Seattle Eastside Real Estate Was "Normal" in February, 2010

King and Snohomish County WA Real Estate, February, 2010

The truly “hot” Seattle real estate areas in February, 2010, those in red, are in the core neighborhoods of Seattle itself.  However, almost all of the map is in “yellow”, which means the average market time for a home to sell in other Seattle areas is between 3-6 months. This means we’ve had another month with a very balanced, “normal” Seattle real estate market.  A normal real estate market is when supply and demand balance out to be 3-6 months to get a home sold.  A balanced market is not a reflection of home values, but a reflection of the real estate sales activity.

On most of Seattle’s eastside, home prices are down, but sales have gone up dramatically, anywhere from 52% to 193%, depending on the neighborhood.   Prices are lower in most eastside areas, fewer homes have been on the market compared to last year, and more homes are selling.

Will the colors on the Seattle real estate map stay the same in the coming months? It’s hard to answer this question now, but I do know the number of homes coming up for sale is growing pretty quickly.  The increase in the number of Seattle-eastside homes and condos for sale could impact the total number of properties that sell and the market time to get a sale.  With the April 30th deadline for the home buyer tax credit, much will depend on how many homes are on the market and the interest rates.  Check my March eastside blog posts next month to find out what will happen.

What’s your prediction for Seattle-eastside real estate in the coming months?  Will “yellow,” representing a balanced real estate market between home buyers and sellers still be the predominant color on the map?

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What do the numbers on the map mean?

The map is divided into the numbered areas as defined by our Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS).  Downtown Bellevue is area 520 and East Bellevue is area 530, as an example.

What do the colors mean?

Red means it’s a sellers’ market, a sellers’ advantage.

Yellow means a balanced market between buyers and sellers.

Green means its a buyers’ market.

If you take each area as shown on the map and look to the area number on the side of the map, it will tell you how long it would take to sell every home currently for sale if no other home came up on the market in that area.