Here are some NOT-scary looking graphs showing you what is happening in the local real estate market of Mason County– all the way back from the year 2000. The thick black line is this year (2008).

Average Sales Price
As you can see, the average price for each month is dancing around a bit, but is staying above the $200,000 mark. The first time Mason County had average sales prices of over $200,000 was in August of 2005. Current price averages are just about on par with November of 2005 too.
5 year Perspective: Average Sold prices are about 25% higher than November 2003.

Time to sell
Consistency seems to be the description here: Consistently taking a looong time to sell. The last time it took this long to sell a house was back in 2000 & 2001. And it was not for this extended time frame.
Note: The seller’s market spike was 2004 & 2005.

Actual Sales per Month
As you can see, there was a rather sudden drop in the number of homes that are selling each month. It can be tracked to the October 6 market crash– portfolios got hammered! We are in uncharted waters with this type of sharp decline in # sold.
The Silver Lining: December is looking up, with 14 closed sales already, which is more than 50% of November, and the month is only one-third over.

My Forecast for Mason County Residential Sales
No clue. My crystal ball is broken. How is yours?
This is not a time to "try" selling a house. Sell if you NEED to sell. Expect to make concessions to Buyers.

Let me know if you would like a closer look at statistics in your particular area of Mason County- every area is a bit different. I am never too busy to answer the questions of clients & friends.

-----

Mason County is located on the West side of Puget Sound, about 20 miles northwest of Olympia. Mason County is a lovely wooded place full of places to hike & hunt & fish with a HUGE number of lakes & salt water inlets & bays, with small communities throughout. Newcomers are delighted by all the lovely fjords in the area too.

The largest towns/communities are Shelton (County seat) Belfair, Allyn, Union & Hoodsport, Timberlakes, Mason Lake, Lilliwaup, Lake Cushman & Grapeview. The zip codes for the region are 98584, 98592, 98546, 98588, 98528 and 98548. Telephone area code is 360.

While I am not expert in all of Mason County, I know the agents who know every nook and cranny and can tell you when & where to find the best steelhead. If you are thinking of moving to this gorgeous unspoiled part of the Pacific Northwest, give me a call. I can either help you find you your new home, or introduce you to a professional from the area who can.

Take a look at my website to view everything currently for sale in Western Washington, including Shelton & Mason County.