Ordinarily, when the calendar flips over to a new year, it’s like somebody flipped a switch. The direction of on-market inventory literally does a 180 in a single day, from a constant decline through the last quarter to a steady increase leading into spring. This year… not so much: Last year was fairly bad (which…
Reader Rant: Seattle Home Prices Still “Make No Sense”
Once in a while a reader leaves a comment that deserves its own post. In the wee hours this morning, gardener1 left such a comment: Dear god, I cannot fathom why anyone would commit 30 years of hard earned wages into a crapshack like the housing that is available in Seattle. Has the Seattle algae…
Cheapest Homes: February 2012 Edition
Let’s check in again on the cheapest homes around Seattle proper. Here’s our methodology: I search the listings for the cheapest homes currently on the market, excluding short sales, in the city of Seattle proper. Any properties that are in obvious states of extreme disrepair based on listing photos and descriptions will be excluded. This…
Reporting Roundup: Healing Perfect Storm Edition
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: Housing market…
NWMLS: Redefining “Astounding” as Prices Keep Falling
January market stats were published by the NWMLS this afternoon. Here’s their press release: Housing market “healing itself,” numbers are “astoundingly good” Pending sales may not appear to be much higher than 2011 (up 13.7 percent in January), but the numbers are “astoundingly good,” considering such factors as harsh weather and the tax credits that…