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Market Report*:12/1/2009 - 12/31/2009  Mason County Real Estate 

NOTE:  In December we had another increase in sales compared to December of last year.  Overall, for all the counties we examine, there has been an 45% increase in sales.  This is a 9% decrease from sales in the previous month (November).  We still don't have a way to find out how much the $8000 tax credit had to do with the increase of sales over last year at this time.  With both the $8000 tax credit for first time buyers, and the $6500 tax credit for all qualified home buyers, can we expect to continue seeing sales increase?  Interest rates went up a little, but are still low, and that should spur buyers to buy now. 

Report: December Total Sales for all categories 2009  68 2008 50 2007 68 2006 124 2005 186 Residential Sales 2009 57 Bank owned homes: 25 of sales 14 2008 35 2007 47 2006 79 2005 115 Vacant Land Sales 2009 10 2008 15 2007 19 2006 41 2005 64 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 0 2008 0 2007 0 2006 3 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 0 2007 0 2006 0 Business Opportunity&Commercial 2009 1 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 (1/12/10) for Mason County is 604 Active Listings to 50 Pending Sales.  Ratio is 12 to 1. Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 12/31/2009 Total Sales for all categories 2009 755 2008 849 2007 1422 2006 2152 Residential Sales 2009 576 2008 641 2007 891 2006 1247 Vacant Land Sales 2009 155 2008 191 2007 479 2006 847 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 11 2008 7 2007 10 2006 19 Multi Family 2009 5 2008 2 2007 8 2006 11 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2009 5 2008 7 2007 16 2006 11   Market Report: 11/01 to 12/31/2009 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.    Grays Harbor: 21% increase 2009 52 Bank Owned:  27% of sales       17 2008 43 2007 50 2006 66 Island County:  93% increase 2009 83 Bank Owned: 17 % of sales 14 2008 48 2007 53 2006 94 Jefferson: 5% decrease 2009 18 Bank Owned:  6% of sales 1 2008 19 2007 17 2006  49 King: 51% increase 2009  1384 Bank Owned:  17% of sales      237 2008 916 2007 1324 2006 1900 Kitsap: 78% increase 2009 230 Bank Owned:  23% of sales 52 2008 129 2007 195 2006 279 Lewis: 91% increase 2009  63 Bank Owned:  24% of sales  15 2008 32 2007 51 2006 71 Mason: 63% increase 2009 57 Bank Owned:  25% of sales 14 2008 35 2007 47 2006 79 Pierce: 58% increase 2009 698 Bank Owned:  33% of sales 227 2008  442 2007  612 2006  990 San Juan:  43% increase 2009  10 Bank Owned: 20% of sales 2 2008 7 2007 7 2006 10 Skagit: 3% increase 2009 67 Bank Owned:  25% of sales 17 2008 65 2007 103 2006 124 Snohomish: 75% increase 2009 578 Bank Owned:  26% of sales 152 2008 331 2007 534 2006 858 Thurston: 20% increase 2009  196 Bank Owned:  14% of sales 28 2008 163 2007 250 2006 366 Whatcom: 46% increase  2009  168 Bank Owned:  13% of sales  22 2008 115 2007 159 2006 183 All Counties this report: 45% increase 2009 3604 Bank owned:  22% of sales 798 2008 2480 2007 3398 2006 5050 2005 6104 Decrease of 9 % compared to November 2009.      *Report is developed by John Borgert.  This is not a NWMLS report.  Date used is dependent on individual brokers posting sold properties in the month sold.  This is the reason the report goes out around the 10th of the month.  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 more about the HomeBuyers Tax Credit 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 have gone down again!  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 5.09% as of 1/12/2010.  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!  Current rate is 5.09% as of 1/12/2010.  Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $229,200.00     4.78%         $1200.00 $221,600.00       5.08%       $1200.00 $220,000.00       5.15%       $1200.00 $218,300.00      5.22%       $1200.00 $216,000           5.29%      $1200.00 $213,300.00       5.42%      $1200.00 $200,149.94         6%         $1200.00 $194,894.67         6.25%     $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*:11/1/2009 - 11/30/2009  Mason County Real Estate 

