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Market Report*:5/1/2009 - 5/31/2009  Mason County Real Estate 

Market Report -- May             Total Sales for all categories 2009  64 2008 100 2007 140 2006 206 Residential Sales 2009 55 2008 71 2007 87 2006 119 Vacant Land Sales 2009 7 2008 26 2007 51 2006 77 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 1 2008 2 2007 2 2006 2 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 0 2007 0 2006 2 Business Opportunity&Commercial 2009 1 2008 1 2007 0 2006 2 Another report is comparing Active Listings to Pending Sales. A ratio of 5 Actives to 1 Pending indicates a good market. The current ratio (06/09/2009) for Mason County is 821 Active Listings to 67 Pending Sales. This ratio indicates that the market is has improved. Ratio is 12 to 1.  Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 05/31/2009. Total Sales for all categories 2009 219 2008 359 2007 604 2006 870 Residential Sales 2009 168 Bank Owned Sales    36% of sales 2009 61 2008 264 2007 357 2006 460 Vacant Land Sales 2009 43 2008 84 2007 214 2006 383 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 5 2008 5 2007 4 2006 9 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 1 2007 6 2006 4 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2009 3 2008 5 2007 12 2006 7   Market Report: 05/01 to 05/31/2009 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.    Grays Harbor: 10% decrease 2009 60 2008 67 2007 100 2006 95 Island County: 0% change 2009 75 2008 75 2007 104 2006 134 Jefferson: 45% decrease 2009 12 2008 22 2007 35 2006  51 King: 15% decrease 2009 1276 2008 1495 2007 2507 2006  2713 Kitsap: 8% decrease 2009 189 2008 205 2007 329 2006  365 Lewis: 14% increase 2009 41 2008 36 2007 84 2006  119 Mason: 23% decrease 2009 55 2008 71 2007 87 2006  119 Pierce: 11% decrease 2009 595 2008 672 2007 1133 2006  1434 San Juan:  56% decrease 2009  4 2008 9 2007  25 2006 28 Skagit: 43% decrease 2009 70 2008 122 2007 184 2006  171 Snohomish: 4% decrease 2009 538 2008 559 2007 1090 2006  1313 Thurston: 19% decrease 2009 216 2008 266 2007 399 2006  466 Whatcom: 16% decrease  2009 152 2008 180 2007 279 2006  293 All Counties this report: 12% decrease 2009 3311 2008 3778 2007 6426 2006 7390   NEW Report:  Info on Bank Repos There are still a lot of bank owned homes on the market.  The sales of bank owned homes is having an impact on housing prices.  Here is a chart showing the number of sales this month, and how many of those that sold are bank owned.   County Total sold bank owned  % Grays Harbor 60 21 35% Island 75 9 12% Jefferson 12 2 17% King 1272 169 13% Kitsap 189 26 14% Lewis 41 12 29% Mason 55 19 35% Pierce 593 188 32% San Juan 4 1 25% Skagit 70 13 19% Snohmish 539 110 21% Thurston 216 21 10% Whatcom 152 7 5% Total Counties 3126 598 19% *Information collected from the NWMLS system. Rules do not allow agents to send out information in a Broadcast form, if you want actual information on property please send a request and the information will be sent to you. For phone numbers for most of the Home Associations in Mason County, go here.  Interest Rates Down Through the Years (we are continuing to present this info due to lots of interest in it).  [Information from Freddie Mac] Interest rates are really low right now, and this makes a big difference in your mortgage payments. Note, Interest are starting to go back up!  Interest rates have not always been so low. Let’s look back at the month of November down through the years: (By the way, the highest interest rate back in October of 1981 was at 18.45 %. The lowest was in June of 2003 at 5.23 %.) Current rate is 5.29% as of 06/09/2009.  1971 7.55 1972 7.43 1973 8.58 1974 9.79 1975 9.15 1976 8.81 1977 8.92 1978 10.11 1979 12.83 1980 14.21 1981 17.82 1982 13.82 1983 13.44 1984 13.64 1985 11.78 1986 9.70 1987 10.65 1988 10.27 1989 9.77 1990 10.01 1991 8.71 1992 8.31 1993 7.16 1994 9.17 1995 7.38 1996 7.62 1997 7.21 1998 6.87 1999 7.74 2000 7.75 2001 6.66 2002 6.07 2003 5.93 2004 5.73 2005 6.33 2006 6.24 2007 6.21 2008 October 6.20 Purchasing power of a $1200.00 per month payment (principal and interest only does not include PMI, taxes or insurance) based on different interest rates.  Mortgage rates are very low right now! Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $229,200.00        4.78         $1200.00   $220,000.00       5.15%       $1200.00 $216,000            5.29%      $1200.00 $200,149.94         6%          $1200.00 $194,894.67         625%      $1200.00 $189,852.98         6.5%       $1200.00 $180,369.80         7%         $1200.00 $163,540.19         8%         $1200.00 $149,138.24         9%         $1200.00 $136,740.98         10%        $1200.00 $126,007.62         11%        $1200.00 $116,661.10         12%        $1200.00  Note: Why it matters: You could buy a $78,000 house at $1200 per month with an 18.45% interest rate. You could buy a $229,200 house with $1200 per month with a 4.78% interest rate. (04/09/2009)

