local real estate news, statistics, and commentary without the sales spin.
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July market stats were published by the NWMLS this morning. Here’s a snippet from their press release: Home sales, prices still rising in Western Washington despite lean inventory and increasing mortgage rates. Rising interest rates, rising prices and rising consumer confidence are creating a “positive cyclone of home sales activity,” according to members of the…
A few weeks ago I spoke with Ross Reynolds on KUOW about finding cheap rentals in the Seattle area. You can listen to the 17-minute segment on their site. Here are a few of the tips I shared for finding a cheap rental in the Seattle area, and some relevant links to previous posts on…
It’s time once again for the monthly reporting roundup, where you can read my wry commentary about the news instead of subjecting yourself to boring rehashes of the NWMLS press release (or in addition to, if that’s what floats your boat). To kick things off, here’s an excerpt from the NWMLS press release: Northwest MLS…
Over the weekend the Washington Post published a story about former homeowners who find themselves owing money on a home they lost to foreclosure years earlier: Lenders seek court actions against homeowners years after foreclosure. It’s a process called “deficiency judgment,” and it’s not really news to anyone who has paid attention to housing over…
Looks like it’s that time again… Recent headlines have described an increase in mortgage interest rates from 3.35% to 4.0% with hyperbole like “Mortgage Rates Soar,” and “Soaring U.S. Mortgage Rates.” If this sounds familiar it’s because we heard the same nonsense when rates moved from 5.0% to 5.3% in 2010. These types of articles…