Bellevue, WAFinancingFor SellersIssaquah, WAKing County, WAMarket StatisticsReal EstateRedmondSammamish, WASeattle real estateWoodinville, WA November 17, 2011

Which Eastside City had the Fastest Selling Homes In October, 2011?

 
Homes in East Bellevue and Redmond near Microsoft sold the fastest on Seattle’s eastside in October. Homes sold in under 2 months, at 59 days. Market time for the other eastside cities, ranged from 99-117 days or just shy of 4 months.  This is a reasonable market time as it shows a more of a balanced market between buyers and sellers.  It’s actually a normal market and is better for “both sides of the table.”

The odds of selling a home in the Redmond and East Bellevue areas stood at 30%, which also was the strongest absorption rate to be found on the eastside.*  Chances of selling ranged from 19-26% in the other eastside cities.

 
The Redmond and East Bellevue area near Microsoft comes out on top for market time and a higher absorption rate because of more affordable housing, good jobs, an easier commute and good schools.  With the main Microsoft campus in Redmond right on the Bellevue line, there are lots of jobs right there.  In addition, there’s easier freeway and bus access to Seattle than in the outlying suburbs.
 
The higher price point in West Bellevue means fewer buyers can afford to live there.  Affordability issues increase the market time.  Longer market time here is a function of pricing, not desirability.  West Bellevue is considered to be one of the best locations on the eastside.
 
Two of the areas had an increase in the median pricing, Redmond and East Bellevue and Redmond and Education Hill.  Changes in median pricing, however, need to be looked at over a period of months since the median price for this month reflects the sales for this month only.
 
Why is market time important?  It’s one indication of the desirability and affordability of an area.  Both are key to future growth and appreciation.  People like to live in convenient areas with good schools and affordable housing.
 
The cities below are grouped together to follow our MLS areas (multiple listing service) and shows how our statistical information is  reported.  How did your city do this past month?
 
Which Seattle-eastside city had the fastest selling homes in October, 2011?
 
1. Redmond/East Bellevue

The odds of selling a home were 30%.*

Median sales price increased (y-o-y)** to $435,000 from $427,000.

193 homes were for sale

A total of 58 homes sold.

Days on the market: 56
 
2. Kirkland

The odds of selling a home were 26%.

Median price decreased from $592,000 to $501,000.

234 homes were for sale.

A total of 60 homes sold.

Days on Market:  99
 
3. Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation

The odds of selling a home were 19%

Median pricing increased from $541,000 to $580,000.

321 homes were for sale.

A total of 62 homes sold.

Days on Market: 100
 
4.Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall/North Kirkland

The odds of selling a home were 22%.

Median price was down from $377,000 to $370,000.

540 homes were for sale.

A total of 117 homes sold.

Days on Market: 101
 
5. South Bellevue/Issaquah

The odds of selling a home were 24%.

Median price decreased from $580,000 to $500,000.

338 homes were for sale.

A total of 81 homes sold.

Days on market: 104
 
6. The plateau:  Sammamish, Issaquah, North Bend, and Fall City

The odds of selling a home were 23%.

Median sales price decreased from $500,000 to $460,000.

There were 650 homes for sale.

A total of 158 homes sold.

Days on the market: 108
 
7. West Bellevue

The odds of selling a home were 22.5%.

Median pricing decreased from $985,000 to $878,000.

128 homes were for sale.

A total of 31 homes sold.

Days on Market: 117

 
If you’d like more specific information about your neighborhood or home, feel free to contact either Brooks or me.

*(The odds of selling a home in each area is a result of the number of homes for sale divided by the actual number of home sales, so if 10 out of 100 homes sold, the odds of selling would be 10/100 or 10%)

** (y-o-y)  median pricing is comparing year over year numbers.

Eastside Real EstateFor BuyersFor SellersKing County Real EstateMarket StatisticsReal Estate November 4, 2011

Were there a lot of Distressed Real Estate Sales on the Eastside?

My last post focused on distressed sales in the counties around Seattle, a huge area.  This post focuses on the eastside cities across Lake Washington from Seattle.

The hardest hit area for distressed property sales on Seattle’s eastside is what we Realtors call area 600 (see bottom of the chart above) which encompasses north Kirkland, Juanita, Duvall, Woodinville, Bothell, and Kenmore.  Although all of these communities are fairly close to the eastside employment centers,  the commute can be longer for many people.  Parts of Woodinville and Duvall are still fairly rural in nature.  Rural areas around Seattle have been hit harder with the decline in the real estate market.  The higher number of distressed sales in these areas fits this model.  More people want to live closer to work these days.

The area with the fewest number of distressed home sales was Mercer Island (area 510).  Mercer Island is also one of the more expensive eastside cities.  Situated between the eastside communities and downtown Seattle, it’s a desirable place to live.  It’s a bedroom community located near the top economic centers with top notch schools and an easy commute to Seattle and the eastside.

Kirkland (area 560) is a very desirable location because it has good highway access, is close to jobs, and has a good school system.  But the city has the second highest rate of distressed sales, which is surprising.   The community encompasses a variety of housing styles and prices.from multi-million dollar waterfront homes to starter homes in the $200,000+ range.

The other eastside cities of Bellevue, Sammamish, Issaquah, and the closer in neighborhoods of Redmond, near Microsoft, had distressed sales ranging from 16-19% of the total real estate sales in the third quarter of 2011.

The theme here as in the last post is close-in locations near jobs is the better place to be.  The eastside cities that fit this bill had the least amount of distressed sales.