NOTE:  There has been a HUGE increase in sales for November compared to November of last year.  Overall, for all the counties we examine, there has been an 85% increase in sales.  However, compared to last month (October) we had a 2% decrease in sales, overall.  We don't have a way to find out how much the $8000 tax credit had to do with the increase of sales over last year at this time.  With both the $8000 tax credit for first time buyers, and the $6500 tax credit for all qualified home buyers, can we expect to continue seeing sales increase?  Interest rates are still low, and that should spur buyers to buy now. 

Market Report:November          Total Sales for all categories 2009  77 2008 32 2007 84 2006 135 2005 178 Residential Sales 2009 61 Bank owned homes: 21% of sales 13 2008 25 2007 53 2006 82 2005 101 Vacant Land Sales 2009 11 2008 7 2007 29 2006 46 2005 74 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 0 2008 0 2007 1 2006 1 Multi Family 2009 4 2008 0 2007 0 2006 1 Business Opportunity&Commercial 2009 1 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 (12/10/2009) for Mason County is 660 Active Listings to 59 Pending Sales.  Ratio is 11 to 1.  Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 11/30/2009. Total Sales for all categories 2009 682 2008 797 2007 1354 2006 2028 Residential Sales 2009 518 2008 605 2007 844 2006 1168 Vacant Land Sales 2009 144 2008 175 2007 844 2006 1168 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 11 2008 7 2007 10 2006 16 Multi Family 2009 5 2008 2 2007 8 2006 11 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2009 4 2008 7 2007 16 2006 11   Market Report: 11/01 to 11/30/2009 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.    Grays Harbor: 33% increase 2009 64 Bank Owned:  25% of sales       16 2008 46 2007 52 2006 79 Island County:  127% increase 2009 84 Bank Owned: 17 % of sales 14 2008 37 2007 69 2006 118 Jefferson: 130% increase 2009 23 Bank Owned:  4 % of sales 1 2008 10 2007 22 2006  40 King: 100% increase 2009  1493 Bank Owned:  13% of sales      196 2008 748 2007 1427 2006 2089 Kitsap: 77% increase 2009 246 Bank Owned:  16% of sales 39 2008 139 2007 211 2006 277 Lewis: 5% increase 2009  40 Bank Owned:  28% of sales  11 2008 38 2007 54 2006 70 Mason: 144% increase 2009 61 Bank Owned:  21% of sales 13 2008 25 2007 53 2006 82 Pierce: 85% increase 2009 707 Bank Owned:  26% of sales 183 2008  383 2007  625 2006  1031 San Juan:  8% increase 2009  13 Bank Owned: 8 % of sales 1 2008 12 2007 15 2006 17 Skagit: 174% increase 2009 107 Bank Owned:  15% of sales 16 2008 39 2007 102 2006 104 Snohomish: 144% increase 2009 652 Bank Owned:  18% of sales 119 2008 267 2007 568 2006 938 Thurston: 69% increase 2009  265 Bank Owned:  12% of sales 33 2008 157 2007 233 2006 341 Whatcom: 92% increase  2009  192 Bank Owned:  10% of sales  19 2008 100 2007 155 2006 198 All Counties this report: 85% increase 2009 3947 Bank owned:  16% of sales 661 2008 2130 2007 3585 2006 5364 2005 6316 Decrease of 2 % compared to October 2009.      *Report is developed by John Borgert.  This is not a NWMLS report.  Date used is dependent on individual brokers posting sold properties in the month sold.  This is the reason the report goes out around the 10th of the month.  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 more about the HomeBuyers Tax Credit 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 have gone down again!  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 4.71% as of 12/10/2009.  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!  Current rate is 4.71% as of 12/10/2009.  Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $229,200.00     4.78%         $1200.00 $221,600.00       5.08%       $1200.00 $220,000.00       5.15%       $1200.00 $218,300.00      5.22%       $1200.00 $216,000           5.29%      $1200.00 $213,300.00       5.42%      $1200.00 $200,149.94         6%         $1200.00 $194,894.67         6.25%     $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*:10/1/2009 - 10/31/2009  Mason County Real Estate 

First, some good news:  The market is moving.  All of the counties in this report show an increase in sales for the month of October! 

