Excerpts from Press Release from the NWMLS.  KIRKLAND, Wash. (Sept. 3, 2010) – Value is what’s selling in the current housing market, according to members of Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Commenting on the MLS report summarizing August activity, directors agree conditions continue to favor buyers, although one industry official cautioned a looming change in mortgage [...]

How has home buying changed? Take a look at what a difference 10 years makes: Percentage of U.S. homebuyers who:        1999                2009 Bought a single-family home                      82%                 78% Bought in a suburban neighborhood             46%                 54% Began their home search online                 37%                 90% Were married couples                              68%                 60% Were single women                               15%                 21% Were single men                                    7%                   10% [...]

 KIRKLAND, Wash. (May 5, 2010) – “While the tax credit has gone away, the buyers haven’t,” observed a board member of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Commenting on the MLS summary report for March, the member described the tax incentives, which expired April 30, with being the “lubricant the market needed,” but credits rising consumer [...]

The U.S. Commerce Department reported that U. S. housing starts rose 1.6% in March to a seasonally adjusted 626,000 annualized homes which was 16,000 more than predicted.  Not only is there an increase vs. the forecasts, but housing starts have risen for three straight months!  Housing starts are now at their highest level since November 2008.  The recovery of [...]

With low home prices, interest rates and government tax incentives for first-time home buyers, Coldwell BankerIsland Living  real estate agents are seeing an influx of singles walking through the door. For greater insight into this demographic, Coldwell Banker Real Estate conducted a national online survey of more than 1,000 single homeowners in April 2010 on [...]

The Vacation Home Market is Also Showing Strong Signs of Recovery!  The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that the vacation home market is showing signs of recovery, with sales up nearly 8% and increased prices (up nearly 13%) following three years of declines.  A new trend in second homes and vacation homes sales is [...]

KIRKLAND, Wash. (March 4, 2010) – Northwest Multiple Listing Service members reported strong gains in home sales during February, with brokers pointing to several encouraging signs for a busy spring season. Improving consumer confidence and a looming deadline for homebuyer tax credits are helping to boost activity, according to NWMLS officials. “We are entering what [...]

Housing Starts Rise in January 2010 according to RISMEDIA     Nationwide housing production hit its strongest pace in the last six months this January, posting a 2.8% gain to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000 units, according to figures recently released by the U.S. Commerce Department. You can read the entire article at by [...]

Coldwell Banker Survey Identifies Multi-Generational Homes As a Trend in Real Estate 37 Percent of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Professionals Surveyed Have Seen More Families Looking for Homes that Accommodate Multiple Generations PARSIPPANY, N.J. (Feb. 22, 2010) – Family reunions are taking on a new meaning in the real estate market. According to a recent [...]

February 3, 2010—Pending home sales have leveled from a market swing driven by response to the home buyer tax credit, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in December 2009, increased 1.0% to 96.6 from 95.6 in November, and remains 10.9% above December [...]