Market Report*:4/1/2009 - 4/30/2009  Mason County Real Estate 

Market Report -- April             Total Sales for all categories 2009  59 2008 80 2007 170 2006 194 Residential Sales 2009 48 2008 59 2007 82 2006 103 Vacant Land Sales 2009 10 2008 19 2007 49 2006 87 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 1 2008 1 2007 0 2006 3 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 0 2007 1 2006 0 Business Opportunity&Commercial 2009 0 2008 1 2007 3 2006 0 Another report is comparing Active Listings to Pending Sales. A ratio of 5 Actives to 1 Pending indicates a good market. The current ratio (04/09/2009) for Mason County is 755 Active Listings to 74 Pending Sales. This ratio indicates that the market is has improved. Ratio is 10 to 1.  Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 04/30/2009. Total Sales for all categories 2009 154 2008 256 2007 486 2006 664 Residential Sales 2009 112 2008 190 2007 270 2006 341 Vacant Land Sales 2009 36 2008 58 2007 163 2006 306 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 4 2008 3 2007 2 2006 6 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 1 2007 6 2006 2 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2009 2 2008 4 2007 12 2006 5   Market Report: 04/01 to 04/30/2009 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.    Grays Harbor: 20% decrease 2009 49 2008 61 2007 77 2006 92  Island County: 13% decrease 2009 61 2008 70 2007 118 2006 124 Jefferson: 32% decrease 2009 21 2008 31 2007 34 2006  34 King: 24% decrease 2009 1086 2008 1430 2007 2199 2006  2451 Kitsap: 15% decrease 2009 192 2008 226 2007 303 2006  337 Lewis: 26% decrease 2009 43 2008 58 2007 73 2006  84 Mason: 19% decrease 2009 48 2008 59 2007 82 2006  103 Pierce: 28% decrease 2009 535 2008 739 2007 1008 2006  1278 San Juan:  56% decrease 2009  4 2008 9 2007  20 2006 18 Skagit: 34% decrease 2009 73 2008 110 2007 154 2006  146 Snohomish: 19% decrease 2009 436 2008 538 2007 995 2006  1179 Thurston: 26% decrease 2009 184 2008 247 2007 346 2006  409 Whatcom: 21% decrease  2009 143 2008 180 2007 218 2006  246 All Counties this report: 27% decrease 2009 2866 2008 3913 2007 5616 2006 6485 *Information collected from the NWMLS system. Rules do not allow agents to send out information in a Broadcast form, if you want actual information on property please send a request and the information will be sent to you. For some very useful links to Mason County community resources, go here.  Interest Rates Down Through the Years (we are continuing to present this info due to lots of interest in it).  [Information from Freddie Mac] Interest rates are really low right now, and this makes a big difference in your mortgage payments. Interest rates have not always been so low. Let’s look back at the month of November down through the years: (By the way, the highest interest rate back in October of 1981 was at 18.45 %. The lowest was in June of 2003 at 5.23 %.) Current rate is 4.84% as of 05/12/2009.  1971 7.55 1972 7.43 1973 8.58 1974 9.79 1975 9.15 1976 8.81 1977 8.92 1978 10.11 1979 12.83 1980 14.21 1981 17.82 1982 13.82 1983 13.44 1984 13.64 1985 11.78 1986 9.70 1987 10.65 1988 10.27 1989 9.77 1990 10.01 1991 8.71 1992 8.31 1993 7.16 1994 9.17 1995 7.38 1996 7.62 1997 7.21 1998 6.87 1999 7.74 2000 7.75 2001 6.66 2002 6.07 2003 5.93 2004 5.73 2005 6.33 2006 6.24 2007 6.21 2008 October 6.20 Purchasing power of a $1200.00 per month payment (principal and interest only does not include PMI, taxes or insurance) based on different interest rates.  Mortgage rates are very low right now! Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $229,200.00        4.78         $1200.00   $220,000.00       5.15%       $1200.00 $200,149.94         6%          $1200.00 $194,894.67         625%      $1200.00 $189,852.98         6.5%       $1200.00 $180,369.80         7%         $1200.00 $163,540.19         8%         $1200.00 $149,138.24         9%         $1200.00 $136,740.98         10%        $1200.00 $126,007.62         11%        $1200.00 $116,661.10         12%        $1200.00  Note: Why it matters: You could buy a $78,000 house at $1200 per month with an 18.45% interest rate. You could buy a $229,200 house with $1200 per month with a 4.78% interest rate. (04/09/2009)

