Case-Shiller for Seattle area down slightly 2nd month in a row.

I recently wrote that a trend might have started after seeing the Case-Shiller results improve for Seattle for 2 months in a row. Well, now it is slightly down for the second month in a row. The good news is that the year-over-year decreases are less than 1% so we are just hovering around a "flat-line", and I don't mean that we are dead, just that it's not dropped in free fall. Nationally the reports says 12 of the 20 areas watched have continued to see improvements. Click here to read the entire Seattle Times article on the Case-Shiller results for Seattle.

Foreclosure filings drop 13% in WA and 33% in King County though nationally it is up 6%.

WA ranks 33rd in the country for foreclosure activity and has posted some very impressive drops in foreclosure filings over the last couple of months. Our area might be stabilizing quickly. Click here to see the entire Seattle Times/ Associated Press article on the reduction of foreclosures.

WA top state to expect job growth in 2010 according to the Seattle Times.

Seattle has seen temporary positions being filled, which usually leads to job growth as business leaders gain more confidence that we are in recovery mode. Job growth equals more housing needs and more housing needs leads to a strengthening of the real estate market. Click here to read the entire Seattle Times article on job growth in Seattle.

New federal program to help "short-sale" sellers-pay them to sell.

It might sound crazy but the Federal Government is trying to help the country get through the housing mess. They plan to pay a sum of $1,500 to a seller to help them get their house sold while forgiving the dept (I'm very skeptical that banks will actually forgive the debt 100%) so the house will not sit vacant and potentially get ransacked, thus lowering the value of that home and those in the area as well. The government should push banks to quicken the short-sale process so buyers will be encouraged to buy these properties and get more inventory off the market. Click here to see the entire Seattle Times/The New York Times article on the federal plan.