Tag: Uncategorized

While King County’s 17 percent year-on-year price increase is impressive and baffling, even more so is Kitsap County’s 23 percent year-on-year increase. What could possibly be driving prices in the rural east Puget Sound county? Definitely not wage increases. August home prices were 23 percent higher than those in August 2004, topping three years’ worth…

Yet another story about some of the downsides of the extreme seller’s market we’ve had here lately: Achieving the dream of home ownership has become hard-earned for some buyers in South Sound and in some of the nation’s hotter real estate markets. That’s because builders are struggling to keep up with demand for new homes….

According to a report by an organization called the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Seattle’s housing is among the more affordable of the eight “technology regions” they surveyed. For those in Seattle who complain about housing costs, traffic delays, taxes or other issues, the report provides a little bit of comfort. At least you don’t live…

To me it’s not a question of whether or not the ridiculous price gains of recent years will continue, but rather how long will they continue? Though other parts of the country have shown some signs of slowing, in the Seattle area the answer is apparently “a little longer.” King County’s home price increase means…

Are local governments setting themselves up for budget troubles if/when housing takes a downturn? That is to say, are they taking increased revenues from the high volume and high price of home sales and using them for regular operating expenses, rather than treating it as a surplus? More tax money is forecast to flow into…