Market Report*:3/1/2009 - 3/31/2009  Mason County Real Estate

Good news.  Sales are increasing since February.  The market has actually improved in Mason County.   

Market Report -- March             Total Sales for all categories 2009  42 2008 63 2007 149 2006 180 Residential Sales 2009 31 2008 49 2007 96 2006 104 Vacant Land Sales 2009 8 2008 14 2007 46 2006 73 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 2 2008 0 2007 1 2006 1 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 0 2007 1 2006 1 Business Opportunity&Commercial 2009 1 2008 0 2007 5 2006 1 Another report is comparing Active Listings to Pending Sales. A ratio of 5 Actives to 1 Pending indicates a good market. The current ratio (04/09/2009) for Mason County is 701 Active Listings to 53 Pending Sales. This ratio indicates that the market is has improved. Ratio is 13 to 1.  Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 03/31/2009. Total Sales for all categories 2009 93 2008 172 2007 324 2006 470 Residential Sales 2009 62 2008 128 2007 194 2006 241 Vacant Land Sales 2009 26 2008 38 2007 114 2006 219 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 3 2008 2 2007 2 2006 3 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 1 2007 5 2006 2 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2009 2 2008 3 2007 9 2006 5   Market Report: 03/01 to 03/31/2009 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.    Grays Harbor: 34% decrease 2009 41 2008 67 2007 84   Island County: 03% decrease 2009 69 2008 71 2007 109   Jefferson: 13% decrease 2009 20 2008 23 2007 24   King: 34% decrease 2009 925 2008 1402 2007 2305   Kitsap: 7% decrease 2009 187 2008 201 2007 336   Lewis: 43% decrease 2009 33 2008 58 2007 82   Mason: 31% decrease 2009 31 2008 49 2007 96   Pierce: 20% decrease 2009 549 2008 686 2007 1113   San Juan:  56% decrease 2009 4 2008 9 2007 10 Skagit: 35% decrease 2009 66 2008 101 2007 174   Snohomish: 36% decrease 2009 380 2008 595 2007 1069   Thurston: 30% decrease 2009 199 2008 285 2007 362   Whatcom: 27% decrease  2009 130 2008 177 2007 226   All Counties this report: 31% decrease 2009 2632 2008 3812 2007 5986 2006 6776 *Information collected from the NWMLS system. Rules do not allow agents to send out information in a Broadcast form, if you want actual information on property please send a request and the information will be sent to you. Find out more about golf courses in Mason County:  Go to Golf Courses.  Interest Rates Down Through the Years (we are continuing to present this info due to lots of interest in it).  [Information from Freddie Mac] Interest rates are really low right now, and this makes a big difference in your mortgage payments. Interest rates have not always been so low. Let’s look back at the month of November down through the years: (By the way, the highest interest rate back in October of 1981 was at 18.45 %. The lowest was in June of 2003 at 5.23 %.) Current rate is 4.78% as of 04/09/2009.  1971 7.55 1972 7.43 1973 8.58 1974 9.79 1975 9.15 1976 8.81 1977 8.92 1978 10.11 1979 12.83 1980 14.21 1981 17.82 1982 13.82 1983 13.44 1984 13.64 1985 11.78 1986 9.70 1987 10.65 1988 10.27 1989 9.77 1990 10.01 1991 8.71 1992 8.31 1993 7.16 1994 9.17 1995 7.38 1996 7.62 1997 7.21 1998 6.87 1999 7.74 2000 7.75 2001 6.66 2002 6.07 2003 5.93 2004 5.73 2005 6.33 2006 6.24 2007 6.21 2008 October 6.20 Purchasing power of a $1200.00 per month payment (principal and interest only does not include PMI, taxes or insurance) based on different interest rates.  Mortgage rates are very low right now! Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $229,200.00        4.78         $1200.00   $220,000.00       5.15%       $1200.00 $200,149.94         6%          $1200.00 $194,894.67         625%      $1200.00 $189,852.98         6.5%       $1200.00 $180,369.80         7%         $1200.00 $163,540.19         8%         $1200.00 $149,138.24         9%         $1200.00 $136,740.98         10%        $1200.00 $126,007.62         11%        $1200.00 $116,661.10         12%        $1200.00  Note: Why it matters: You could buy a $78,000 house at $1200 per month with an 18.45% interest rate. You could buy a $229,200 house with $1200 per month with a 4.78% interest rate. (04/09/2009)

