Published April 2004
Home
sales down but pending deals up by 18%
By
Mike Benbow
Herald Business Editor
Home sales in Snohomish
County were sluggish in February, but a dramatic leap in pending sales
indicates sales should again be strong this spring.
That’s the word from
the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, which released home sales statistics
for February within its 14-county market area.
Closed sales of condominiums
and single-family homes totaled 786 in February, about 20 percent fewer
homes than for the same month last year. But pending sales rose to 1,282,
nearly 18 percent more than in February 2003.
While the number
of completed sales dropped, prices continued to rise in February. The
combined median price for homes and condos was $225,000, a 7.14 percent
increase from a year ago, when the median was $210,000.
Median means that
half the homes sold for more and half sold for less.
The median price
for single-family homes in the county was $235,000, up from $218,500 a
year ago. For condos only, the median was $172,000, up from $161,675.
The numbers were
significantly lower than in neighboring King County, where single-family
homes sold for a median of $295,950, and condos drew a median price of
$194,725.
Real estate professionals
expect prices to continue to rise because demand is growing, interest
rates remain low and listings have fallen. In Snohomish County, for example,
the number of houses on the market fell nearly 15 percent in February
in comparison to the figures from a year ago. There were 4,077 homes for
sale in the county in February, compared with 4,775 last year at this
time.
Dick Beeson, a listing
service director from Tacoma, said the shortage is hampering sales. “There
are more buyers than housing in many areas, causing an extremely competitive
market.”
Homes in Snohomish
County spent the shortest time on the market, averaging just 67 days from
listing to sale. In King and Pierce counties, homes also sold quickly,
averaging just 71 days.
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