Depending on who you want to listen to, the luxury home scene is either a stagnant buyers market or it is trending upward. The Seattle Times reports on the small number of buyers relative to million-dollar-plus listings. There are dozens of grand homes — daresay mansions — such as the Westwold in Snohomish County. Yet…
Shocking: Tax Assessments Continue Climb
I hope you’re sitting down, because you’re in for a shock. Get this… when "hot, hot, hot" home prices "soar" "sizzle" and make "huge gains," tax assessments that do the same aren’t far behind! I know—who would have thought! Linda Peterson’s 1,200-square-foot rambler in Monroe has the same avocado-colored sinks it had when she bought…
Zillow Releases Market Report, P-I Swoons
Enjoy this puff piece from today’s Seattle P-I about the latest report from Zillow on Seattle’s “impressive” real estate market. A steady stream of potential buyers flowed through a big Craftsman house a couple of blocks from Green Lake on Sunday, apparently undeterred by its $695,000 asking price. The house went on the market Aug….
Olympia Inventory "Substantially Higher"
Here’s another report out of Olympia, on the significant cool-down that housing is experiencing there. As the South Sound real estate market cools from overheated to warm, sellers are increasingly offering price reductions in order to speed up sales. Real estate agents say the recent appearance of homes marked as “Price Reduced” indicates that this…
US Financial Systemic Risk: Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac
I know many readers have asked me to provide information regarding the tightening of lending standards. In researching this (maybe some loan officers that sleuth this site could be much more helpful) I did find the following: August 11, 2006–Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair says federal banking regulators are still a few months…