Let’s have a look at the latest data from the Case-Shiller Home Price Index. According to August data that was released today, Seattle-area home prices were:
Up 0.2 percent August to September
Up 8.2 percent YOY…
Low Interest Rates Barely Keep Affordability Reasonable
Let’s have an updated look at our affordability index charts for the counties around Puget Sound.
As of October, affordability is still bad, but not terrible for home buyers. Median home prices have dipped just slightly in the last few months…
Join Tim for a Free Early Screening of “The Big Short”
I have a limited number of free passes to an early screening of the upcoming movie “The Big Short,” and I’d like to invite some Seattle Bubble readers to join me. The movie doesn’t hit theaters until December 23, but this screening is at 4:00 PM next Monday, November 23rd in downtown Seattle.
If you’d like to join me, just leave a comment here…
Surefield Releases New Map-Based Home Pricing Tool to Compete with Zillow & Redfin
Local alternative brokerage Surefield added another slick new tool to their arsenal this week: A map-based home pricing tool that they are calling Pricepoint. Together with their flagship 3D home tour technology (previously spotlighted here), this new offering strengthens Surefield’s focus on home sellers.
The tool offers an interactive, transparent alternative to Zillow’s black box “Zestimates,” and is touted by Surefield as “the most accurate and reliable way to price a home.”
Statewide Form 22A—Financing Contingency: The Broker’s Perspective
The statewide financing contingency form, Form 22A, present parties with some serious issues to consider. Prior pieces addressed seller and buyer concerns, but Form 22A also presents brokers with serious issues to consider.
The most complex issues for listing brokers may involve the seller’s decision to send a request to the buyer to waive their financing contingency using Form 22AR. Some attorneys believe that a seller’s request for waiver should frequently be sent simply because the waiver of the financing contingency would benefit the seller. In contrast, I would note that in practice I have seldom seen Form 22AR sent, either by my listing clients or sellers when I represent buyers. That calls into question why there is a difference between what some lawyers in Washington think should be done, and what actually occurs…