Housing in the Northwest has continued to experience a climb in prices this year as other parts of the nation have stalled, but some are starting to see some cracks in the foundation, and predict that next year the housing market will “cool, but not collapse.” Nationally and locally, the sizzling housing market has been…
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Puget Sound Economy Powered by "Magic"
Okay so that headline was a bit of hyperbole, but I’m allowed to have a little fun now and then. I just couldn’t help it after reading about the “Horizons Economic Forecast breakfast” in Pierce County: With two weeks remaining, 2005 looks to have been a year of healthy, strong and fruitful economic results. Next…
Construction Hiring Dips In WA In November
With unemployment holding steady last month at 5.6%, the Seattle Times brings us the details of the employment numbers’ relation to housing: For the past year, the construction industry has been the main driver of economic growth in the state, accounting for a whopping 19.4 percent of all new jobs. Not so in November. In…
Sims: King County RE Tax Revenue Down
I was reading through a story about the King County Council’s 9-0 (4 absent) vote to increase county spending by $3.8 million on “pet causes” when I stumbled upon an interesting line: Sims, though, said real estate tax revenue is down. Considering all the stories I’ve been posting about government revenue going through the roof…
Housing Moving Further Out Of Reach
Ooooh, I can see the future. In a story tomorrow that has a very familiar theme, the Seattle P-I takes a look at the affordability of housing (both buying and renting) for lower income families in Seattle. Last year, the housing affordability gap — the difference between what lower income workers can pay for homes…