Market Report*:2/1/2009 - 2/28/2009  Mason County Real Estate

Good news.  The dramatic decreases in sales has slowed down.  The market has actually improved in Mason County.   

Market Report -- February      Total Sales for all categories 2009  28 2008 43 2007 87 2006 146 Residential Sales 2009 20 2008 31 2007 51 2006 73 Vacant Land Sales 2009 6 2008 10 2007 31 2006 70 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 1 2008 2 2007 1 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 0 2007 2 Business Opportunity&Commercial 2009 1 2008 0 2007 2 2006 1 Another report is comparing Active Listings to Pending Sales. A ratio of 5 Actives to 1 Pending indicates a good market. The current ratio (03/09/2009) for Mason County is 701 Active Listings to 57 Pending Sales. This ratio indicates that the market is has improved. Ratio is 12 to 1.  Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 02/28/2009. Total Sales for all categories 2009 52 2008 101 2007 175 2006 290 Residential Sales 2009 32 2008 72 2007 96 2006 135 Vacant Land Sales 2009 18 2008 23 2007 68 2006 146 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 1 2008 2 2007 1 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 1 2007 4 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2009 1 2008 3 2007 4   Market Report: 02/01 to 02/28/2009 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.    Grays Harbor: 13% decrease 2009 34 2008 39 2007 54 2006 63 Island County: 12% decrease 2009 38 2008 43 2007 80 2006 84 Jefferson: 59% increase 2009 9 2008 22 2007 32 2006 31 King: 38% decrease 2009 662 2008 1070 2007 1646 2006 1716 Kitsap: 19% decrease 2009 127 2008 156 2007 212 2006 238 Lewis: 03% decrease 2009 32 2008 33 2007 53 2006 69 Mason: 35% decrease 2009 20 2008 31 2007 51 2006 74 Pierce: 13% decrease 2009 390 2008 450 2007 855 2006 1004 Skagit: 43% decrease 2009 43 2008 75 2007 118 2006 119 Snohomish: 28% decrease 2009 292 2008 408 2007 755 2006 910 Thurston: 19% decrease 2009 156 2008 193 2007 268 2006 288 Whatcom: 29% decrease  2009 91 2008 128 2007 167 2006 153 All Counties this report: 28% decrease 2009 1889 2008 2639 2007 4259 2006 4739 *Information collected from the NWMLS system. Rules do not allow agents to send out information in a Broadcast form, if you want actual information on property please send a request and the information will be sent to you. Find out more about golf courses in Mason County:  Go to Golf Courses.  Interest Rates Down Through the Years (we are continuing to present this info due to lots of interest in it).  [Information from Freddie Mac] Interest rates are really low right now, and this makes a big difference in your mortgage payments. Interest rates have not always been so low. Let’s look back at the month of November down through the years: (By the way, the highest interest rate back in October of 1981 was at 18.45 %. The lowest was in June of 2003 at 5.23 %.) Current rate is 5.15% as of 03/09/2009.  1971 7.55 1972 7.43 1973 8.58 1974 9.79 1975 9.15 1976 8.81 1977 8.92 1978 10.11 1979 12.83 1980 14.21 1981 17.82 1982 13.82 1983 13.44 1984 13.64 1985 11.78 1986 9.70 1987 10.65 1988 10.27 1989 9.77 1990 10.01 1991 8.71 1992 8.31 1993 7.16 1994 9.17 1995 7.38 1996 7.62 1997 7.21 1998 6.87 1999 7.74 2000 7.75 2001 6.66 2002 6.07 2003 5.93 2004 5.73 2005 6.33 2006 6.24 2007 6.21 2008 October 6.20 Purchasing power of a $1200.00 per month payment (principal and interest only does not include PMI, taxes or insurance) based on different interest rates.  Mortgage rates are very low right now! Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $220,000.00       5.15%       $1200.00 $200,149.94         6%          $1200.00 $194,894.67         625%      $1200.00 $189,852.98         6.5%       $1200.00 $180,369.80         7%         $1200.00 $163,540.19         8%         $1200.00 $149,138.24         9%         $1200.00 $136,740.98         10%        $1200.00 $126,007.62         11%        $1200.00 $116,661.10         12%        $1200.00  Note: Why it matters: You could buy a $78,000 house at $1200 per month with an 18.45% interest rate. You could buy a $220,000 house with $1200 per month with a 5.15% interest rate. (03/09/2009)