• 27% increase in sales in all counties in this report!
• 30% of all homes are free and clear
• 96.7% of homes with a mortgage are not in foreclosure
• The U.S. GDP is more than that of the three next countries combined
• When mortgage rates fall to a record low, housing affordability surges to a record high.
• Housing affordability continues to be the best its been in 20 years...
• Instead of internalizing the negativity the headlines can cause, choose to be optimistic and focus on the opportunities around you.
• First-time buyers can get a tax credit up to $8,000 as part of the recently passed Economic Stimulus Bill of 2009.  Extended to April 30, 2010.
• New:  Other buyers can get a tax credit up to $6500, if you have lived in your home for 5 years. 
• Houses are on SALE!  Rumor has it that the housing price bottom has been reached.  We'll see if this proves true over the next few months.

Market Report:    October          Total Sales for all categories 2009  79 2008 62 2007 105 2006 174 2005 242 Residential Sales 2009 60 Bank owned homes: 18% of sales 11 2008 48 2007 73 2006 113 2005 133 Vacant Land Sales 2009 18 2008 13 2007 30 2006 57 2005 102 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 0 2008 0 2007 1 2006 1 Multi Family 2009 1 2008 0 2007 1 2006 1 Business Opportunity&Commercial 2009 0 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 (11/10/2009) for Mason County is 712 Active Listings to 83 Pending Sales.  Ratio is 8.5 to 1.  This is the lowest ratio in a long time. Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 10/31/2009. Total Sales for all categories 2009 604 2008 762 2007 1270 2006 1893 Residential Sales 2009 456 2008 578 2007 791 2006 1086 Vacant Land Sales 2009 131 2008 168 2007 431 2006 760 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 11 2008 7 2007 11 2006 15 Multi Family 2009 1 2008 2 2007 8 2006 10 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2009 3 2008 7 2007 16 2006 10   Market Report: 10/01 to 10/31/2009 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.    Grays Harbor: 21% increase 2009 68 Bank Owned:  11% of sales       12 2008 61 2007 87 2006 113 Island County:  21% decrease 2009 88 Bank Owned: 19 % of sales 17 2008 73 2007 75 2006 115 Jefferson: 36% increase 2009 30 Bank Owned:  7 % of sales 2 2008 22 2007 42 2006  38 King: 39% increase 2009  1666 Bank Owned:  11% of sales      185 2008 1195 2007 1558 2006 2261 Kitsap: 9% increase 2009 252 Bank Owned:  17% of sales 42 2008 232 2007 262 2006 297 Lewis: 19% increase 2009  50 Bank Owned:  26% of sales  13 2008 42 2007 60 2006 78 Mason: 25% increase 2009 60 Bank Owned:  18% of sales 11 2008 48 2007 73 2006 113 Pierce: 39% increase 2009 785 Bank Owned:  23% of sales 183 2008  563 2007  717 2006  1091 San Juan:  7% increase 2009  15 Bank Owned: 7 % of sales 1 2008 14 2007 14 2006 19 Skagit: 15% increase 2009 93 Bank Owned:  22% of sales 20 2008 81 2007 140 2006 143 Snohomish: 54% increase 2009 637 Bank Owned:  18% of sales 113 2008 413 2007 675 2006 1040 Thurston: 39% increase 2009  268 Bank Owned:  14% of sales 37 2008 265 2007 306 2006 337 Whatcom: 25% increase  2009  182 Bank Owned:  11% of sales  20 2008 146 2007 219 2006 232 All Counties this report: 27% increase 2009 4012 Bank owned:  16% of sales 637 2008 3160 2007 4008 2006 5586 2005 6744 NATIONAL SALES: 30% bank owned!     *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 more about the HomeBuyers Tax Credit 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 have gone down again!  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 4.98% as of 11/10/2009.  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!  Current rate is 4.98% as of 11/10/2009.  Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $229,200.00     4.78%         $1200.00 $221,600.00       5.08%       $1200.00 $220,000.00       5.15%       $1200.00 $218,300.00      5.22%       $1200.00 $216,000           5.29%      $1200.00 $213,300.00       5.42%      $1200.00 $200,149.94         6%         $1200.00 $194,894.67         6.25%     $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*:9/1/2009 - 9/30/2009  Mason County Real Estate 

