Tight housing inventories and January price jumps hint at a sellers’ spring

Falling interest rates, strong job growth and declining inventories could be setting the conditions for a spring reprise of the painfully hot housing market of 2017, local real estate agents say.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/tight-housing-inventories-and-january-price-jumps-hint-at-a-sellers-spring/?utm_medium=notification&utm_source=pushly

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

‘Virtually sold out.’ Homes priced under $500K in Pierce County hard to finds in King and Pierce County are feeling the pinch of continued tight housing inventories.

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article240052413.html

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Puget Sound housing markets seeing record-low inventory, points to 'piping hot market'

According to a report from Northwest Multiple Listings Service -- which covers 23 counties in Western Washington -- housing inventory is down about 33% across the region. The report also shows fewer new listings compared to last year.

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Puget-Sound-housing-market-record-low-inventory-15038416.php

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This Is the Reason Home Prices Are So High—and Why They're Likely to Stay That Way

For years, home prices have been climbing to record highs in much of the country. That has sidelined many aspiring homeowners and taken a toll on the budgets of those stretching to make it work. The reason? There simply aren't enough homes to meet the demand, pushing prices up to the heavens.

https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/why-home-prices-are-so-high-blame-this-startling-statistic/

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mortgage Rates Hit 3-Year Low and Offer Big Savings to 11M Homeowners

Falling rates already had lenders dealing with a flurry of refinance applications. That could turn into a blizzard now, because the latest drop in mortgage rates would allow 11.3 million homeowners to save an average $268 a month by refinancing, according to a calculation from the analytics firm Black Knight.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mortgage-rates-hit-3-low-190129778.html

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mortgage rates fall to lowest level since 2016 — this could be the ‘last affordable’ spring home-buying season for a while, Realtor group warns

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is now just 3.45%

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/mortgage-rates-fall-to-the-lowest-level-since-2016-could-this-be-the-last-affordable-spring-home-buying-season-2020-02-06?mod=MW_story_top_stories

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Portland’s Hipster Vibe Continues to Reel in Tech Types

Portland has come and grown a long way in the last 10 years. The previous decade began in a deep recession and ended with a booming economy. Along the way, the region has been labeled with many bests: economy, place to start a business, food city, commuting city, airport, etc.

https://www.globest.com/2020/02/03/portlands-hipster-vibe-continues-to-reel-in-tech-types/?slreturn=20200107151503

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

America’s 50 Best Cities to Live

Local governments bear some degree of responsibility for neighborhood safety, economic vitality, the presence and condition of public spaces, and a wide range of other amenities and services that affect the daily lives of local residents. Across the nearly 30,000 cities, towns, villages and unincorporated places in the United States, these and other factors that are closely tied to quality of life vary considerably. https://247wallst.com/special-report/2020/01/13/americas-50-best-cities-to-live-8/

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why this state is the No. 1 place in America to retire

Plus, 3 affordable — and fabulous — spots to retire in the state

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-this-state-is-the-no-1-place-in-america-to-retire-2020-01-13?link=TD_realtor_articles.82338&utm_source=realtor_articles.82338&utm_campaign=circular&utm_medium=MARKETWATCH

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

U.S. States That Are Tough to Retire In, Ranked

Deciding where to retire is tough, but some states are worse than others when it comes to offering quality, affordable retirement living. Some are plagued with expensive costs of living, terrible health care systems, brutal weather and high crime rates.

https://www.reference.com/slideshow/worst-states-retire?utm_source=ouins&utm_campaign=004b557452ed6b557f8bd4aa0a94dd1ef6&utm_term=Oregonian+%28Advance%29_The+Oregonian+%28site-wide%29_00e2bdd81fa6eb55a3f403d5e26242a68e&utm_request=e883055e49e811ea8d56b19d2363fd20&utm_content=newnext&utm_medium=MSN_SAFE_Da_OS_REF_US_D_WorstRetire_v1_0602&o=777337&ad=semA&ag=fw12&an=social&qo=semQuery&utm_lang=en

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1 Bathroom, 2 Toilets: Will This Odd Upgrade Catch On?

Double vanities are common in today's bathrooms, but apparently having your own sink to spit in isn't enough. Enter the latest trend in bathroom design: having not just one, but two toilets in the same loo.

https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/1-bathroom-2-toilets-will-this-odd-bathroom-upgrade-catch-on/

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Amazon’s big Bellevue ambition: 15,000 employees within a few years

Amazon said it expects to have at least 15,000 employees in Bellevue in the next few years as the company expands from its Seattle headquarters to tap the Eastside labor pool.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazons-bellevue-ambition-15000-employees-within-a-few-years/?utm_medium=notification&utm_source=pushly

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A tower of luxury condos with almost no parking? This experiment seems to be failing

Seattleites want to live more like Manhattanites.

Or at least, that was the gamble made by developers of The Emerald, a 40-story luxury condominium near Pike Place Market, when they decided to include fewer parking stalls than any comparable new residential tower in the city.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/a-tower-of-luxury-condos-with-almost-no-parking-this-experiment-seems-to-be-failing/

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

New High of 90% of Americans Satisfied With Personal Life

Nine in 10 Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in their personal life, a new high in Gallup's four-decade trend. The latest figure bests the previous high of 88% recorded in 2003.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/284285/new-high-americans-satisfied-personal-life.aspx

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

US economy beats estimates, adds 225,000 jobs in January as wages grow

The US labor market entered 2020 on a stronger-than-expected note, adding jobs for a record 112th month.

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/january-jobs-report-us-economy-225000-jobs-wage-growth-unemployment-2020-2-1028884919

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Seattle ranks in top 20 cities for direct commercial real estate investment in 2019

Seattle ranked in the top 20 cities across the world for the greatest amounts of direct commercial real estate investment in 2019, according to a report.

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Seattle-direct-commercial-real-estate-investments-15014247.php

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

King County Housing Authority Section 8 waitlist to open for first time since 2017

Now, for the first time since 2017, the King County Housing Authority is opening a lottery for its Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers waitlist, giving low-income households the opportunity to get housing vouchers so they can rent homes on the private market. The lottery for the waitlist will open on Feb. 12 and will remain open until 4 p.m. on Feb. 25.

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/King-County-Section-8-waitlist-open-housing-afford-15027388.php

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Atari plans to open video game-themed resort in Seattle

Atari, the arcade game company that ushered in the gaming revolution in the 1980s, is opening eight video game-themed hotels across the United States, including ones in Las Vegas and Phoenix.

https://komonews.com/news/entertainment/atari-plans-to-open-video-game-themed-resort-in-seattle

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The rent is too damn high — even for middle-income Americans

Being able to pay for housing — along with the rest of one’s everyday expenses — is a challenge for many Americans. And increasingly, that includes middle-income Americans.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-rent-is-too-damn-high-even-for-middle-income-americans-2020-02-04

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This is how many bad hair days most Americans have in a year

The average American suffers 96 bad hair days a year, according to new research

https://nypost.com/2020/02/05/this-is-how-many-bad-hair-days-most-americans-have-in-a-year/

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Market Hotness Index

Metro Hotness - Zip Code and County Hotness

https://www.realtor.com/research/reports/hottest-markets/

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Economic Indicators

U.S. Census Bureau Economic Indicators

https://www.census.gov/economic-indicators/

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bureau of Economic Analysis

U.S. Economy at a Glance

http://www.bea.gov/index.htm

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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/

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mortgage Market Survey Archive

Compilation of Weekly Survey Data for 2015

http://www.freddiemac.com/pmms/archive.html

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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