Market Report*: 1/1/2009 - 1/31/2009  Mason County Real Estate

Read this report and let us know what you think. Note comparison with previous years.  The year 2009 is not off to a very good start in our County. 

Market Report -- January      Total Sales for all categories 2009  23 2008 58 2007 88 2006 144 Residential Sales 2009 12 2008 41 2007 45 2006 62 Vacant Land Sales 2009 11 2008 13 2007 37 2006 76 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 0 2008 0 2007 0 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 1 2007 2 Business Opportunity&Commercial 2009 0 2008 3 2007 2 2006 3 Another report is comparing Active Listings to Pending Sales. A ratio of 5 Actives to 1 Pending indicates a good market. The current ratio (01/06/2009) for Mason County is 671 Active Listings to 25 Pending Sales. This ratio indicates that the market is very slow. Ratio is over 22 to 1.  Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 01/31/2009 not included in this report. Market Report: 01/01 to 01/31/2009 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.    Grays Harbor: 0% decrease 2009 33 2008 33 2007 70 2006 66 Island County: 56% decrease 2009 28 2008 63 2007 85 2006 63 Jefferson: 37% increase 2009 12 2008 19 2007 25 2006 38 King: 45% decrease 2009 527 2008 954 2007 1355 2006 1438 Kitsap: 31% decrease 2009 110 2008 160 2007 186 2006 219 Lewis: 53% decrease 2009 17 2008 36 2007 55 2006 67 Mason: 71% decrease 2009 12 2008 41 2007 45 2006 62 Pierce: 36% decrease 2009 293 2008 458 2007 738 2006 827 Skagit: 22% decrease 2009 49 2008 63 2007 102 2006 92 Snohomish: 43% decrease 2009 241 2008 424 2007 610 2006 780 Thurston: 10% decrease 2009 149 2008 166 2007 235 2006 263 Whatcom: 31% decrease  2009 87 2008 129 2007 167 2006 153 All Counties this report: 38% decrease 2009 1566 2008 2546 2007 3673 2006 4068 *Information collected from the NWMLS system. Rules do not allow agents to send out information in a Broadcast form, if you want actual information on property please send a request and the information will be sent to you. Find out more about lakes in Mason County:  Go to Lakes in Mason County Interest Rates Down Through the Years (we are continuing to present this info due to lots of interest in it).  [Information from Freddie Mac] Interest rates are really low right now, and this makes a big difference in your mortgage payments. Interest rates have not always been so low. Let’s look back at the month of November down through the years: (By the way, the highest interest rate back in October of 1981 was at 18.45 %. The lowest was in June of 2003 at 5.23 %.) Current rate is 5.1% 1971 7.55 1972 7.43 1973 8.58 1974 9.79 1975 9.15 1976 8.81 1977 8.92 1978 10.11 1979 12.83 1980 14.21 1981 17.82 1982 13.82 1983 13.44 1984 13.64 1985 11.78 1986 9.70 1987 10.65 1988 10.27 1989 9.77 1990 10.01 1991 8.71 1992 8.31 1993 7.16 1994 9.17 1995 7.38 1996 7.62 1997 7.21 1998 6.87 1999 7.74 2000 7.75 2001 6.66 2002 6.07 2003 5.93 2004 5.73 2005 6.33 2006 6.24 2007 6.21 2008 October 6.20 Purchasing power of a $1200.00 per month payment (principal and interest only does not include PMI, taxes or insurance) based on different interest rates.  Mortgage rates are very low right now! Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $221,000.00         5.1%       $1200.00 $200,149.94         6%          $1200.00 $194,894.67         625%      $1200.00 $189,852.98         6.5%       $1200.00 $180,369.80         7%         $1200.00 $163,540.19         8%         $1200.00 $149,138.24         9%         $1200.00 $136,740.98         10%        $1200.00 $126,007.62         11%        $1200.00 $116,661.10         12%        $1200.00  Note: Why it matters: You could buy a $78,000 house at $1200 per month with an 18.45% interest rate. You could buy a $221,000 house with $1200 per month with a 5.1% interest rate. (01/08/2009)

Market Report*: 12/1/2008 - 12/31/2008   Mason County Real Estate

Read this report and let us know what you think. Note comparison with previous years... year 2005 added to this report in some categories.   (Skroll down for all of this blog -- it's worth it)

