Real Estate Trends
| County | Home Resale Units | Home Resale %Change | Builind Permit Number | Builind Permit %Change | Median Price | Price % Change | Affordability Index |
| Yakima | 4,230 | -7.4 | 81 | 24.6 | $160,000 | 15.0 | 116.6 |
| King | 29,260 | -18.0 | 4,483 | -13.2 | 472,000 | 9.1 | 64.7 |
| Spokan | 9,260 | -14.7 | 524 | -30.1 | 207,400 | 8.2 | 107.7 |
| Kitsap | 3,820 | -21.4 | 268 | -13.0 | 300,000 | 5.8 | 88.9 |
| Thurston | 5,200 | -17.3 | 467 | -24.2 | 270,000 | 5.0 |
98.1 |
| Statewide | 114,750 | -11.4 | 10,586 | -17.3 | 314,000 | 4.4 | 81.8 |
| Benton | 3,890 | 5.1 | 136 | -24.9 | 172,400 | 3.6 | 154.6 |
| Franklin | 800 | 5.3 | 126 | -41.1 | 172,400 | 3.6 | 115.6 |
| Snohomish | 10,420 | -26.9 | 1,217 | -6.5 | 370,000 | 3.6 | 76.8 |
| Pierce | 12,070 | -32.2 | 1,089 | -29.1 | 288,700 | 3.3 | 89.8 |
| Clark | 6,580 | -17.2 | 612 | -21.1 | 278,700 | 1.2 | 92.9 |
| Whatcom | 2,950 | -1.7 | 224 | -27.7 | 290,000 | 0.9 | 81.8 |
| Skagit | 2,500 | -4.2 | 158 | 3.9 | 272,000 | 0.7 | 86.7 |
The housing market has slowed. Statewide home sales fell 5 percent from the previous quarter and are down 11.4 percent since last year. Among the larger population centers, only in the Tri-Cities did sales volume increase. Both Benton and Franklin counties reported sales up more than 5 percent.
However, median home prices keep climbing, up to $314,000 statewide, an increase of 4.4 percent over the year previous - a sharp decline from the double-digit growth we saw from 2004-'06.
What's that mean? It suggests that while the high end of the urban market remains intact, below-median home sales are tapering off. In fact, first-time buyers have been priced out, the data shows. Less than half of them statewide can afford a home. In King County, it's barely a third.
SOURCE: WASHINGTON CENTER FOR REAL ESTATE RESEARCH / WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
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