Weekly relevant links!
While region’s median home prices rose last year, King County’s took a dip — but it won’t last
“It felt like a year of transition. A little bit of a shakeout year,” said Kim Colaprete, a broker at Coldwell Banker Bain. “There were crazy multiple offers in some scenarios. We also had clients who got amazing deals on properties that were on the market for a long time. And we had listings that sold for way over market.”
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/while-regions-median-home-prices-rose-last-year-king-countys-took-a-dip-but-it-wont-last/
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Homes are selling fastest in these Portland neighborhoods
The frenzied bidding wars of 2017-2018 are long gone, but there are neighborhoods in the Portland metro area in which homes sell much faster than the almost 50 day average.
https://www.oregonlive.com/life-and-culture/j66j-2020/01/0b5a21ebdb9515/homes-are-selling-fastest-in-these-portland-neighborhoods.html
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100-Year Anniversary of Prohibition: The Finest Wet Bars and Wine Cellars Listed by Coldwell Banker
5 amazing homes for sale with a wine cellar or wet bar
https://blog.coldwellbanker.com/100-year-anniversary-of-prohibition-the-finest-wet-bars-and-wine-cellars-listed-by-coldwell-banker/
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Y Combinator grad ZeroDown opens Seattle office to tackle pricey housing down payments
Another real estate startup is coming to Seattle, aiming to disrupt the expensive and stressful process of buying a home.
https://www.geekwire.com/2020/y-combinator-grad-zerodown-opens-seattle-office-tackle-pricey-housing-payments/
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Apartments for rent in Seattle: What will $1,900 get you?
Curious just how far your dollar goes in Seattle?
https://hoodline.com/2020/01/apartments-for-rent-in-seattle-what-will-1-900-get-you-1579057189
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The cheapest rentals in Concordia, Portland
Concordia is quite walkable, is easy to get around on a bicycle and offers many nearby public transportation options, according to Walk Score's rating system.
https://news.yahoo.com/cheapest-rentals-concordia-portland-120410908.html
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How Big Data Will Impact Real Estate Buying, Selling and Developing
The emerging Big-Data-fueled technologies can provide new insights and approaches to how luxury real estate is developed, priced, sold and bought
https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/how-big-data-will-impact-real-estate-buying-selling-and-developing-210771
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The most popular features in real estate listings
The three most frequently-used feature descriptions for homes priced under $5 million were: “granite countertops,” “hardwood floors,” and “stainless steel appliances.” Next on the list: “open floor plan,” “fenced backyard,” and “covered patio.”
https://www.housingwire.com/articles/the-most-popular-features-in-real-estate-listings/?utm_source=homesnap&utm_medium=desktop
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Some homebuyers value their real estate agent as much as a therapist
How important is a real estate agent to homebuyers and sellers? Well, according to new survey, a majority of homebuyers and sellers feel that an agent is more important to them than their therapist.
https://www.housingwire.com/articles/some-homebuyers-value-their-real-estate-agent-as-much-as-a-therapist/
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Permits for in-law flats down in Portland
Longtime small-housing advocate Kol Peterson studied data from the city of Portland and found permits for accessory dwelling units decreased in 2019.
https://www.bendbulletin.com/business/permits-for-in-law-flats-down-in-portland/article_c1013df4-364d-11ea-a0ff-f3159aa9dad2.html
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Will 2020 be a good year to buy a home? Here’s what the experts say
Economists say that 2020 will be a positive — though not exactly stellar — year for the housing market. And that could be good news for renters and home buyers alike.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/will-2020-be-a-good-time-to-buy-a-house-heres-what-the-experts-say-2019-12-18
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Jumbo mortgages are haunting the housing market, and things could get really scary
Mortgage underwriting standards have eased considerably in the past couple of years; one of the largest U.S. mortgage originators now offers a jumbo mortgage of up to $1 million with only 10% down if you have a FICO score of at least 760.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-ghost-of-the-housing-bubble-still-haunts-the-home-mortgage-market-2020-01-15?mod=MW_story_top_stories
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Renters on rise in big-city U.S.
While Seattle as a whole is evenly split between owners and renters, individual neighborhoods tend to be skewed toward one or the other. That's not surprising, since much of the city is zoned exclusively for single-family homes, which are typically owner-occupied.
