Buying a home? Here's how the housing market is looking in 2020
The housing market in the Seattle area is starting off the year with record-low inventories, rising prices and signs pointing to a "piping-hot market."
https://komonews.com/news/local/buying-a-home-heres-how-the-housing-market-is-looking-in-2020
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Study ranks safest cities in Washington...guess who tops the list
A new study from the National Council for Home Safety and Security released Wednesday named Oak Harbor as Washington's safest city.
https://komonews.com/news/local/new-study-ranks-safest-cities-in-washingtonguess-which-tops-the-list
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Safest Cities in Washington – 2020
Washington’s crime situation is a bit unusual: the state boasts a violent crime rate considerably below the national average, yet has a significant property crime issue, mainly in Seattle and its other large cities. Nevertheless, Washington is home to a handful of cities where neither violent nor property crime are a significant issue. Here’s a closer look at the Evergreen State’s five safest cities.
https://www.alarms.org/safest-cities-in-washington/
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As mortgage rates remain near three-year lows, here are 5 questions to ask yourself before you refinance your mortgage
The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage now stands at 3.45%, the lowest since 2016
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/mortgage-rates-are-at-a-four-year-low-here-are-5-questions-to-ask-yourself-before-you-refinance-2020-02-10
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Getty Center North? This $8.65 Million Portland Mansion Was Inspired by LA’s Most Popular Museum
Get ready to see some top-notch masonry.
https://robbreport.com/shelter/homes-for-sale/the-lakota-estate-portland-for-sale-2898679/
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Mortgage rates rise slightly from three-year lows — here’s why low rates won’t help home buyers very much
Ultra-low interest rates have sparked another boom in mortgage refinancing activity, but home buyers may not reap as much benefit
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/mortgage-rates-rise-slightly-from-three-year-lows-heres-why-low-rates-wont-help-home-buyers-very-much-2020-02-13
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Estate of Late Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen Sells for $35 Million
The Silicon Valley, California, home spans 21,000 square feet
https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/estate-of-late-microsoft-co-founder-paul-allen-sells-for-35-million-212009
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City bans many winter evictions
Many residential evictions in pricey Seattle have been banned for the city's coldest and wettest months of December, January and February but city leaders decided against invoking the ban for November and March.
https://www.djc.com/news/re/12129615.html?cgi=yes
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Redfin Ranks the Most Walkable U.S. Cities of 2020
New York, San Francisco and Boston are the most walkable cities in the U.S. in 2020, according to a new ranking from Redfin (www.redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage.
https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/state/redfin-ranks-the-most-walkable-u-s-cities-of/article_e44490f1-6cd8-52ae-9bcf-b92a8df53184.html
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January 2020 Seattle Condo Market Update
The dark clouds and drizzle of winter parted ways for a warming Seattle condominium market. Seattle started the year with a jolt as sales spiked and inventory plummeted.
https://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlecondo/2020/02/10/january-2020-seattle-condo-market-update/
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Homes Sold Above List Price Fell to Three-Year Low in 2019
Roughly one-in-five (19.9%) U.S. homes sold for more than their list price in 2019, the lowest share in years — a reflection of cooling market dynamics and subsequent shifts in pricing and offer strategies in response. But as those market dynamics begin changing direction again, so too will the balance of power in the ongoing price/offer game between buyers and sellers
https://www.zillow.com/research/homes-sold-above-list-2019-26481/
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Amazon Is Ramping up Employment in Bellevue With Plans to Add Thousands of New Jobs
A rendering of Amazon’s Bellevue 600, a 43-story office tower designed by Seattle based NBBJ that will be the tallest in the city. It is being developed on the east portion of the Bellevue Corporate Plaza property purchased by Amazon in April 2019.
https://seattlebusinessmag.com/business-operations/amazon-ramping-employment-bellevue-plans-add-thousands-new-jobs
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FINANCIAL STATE OF THE CITIES
This is our fourth annual Financial State of the Cities (FSOC) report, a comprehensive analysis of the fiscal health of the nation’s 75 most populous cities
https://www.truthinaccounting.org/library/doclib/Financial-State-of-the-Cities-2020.pdf
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Seattle elite not ready to give up car keys
Buyers not lining up for carless luxury tower on waterfront
https://lmtribune.com/business/seattle-elite-not-ready-to-give-up-car-keys/article_32e2863c-691c-5b20-83e5-040d040bc898.html
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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