Seattle Times writer Melissa Allison seems a bit too excited about today’s report that retail spending in Washington State grew by 10.5% from spring ’05 to spring ’06. Those were the days, back in the spring when the flowers bloomed and the housing market sizzled. Washingtonians had such confidence last spring that they spent with…
Category: Uncategorized
Puget Sound Cities Not Very Safe
Research company Morgan Quinto released its latest “safest and most dangerous cities” rankings today, and overall, the Puget Sound did not fare particularly well. The Associated Press story reprinted in the P-I explains a little bit about how the 371 cities were ranked: Cities are ranked based on more than just their crime rate, Morgan…
Offbeat Weekend News: Home Rental Scam
Maybe all those reports about the rental market getting tighter and tighter were true. In fact, the market is getting so tight, people are paying thousands to rent places that aren’t even available! Imagine checking on a vacant rental house you own, only to find a family you don’t know living there. It happened this…
Seattle "Losing Some Steam"
Hissssssss… Thanks to the reader / college mate that sent this in. Seattle got a mention in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal story: Home Prices Keep Sliding; Buyers Sit Tight. The air continues to seep out of the U.S. housing market, according to the latest data, and some economists are warning that prices will keep declining…
The Supply Side of Real Estate
I’ve been reading a tremendous amount recently on the subject of building and it’s impact on local real estate markets. Over the past several weeks, at every opportunity both privately and out on the town, I have talked with people who are involved in the supply side of housing: builders, contractors, and suppliers (big box…