washington state: Renting vs. Buying can be a challenging decision! - 06/21/12 11:06 PM
Hey Everybody,
I saw a great article written by RIS Media this morning that discusses the old question of Renting vs. Buying a home.  Here's a link to the article:  http://rismedia.com/2012-06-21/what-to-do-in-this-year-rent-or-buy-a-home/
I think it does a nice job discussing the advantages and disadvantages of both choices, rather than being the typical real estate agent's big push to buy.
The reasons to buy in today's market are pretty obvious...  Low prices, fantastic rates, the bottom of the market has clearly come and gone, etc...  However, there are some good reasons for a person to rent as well.  Can you afford the mortgage … (0 comments)

washington state: Good News for Washington Real Estate! - 09/02/08 08:47 PM
 
Washington State has had a pretty slow year for real estate sales.  The number of sold homes is well down on the year from last year's great run.  There are several areas that have seen overall price declines in the last year.  There has been plenty of depressing news in the media. - Depressing, I know... but read on, it gets better!
There is plenty of GOOD news to report on the Wshington State Real Estate Market as well.
According to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) 2nd Quarter 2008 House Price Index, Home prices across the State gained … (2 comments)

washington state: 30 States had Positive Changes in House Prices over the last year! - 08/27/08 08:44 PM
More good news for the real estate industry!!
According to the Office of Federal Housing Oversight's Housing Price Index for the 2nd Quarter of 2008 released August 26th, 30 of the 50 States had positive changes in house prices from June 2007 through June 2008, including our very own Washington State!
Only 4 States (Arizona, Florida, Nevada, and California) experienced overall price declines of more than 5 percent.
The 20 ranked cities in the United States with the worst price declines over the last 4 quarters were ALL in Florida, California, and Nevada.
I really do sympathize with the people of these four fine … (52 comments)

washington state: Outlook Brighter For Washington! - 10/02/07 06:35 AM

The national news is still speaking about the lending industry "crisis",  but Washington State is fairing better than most areas of the country.  An article released by Reuters on September 20, 2007* says that "While California suffers in the housing crisis, the economy of nearby Washington state is flourishing with strong job growth and some of the highest appreciation in home prices in the nation".
While the lending industry is still sorting itself out, it seems that the bulk of the problems are behind us.  However, we will continue to see the stricter loan qualifications that were common 5-7 years ago. … (0 comments)