As astute market observers may recall, back in March (pre-complete-government-takeover) the conforming loan limit for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed loans was bumped from $417,000 to $567,500 for the Seattle area (King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties). At that time, the local press was touting the new limits at “a big dose of first aid” and…
Category: News
News, current events, etc.
Local Discount Real Estate Service Showdown
As the housing market has slowed dramatically from the heady boom years of 2005 and 2006, the number of discount real estate brokers has been on the rise. While Redfin made a big splash in 2004, and continues to be the discount market leader, as the market tumbles other competitors continue to crop up. As…
October Reporting Roundup
Let’s take some time to check out the local press’ reaction to the undeniably slow NWMLS housing market statistics for October. Here’s a blurb from the NWMLS press release that accompanied yesterday’s numbers: Housing Activity in Western Washington during October Described as "Disappointing, but Not Unexpected" Housing activity for Northwest Multiple Listing Service members was…
Cool New Features on Redfin
For those of you that have been waiting for Redfin to add the NWMLS Cumulative Days on Market to the information displayed on listings, your wait is over. Redfin unveiled a bunch of new features today. Here’s a list of what I’ve noticed so far: Cumulative Days on Market displayed property type now broken down…
Forbes: Seattle Most Likely to Rebound
In a story eerily similar to SmartMoney’s “best shape for a rebound” article Forbes once again places Seattle #1 on their own list of Real Estate Markets Most Likely To Rebound. The best cities in which to invest are those that are considered gateways to international investment, have vital downtowns where people can forgo cars,…