Market Report -- December      Total Sales for all categories 2008 50 2007 68  2006 124  2005 186  Residential Sales 2008 35  2007 47  2006 79  2005 115  Vacant Land Sales 2008 15  2007 19  2006 41  2005 64 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2008 0  2007 0  2006 3  Multi Family 2008 0 2007 0  2006 0  Business Opportunity&Commercial 2008 0 2007 0 2006 0 Another report is comparing Active Listings to Pending Sales. A ratio of 5 Actives to 1 Pending indicates a good market. The current ratio (01/06/2009) for Mason County is 650 Active Listings to 17 Pending Sales. This ratio indicates that the market is very slow. Ratio is over 38 to 1.  Ratio for active listings (650) to sold (35) is 19 to 1. 19 months supply of homes on the market. 5 months is a good market. Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 12/31/2008. Total Sales for all categories 2008 849 2007 1422 2006 2152 Residential Sales 2008 641 2007 891 2006 1247 Vacant Land Sales 2008 191 2007 479 2006 847 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2008 7 2007 10 2006 19 Multi Family 2008 2 2007 8 2006 11 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2008 7 2007 16 2006 11 Market Report: 12/01 to 12/31/2008 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.  Jefferson county is the one county to have an increase of sales 12%. All other counties have a decrease in sales compared to December of 2007. The decreases are not as Dramatic as in the November 2008 report. Sales are improving compared to November 2008.  Island County added to this report.  Grays Harbor: 14% decrease 2008 43 2007 50 2006 66 2005 90 Island County: 8% decrease 2008 48 2007 53 2006 94 2005 130 Jefferson: 12% increase 2008 19 2007 17 2006 49 2005 30 King: 31% decrease 2008 916 2007 1324 2006 1900 2005 2261 Kitsap: 34% decrease 2008 129 2007 195 2006 279 2005 334 Lewis: 30% decrease 2008 32 2007 51 2006 71 2005 78 Mason: 26% decrease 2008 35 2007 47 2006 79 2005 115 Pierce: 28% decrease 2008 442 2007 612 2006 990 2005 1308 Skagit: 27% decrease 2008 65 2007 103 2006 124 2005 145 Snohomish: 38% decrease 2008 331 2007 534 2006 858 2005 1093 Thurston: 33% decrease 2008 163 2007 250 2006 366 2005 313 *Information collected from the NWMLS system. Rules do not allow agents to send out information in a Broadcast form, if you want actual information on property please send a request and the information will be sent to you. Find out what you can do in Mason County:  Go to Links to Community Interest Rates Down Through the Years [Information from Freddie Mac] Interest rates are really low right now, and this makes a big difference in your mortgage payments. Interest rates have not always been so low. Let’s look back at the month of November down through the years: (By the way, the highest interest rate back in October of 1981 was at 18.45 %. The lowest was in June of 2003 at 5.23 %.) 1971 7.55 1972 7.43 1973 8.58 1974 9.79 1975 9.15 1976 8.81 1977 8.92 1978 10.11 1979 12.83 1980 14.21 1981 17.82 1982 13.82 1983 13.44 1984 13.64 1985 11.78 1986 9.70 1987 10.65 1988 10.27 1989 9.77 1990 10.01 1991 8.71 1992 8.31 1993 7.16 1994 9.17 1995 7.38 1996 7.62 1997 7.21 1998 6.87 1999 7.74 2000 7.75 2001 6.66 2002 6.07 2003 5.93 2004 5.73 2005 6.33 2006 6.24 2007 6.21 2008 October 6.20 Purchasing power of a $1200.00 per month payment (principal and interest only does not include PMI, taxes or insurance) based on different interest rates.  Mortgage rates are very low right now! Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $221,000.00         5.1%       $1200.00 $200,149.94         6%          $1200.00 $194,894.67         625%      $1200.00 $189,852.98         6.5%       $1200.00 $180,369.80         7%         $1200.00 $163,540.19         8%         $1200.00 $149,138.24         9%         $1200.00 $136,740.98         10%        $1200.00 $126,007.62         11%        $1200.00 $116,661.10         12%        $1200.00  Note: Why it matters: You could buy a $78,000 house at $1200 per month with an 18.45% interest rate. You could buy a $221,000 house with $1200 per month with a 5.1% interest rate. (01/08/2009)

DRAMATIC Market Report*: 11/01/2008 - 11/30/2008 Mason County Real Estate

Read this report and let us know what you think.  In our opinion, this report is quite dramatic.  Note comparison with previous years... year 2005 added to this report in some categories.   (Skroll down for all of this blog -- it's worth it)

