economy

economy Local Market Update – January 2019 A cool-down in prices and a surge in inventory spelled out good news for buyers in December. Median home prices throughout the region continued to moderate. The number of homes for sale more than doubled over a year ago. Condo inventory more than quadrupled. While we’re still far short of the four to six months […]
economy Where are home prices heading? Home price increases in the Puget Sound area have started to moderate. While down from the unsustainable highs of this spring, prices continue to be up compared to a year ago. So, where are home prices headed next? The Home Price Expectation Survey checks in with over 100 national real estate experts every quarter, including Windermere […]
economy How Interest Rates Affect Buying Power Whether you are thinking about buying or selling a home, interest rate trends are an important factor to consider. Mortgage interest rates have been rising and experts, including Windermere Chief Economist Matthew Gardner, predict that they will continue to increase in 2019. Interest Rates and Buying Power The chart below shows the impact rising interest rates would have if […]
economy What’s Really Happening in the Housing Market?   Our housing market is finally cooling a bit, from scorching hot to slightly-less-sweltering. While some alarmists are talking bubble or impending crisis, the statistics tell a different story. The market does appear to be shifting, and that’s good news! The steep price increases of the past few years are not sustainable, and also risk pricing […]
economy Seattle / Eastside Market Report – September 2018 The number of homes for sale in August increased dramatically over the same time a year ago. This is the result of a moderate increase in new listings and a much slower pace of sales. Homes are staying on the market longer, giving buyers more choices and more time to make an informed decision.  While […]
economy Seattle / Eastside Market Report – June 2018 Last month brought some long-awaited, positive news for buyers with May posting the most new listings in over a decade. Despite the uptick in inventory, most homes are selling in less than a month. Prices haven’t been impacted either, with the majority of the region continuing to experience double-digit home price increases. Eastside The median […]
economy Home Prices Hit New Records: Take Advantage Of Your Equity The Great Recession took its toll on housing prices, with home values declining throughout the country.  Since then, prices have rebounded. While many areas of the U.S. are not back to pre-crash levels, home values in Washington State have increased significantly. Homeowners here have the second highest appreciation rate in the country.  The economists at […]
bellevue Seattle / Eastside Market Report – April 2018 Despite the typical seasonal surge in new listings, supply in our area continued to fall far short of demand in March. With just two weeks of available inventory in every market, competition for homes is intense. The result was another month of double-digit price increases as compared to a year ago. The region has now […]
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economy How Tax Reform Affects Homeownership New tax legislation was signed into law at the end of 2017, and it included some significant changes for homeowners. These changes took effect in 2018 and do not influence your 2017 taxes.  Here’s a brief overview of this year’s tax changes and how they may affect you.  The amount of mortgage interest you can […]
bellevue Seattle / Eastside Market Report – March 2018 The local real estate market set new home price records in many parts of the region in February. Prices here have grown faster than anywhere else in the country for the last 16 months in a row. Demand remains high and inventory very low. Brokers are hoping the normal seasonal increase in listings this spring […]
economy Seattle / Eastside Market Report – February 2018 With competition for homes growing and inventory shrinking, the real estate market in January was as hot as ever.  Home prices were up by double digits as buyers chased severely limited inventory. The number of homes for sale hit a record low for the month of January, which should strongly favor sellers as we move […]
economy Matthew Gardner’s 2018 Housing Forecast Windermere is fortunate to have Chief Economist Matthew Gardner on staff to provide valuable analysis of the economy and housing market. Matthew recently completed his national forecast which details his predictions for the 2018 housing market.  
economy Seattle / Eastside Market Report – November 2017 Prices in our area have now been rising faster than anywhere in the country for twelve months. Sellers seem to be getting the message that now is a good time to put their home on the market. There was an increase in new inventory in October, but with homes selling rapidly, there still aren’t enough […]
economy Are we in a housing bubble? As home prices in King County have reached record highs, some people are wondering whether we are approaching another housing bubble. While it’s true that home prices here have surpassed the last peak hit during the housing bubble, that doesn’t mean we are in bubble territory today. The last bubble was fueled by faulty mortgage […]
bellevue The Gardner Report – Second Quarter 2017 Economic Overview The Washington State economy has been expanding at a rapid pace but we are seeing a slowdown as the state grows closer to full employment. Given the solid growth, I would expect to see income growth move markedly higher, though this has yet to materialize. I anticipate that we will see faster income […]
economy Seattle /Eastside Market Report – June 2017 The hottest real estate market in the country just keeps getting hotter. Despite a large number of new listings, home prices in the Puget Sound area continued to set records in May. According to a Seattle Times article, “For the first time since the 2007 housing bubble, every county in the central Puget Sound region […]
bellevue Seattle / Eastside Market Report – May 2017 The local real estate market—already the hottest in the country—set yet another price record in April. The number of homes for sale dropped 27 percent compared to a year ago, the lowest amount of inventory ever recorded for a spring month. The historically low supply of homes is making competition among buyers fierce. Sellers are […]
bellevue Seattle / Eastside Market Update – March 2017 Home prices are growing faster in our region than anywhere else in the country. After a brief slowdown last month, home prices in February jumped to new record highs. The reason? The lowest number of homes for sale on record. The surge in prices came well ahead of the normal seasonal spring uptick, adding even […]
economy Four Reasons Why Dodd-Frank Will Not Be Repealed by Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist, Windermere Real Estate Many worry about President Trump’s pledge to remove regulations relating to financial services and the rollback of the ‘Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act’. For those who may be unware of this very substantial bill, it represented the most comprehensive financial regulatory reform measures taken […]
economy What’s In Store For The 2017 Seattle Housing Market? By Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist, Windermere Real Estate 2016 was another stellar year for the Seattle housing market, in which a surplus of buyers and a deficit of sellers drove home prices higher across the board. So, can we expect to see more of the same in 2017? Here are some of my thoughts on […]