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/jan/12/renters-on-rise-in-big-city-u-s-2020011/?business
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In just 3 years, Amazon has amassed nearly 3M square feet of real estate in this Seattle-area city
Amazon opened its first office in Bellevue, Wash., a little more than two years ago. A dizzying expansion followed, multiplying the tech giant’s presence in Bellevue and changing the face of the rapidly growing city 10 miles east of Seattle.
https://www.geekwire.com/2020/just-3-years-amazon-amassed-nearly-3m-square-feet-real-estate-seattle-area-city/
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Strong Growth Rate for Housing Starts Going into 2020
Total housing starts posted a 16.9 percent increase in December (1.608 million units) compared to a upwardly revised November estimate of 1.375 million units according to the joint data release from the Census Bureau and HUD. Relative to December 2018, total starts are 40.8 percent above the annual pace of 1.14 million units, a pace that will likely be revised down in future estimates.
http://eyeonhousing.org/2020/01/strong-growth-rate-for-housing-starts-going-into-2020/
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Rent Index Inches Up in December
In December, inflation-adjusted residential rents increased 0.1 percent over November’s reading, after essentially no growth in October and November (Figure 1). The average monthly growth rate of the real rent index stood at 0.11 percent in 2019, compared to 0.10 percent in 2018.
http://eyeonhousing.org/2020/01/rent-index-inches-up-in-december/
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Updated Index Shows Regulation Most Restrictive on the Coasts
In December, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) released a working paper announcing the release of an updated version of the Wharton Land Use Regulatory Index. The paper’s lead author, Joseph Gyourko, is a professor at the Wharton School who is well known for his research in this area and worked with the previous version of the index.
http://eyeonhousing.org/2020/01/updated-index-shows-regulation-most-restrictive-on-the-coasts/
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Blue Desert Cabo
Welcome to the first moments of your Blue Desert Cabo Luxury Villas experience.
https://www.jetsetmag.com/real-estate/paradise-found-blue-desert-cabo/
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Posh Cribs: The Luxury Tiny Home Movement
If you’ve always been intrigued with downsizing your “normal sized” home, while still maintaining the highest of style and grand luxury, the tiny home movement is trending in that direction.
https://www.jetsetmag.com/real-estate/posh-cribs-the-luxury-tiny-home-movement/
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Market Hotness Index
Metro Hotness - Zip Code and County Hotness
https://www.realtor.com/research/reports/hottest-markets/
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HOUSING STATISTICS
Housing Statistics offers 43 different sets of data, downloadable either as Excel or PDF files (updated weekly). Housing data and primary indicators of the industry are housed in one easy-to navigate location containing historical and current sets of statistics such as: Housing Starts (by Region & Structure Type), Homes Sold by Region, Producer Price Indexes (for Building Materials), Manufactured Homes, New Home Characteristics, Residential Vacancy & Absorption Rates, Units Under Construction, Value of New Construction, and many more.
http://www.nahbclassic.org/reference_list.aspx?sectionID=819&channelID=311
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Economic Indicators
U.S. Census Bureau Economic Indicators
https://www.census.gov/economic-indicators/
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CoreLogic Home Price Insights
The most geographically comprehensive and current home price index.
http://www.corelogic.com/about-us/researchtrends/corelogic-home-price-insights.aspx?WT.mc_id=crlg_151103_aHqc0&elq=d6379903117d41bcbe7b9f6a82f2189a&elqCampaignId=2692&elqaid=7659&elqat=1&elqTrackId=097f671c98fc48249757d8ddbd229326#.Vj1WlvnnuUl
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Bureau of Economic Analysis
U.S. Economy at a Glance
http://www.bea.gov/index.htm
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U.S. Housing Market Tracker
The U.S. housing market has struggled to find equilibrium after the bubble of the past decade. Here’s a look at where various gauges of supply and demand stand today.
http://graphics.wsj.com/us-housing-market/
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Mortgage Market Survey Archive
Compilation of Weekly Survey Data for 2015
http://www.freddiemac.com/pmms/archive.html
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Housing Economics
NAHB produces in-depth economic analyses of the home building industry based on private and government data. Our economics group surveys builders, home buyers, and renters to gain insight into the issues and trends driving the industry.
https://www.nahb.org/en/research/housing-economics.aspx
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