Market Report -- November Total Sales for all categories 2008 32 2007 84  2006 135  2005 178  Residential Sales 2008 25  2007 53  2006 82  2005 101  Vacant Land Sales 2008 7  2007 29  2006 46  2005 74  Manufactured Homes (parks) 2008 0  2007 1  2006 1  Multi Family 2008 0 2007 0  2006 1  Business Opportunity&Commercial 2008 0 2007 0 2006 1 Another report is comparing Active Listings to Pending Sales. A ratio of 5 Actives to 1 Pending indicates a good market. The current ratio for Mason County is 756 Active Listings to 25 Pending Sales. This ratio indicates that the market is very slow. Ratio is over 30 to 1. Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 11/30/2008. Total Sales for all categories 2008 797 2007 1354 2006 2028 Residential Sales 2008 605 2007 844 2006 1168 Vacant Land Sales 2008 175 2007 460 2006 806 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2008 7 2007 10 2006 16 Multi Family 2008 2 2007 8 2006 11 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2008 7 2007 16 2006 11 Market Report: 11/01 to 11/30/2008 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.  Lowest decrease is Grays Harbor (12%).  Highest decrease in sales is Skagit (62%).    Grays Harbor: 12% decrease 2008 46 2007 52 2006 79 2005 89 Jefferson: 55% decrease 2008 10 2007 22 2006 40 2005 51 King: 48% decrease 2008 748 2007 1427 2006 2089 2005 2424 Kitsap: 34% decrease 2008 139 2007 211 2006 277 2005 308 Lewis: 30% decrease 2008 38 2007 54 2006 70 2005 92 Mason: 53% decrease 2008 25 2007 53 2006 82 2005 101 Pierce: 39% decrease 2008 383 2007 625 2006 1031 2005 1242 Skagit: 62% decrease 2008 39 2007 102 2006 104 2005 156 Snohomish: 53% decrease 2008 267 2007 568 2006 938 2005 1110 Thurston: 33% decrease 2008 157 2007 233 2006 341 2005 364 *Information collected from the NWMLS system. Rules do not allow agents to send out information in a Broadcast form, if you want actual information on property please send a request and the information will be sent to you. Want tips for keeping your Christmas tree green?  go here.  Interest Rates Down Through the Years [Information from Freddie Mac] Interest rates are really low right now, and this makes a big difference in your mortgage payments. Interest rates have not always been so low. Let’s look back at the month of November down through the years: (By the way, the highest interest rate back in October of 1981 was at 18.45 %. The lowest was in June of 2003 at 5.23 %.) 