everett I…
Stalled Development Map Update, Developments in Foreclosure
Just a quick update on the Seattle Bubble interactive stalled / slow development map. So far readers have contributed 48 stalled and/or slowed residential developments in the greater Seattle area. The greatest concentration by far is in the Bothell area, which may be due primarily to the fact that that’s where a few especially prolific…
125% Refinance: Pricing You IN for a Decade or More
Astute readers have no doubt have learned by now of yesterday’s announcement by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan that the federal government’s “Making Home Affordable” plan will now allow mortgages owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to be refinanced with loan-to-value ratios of up to 125%. I won’t go into all the details…
The Neighbors Paid WHAT?
In our discussion this weekend about why people would walk away from a mortgage, even though they can afford to continue paying, Tim Kane (S-Crow) pointed out: It doesn’t take much emotional pull to consider walking away when you see property being purchased across the street for $150,000+ less than what you may have purchased…