North End Real Estate Num’s

I put together these sales ratios the other day. (Sales Ratios Explained) What I found striking was the lack of sales activity over $350,000. With interest rates around 4 PERCENT and great inventory to choose from, what causes this? I will tell you a theory my brother Matt just shared with me. Matt says buyers of homes over $350,000 tend... Read More »

Late Summer Missive

We are enjoying our new office space on the lower floor of Windermere on 19th and Orchard. The timing was perfect. The summer selling season didn’t even start until after we were settled in. We extend our thanks to the real estate market for this courtesy. Things have picked up—the phone is ringing and offers are coming in again. Recent... Read More »

What is Going on at Sky Terrace and along Stadium Way?

A man I know at Sky Terrace Condominums sent me this. I had been curious about all of the construction on the building and thought maybe others were as well. He also talks about Stadium Way improvements. Promenade should be cool. I’m copying and pasting what Paul sent directly: AUGUST 3, 2011 WHAT’S GOING ON AT SKY TERRACE, 235 BROADWAY,... Read More »

More National Attention for Tacoma

Today on CNN.com among “Latest News” on their front page is a list of the top places to buy a home, as ranked by Money Magazine. Tacoma ranks number 8 on their list, with 3.9% projected appreciation. They cite our metro area’s proximity to spectacular scenery as a reason, as well as depressed prices in the wake of the recession.... Read More »

Support Local Business

Sometimes you have to blog about things other than the real estate market in Tacoma, even as that market has finally started showing signs of life. I like to try to mention businesses in the area that I like. First is Valhalla Coffee Roasters on 6th Avenue. I have walked past it countless times on my way to one of... Read More »

Outlook is Promising in Tacoma

I wanted to post a link to an interesting article speculating on the cities most likely to go from slump to bump—or in other words recover from the down market of the past two years. Tacoma is ranked first! Moody’s Economy.com expects the Tacoma real estate market to bounce back strongly, with home prices increasing 22 percent by the first... Read More »

Matching Obama Dollar-for-Dollar

It does seem the $8,000 first-time-home-buyer tax credit, part of the President’s stimulus package, has helped to stimulate the lowest price points of the Tacoma market, but the Developer of the 27th Street Station says they have not seen increased volume as a result. “We are selling homes,” says Dave Gintz, “but we were hoping for a real boost from... Read More »

Early Sign of Thaw?

New num’s…. Category…….Pending…..Active…..Ratio Overall…………110………628……..17.5% Sub $200K…….38………104……..36.5% $200-$300K……46………212……..21.7% $300-$400K……17………138……..12.3% $400-$500K……..4……….65………6.2% $500-$600K……..5……….33……..15.2% $600-$700K……..3……….27……..11.1% $700-800K……….0……….18………0.0% $800-$1M…………0……….18………0.0% Over $1M…………0……….21………0.0% There is improvement overall since December of more than three percentage points, but check out the sub $200K range. The improvement here is tremendous. Ordinarily I would say this will trickle up into the higher price categories as those lucky sellers, freed up at last... Read More »

Break it Down

I haven’t gone out of my way to promote this blog as yet, but a few people found my first posting. Thank you! Kym hit the nail on the head. The lower price points are moving better than the higher priced homes in Tacoma, University Place and Fircrest, probably for the very reasons she cites in her comment. First time... Read More »