1971 7.55 1972 7.43 1973 8.58 1974 9.79 1975 9.15 1976 8.81 1977 8.92 1978 10.11 1979 12.83 1980 14.21 1981 17.82 1982 13.82 1983 13.44 1984 13.64 1985 11.78 1986 9.70 1987 10.65 1988 10.27 1989 9.77 1990 10.01 1991 8.71 1992 8.31 1993 7.16 1994 9.17 1995 7.38 1996 7.62 1997 7.21 1998 6.87 1999 7.74 2000 7.75 2001 6.66 2002 6.07 2003 5.93 2004 5.73 2005 6.33 2006 6.24 2007 6.21 2008 October 6.20 Purchasing power of a $1200.00 per month payment (principal and interest only does not include PMI, taxes or insurance) based on different interest rates. Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $200,149.94         6%          $1200.00 $194,894.67         625%      $1200.00 $189,852.98         6.5%       $1200.00 $180,369.80         7%         $1200.00 $163,540.19         8%         $1200.00 $149,138.24         9%         $1200.00 $136,740.98         10%        $1200.00 $126,007.62         11%        $1200.00 $116,661.10         12%        $1200.00  Note: Why it matters: You could buy a $78,000 house at $1200 per month with an 18.45% interest rate. You could buy a $200,000 house with $1200 per month with a 5.23% interest rate.

Mason County Real Estate, Shelton Real Estate included.

Market Report*: 10/01 - 10/31/2008 Mason County Real Estate

Note comparison with previous years... year 2005 added to this report in some categories.  Only county with residential sales increase is Mason!

Market Report -- October Total Sales for all categories 2008 62 2007 105 2006 174 2005 242 Residential Sales 2008 48 2007 73 2006 113 2005 133 Vacant Land Sales 2008 13 2007 30 2006 57 2005 102 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2008 0 2007 1 2006 1 Multi Family 2008 0 2007 1 2006 1 Business Opportunity&Commercial 2008 1 2007 0 2006 1 Another report is comparing Active Listings to Pending Sales. A ratio of 5 Actives to 1 Pending indicates a good market. The current ratio for Mason County is 816 Active Listings to 29 Pending Sales. This ratio indicates that the market is very slow. Ratio is over 28 to 1. Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 10/31/2008. Total Sales for all categories 2008 762 2007 1270 2006 1893 Residential Sales 2008 578 2007 791 2006 1086 Vacant Land Sales 2008 168 2007 431 2006 760 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2008 7 2007 11 2006 15 Multi Family 2008 2 2007 8 2006 10 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2008 7 2007 16 2006 10 Market Report: 10/01 to 10/31/2008 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years...  Grays Harbor 2008 61 2007 87 2006 113 2005 123 Jefferson 2008 22 2007 42 2006 38 2005 47 King 2008 1195 2007 1558 2006 2261 2005 2616 Kitsap 2008 232 2007 262 2006 297 2005 355 Lewis 2008