First, some good news:

• 7% increase in sales in all counties in this report!
• 30% of all homes are free and clear
• 96.7% of homes with a mortgage are not in foreclosure
• The U.S. GDP is more than that of the three next countries combined
• When mortgage rates fall to a record low, housing affordability surges to a record high.
• Housing affordability is the best its been in 20 years...
• Instead of internalizing the negativity the headlines can cause, choose to be optimistic and focus on the opportunities around you.
• First-time buyers can get a tax credit up to $8,000 as part of the recently passed Economic Stimulus Bill of 2009.
• Houses are on SALE!

Market Report:    September          Total Sales for all categories 2009  90 2008 90 2007 106 2006 190 2005 275 Residential Sales 2009 64 Bank owned homes: 17% of sales 11 2008 76 2007 73 2006 122 2005 150 Vacant Land Sales 2009 23 2008 14 2007 31 2006 64 2005 121 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 1 2008 0 2007 1 2006 2 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 0 2007 0 2006 0 Business Opportunity&Commercial 2009 0 2008 0 2007 1 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 (10/12/2009) for Mason County is 762 Active Listings to 68 Pending Sales. This ratio indicates that the market is about the same. Ratio is 11 to 1.  Market Report for year to date: 01/01 to 09/30/2009. Total Sales for all categories 2009 523 2008 699 2007 1165 2006 1779 Residential Sales 2009 396 2008 529 2007 718 2006 937 Vacant Land Sales 2009 113 2008 155 2007 401 2006 703 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 11 2008 7 2007 9 2006 14 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 2 2007 7 2006 9 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2009 3 2008 6 2007 16 2006 9   Market Report: 09/01 to 09/30/2009 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.    Grays Harbor: 25% decrease 2009 54 Bank Owned:  28% of sales       15 2008 72 2007 85 2006 96 Island County:  10% decrease 2009 76 Bank Owned:  17% of sales 13 2008 84 2007 107 2006 129 Jefferson: 26% increase 2009 29 Bank Owned: 17  % of sales 5  2008 23 2007 30 2006  45 King: 21% increase 2009  1597 Bank Owned:  11% of sales      172 2008 1319  2007 1587  2006 2203  Kitsap: 11% increase 2009 230  Bank Owned:  15% of sales 35  2008 207  2007 227  2006 346  Lewis: 15% increase 2009  45 Bank Owned:  31% of sales  14 2008 39  2007 85  2006 77  Mason: 16% decrease 2009 64  Bank Owned:  17% of sales 11  2008 76  2007 73  2006 122  Pierce: 4% increase 2009 724  Bank Owned:  29% of sales 201  2008  693 2007  720 2006  1301 San Juan:  same 2009  15 Bank Owned:  13% of sales 2  2008 15  2007 7  2006 25  Skagit: 16% decrease 2009 92  Bank Owned:  20% of sales 18  2008 110  2007 134  2006 163  Snohomish: 22% increase 2009 593  Bank Owned:  20% of sales 118  2008 488  2007 711  2006 1128  Thurston: 6% decrease 2009  246 Bank Owned:  10% of sales 24  2008 261  2007 318  2006 434  Whatcom: 15% increase  2009  201 Bank Owned:  8% of sales  16 2008 175  2007 211  2006 249  All Counties this report: 7% increase 2009 3978  Bank owned:  16% of sales 648 2008 3721  2007 4287  2006 6408  2005 7981 NATIONAL SALES: 30% bank owned!     *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 FREE Garden tips 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 have gone down again!  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 5.03% as of 10/12/2009.  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!  Current rate is 5.03% as of 10/12/2009.  Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $229,200.00     4.78%         $1200.00 $221,600.00       5.08%       $1200.00 $220,000.00       5.15%       $1200.00 $218,300.00      5.22%       $1200.00 $216,000           5.29%      $1200.00 $213,300.00       5.42%      $1200.00 $200,149.94         6%         $1200.00 $194,894.67         6.25%     $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*:8/1/2009 - 8/31/2009  Mason County Real Estate 

First, some good news:

• 3% increase in sales in all counties in this report!
• 30% of all homes are free and clear
• 96.7% of homes with a mortgage are not in foreclosure
• The U.S. GDP is more than that of the three next countries combined
• When mortgage rates fall to a record low, housing affordability surges to a record high.
• Housing affordability is the best its been in 20 years...
• Instead of internalizing the negativity the headlines can cause, choose to be optimistic and focus on the opportunities around you.
• First-time buyers can get a tax credit up to $8,000 as part of the recently passed Economic Stimulus Bill of 2009.
• Houses are on SALE!

Market Report --August           Total Sales for all categories 2009  67 2008 80 2007 147 2006 220 Residential Sales 2009 56 Bank owned homes: 34% of sales 19 2008 64 2007 93 2006 137 Vacant Land Sales 2009 10 2008 16 2007 51 2006 79 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 1 2008 0 2007 1 2006 0 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 0 2007 1 2006 3 Business Opportunity&Commercial 2009 0 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 (09/10/2009) for Mason County is 802 Active Listings to 82 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 08/31/2009. Total Sales for all categories 2009 432 2008 606 2007 1059 2006 1529 Residential Sales 2009 329 2008 453 2007 645 2006 851 Vacant Land Sales 2009 90 2008 120 2007 370 2006 639 Manufactured Homes (parks) 2009 10 2008 5 2007 11 2006 9 Multi Family 2009 0 2008 2 2007 7 2006 9 Business Opportunities & Commercial 2009 3 2008 6 2007 15 2006 8   Market Report: 08/01 to 08/31/2009 for other counties, residential sales only Note comparison with previous years.    Grays Harbor: 28% decrease 2009 46 Bank Owned:  33% of sales       15 2008 64 2007 91 2006 135 Island County:  1% decrease 2009 81 Bank Owned:  19% of sales 15 2008 82 2007 131 2006 174 Jefferson: 23% decrease 2009 17 Bank Owned:  12% of sales 2 2008 22 2007 37 2006  55 King: 6% increase 2009 1484 Bank Owned:  11% of sales     169 2008 1401 2007 2359 2006  2877 Kitsap: 17% increase 2009 256 Bank Owned:  13% of sales 43 2008 219 2007 314 2006  392 Lewis: 17% increase 2009 61 Bank Owned:  20% of sales 12 2008 52 2007 105 2006  78 Mason: 12% decrease 2009 56 Bank Owned:  27% of sales 15 2008 64 2007 93 2006  137 Pierce: 11% increase 2009 685 Bank Owned:  25% of sales 172 2008 615 2007 991 2006  1451 San Juan:  36 % decrease  2009 14 Bank Owned:  0 0 2008 22 2007  26 2006 30 Skagit: 3% increase 2009 90 Bank Owned:  13% of sales 12 2008 87 2007 194 2006  178 Snohomish: 11% increase 2009 595 Bank Owned:  15% of sales 91 2008 534 2007 1015 2006  1291 Thurston: 11% increase 2009 321 Bank Owned:  13% of sales 43 2008 290 2007 388 2006  477 Whatcom: 12% decrease  2009 173 Bank Owned:  6% of sales 11 2008 196 2007 315 2006  299 All Counties this report: 3% increase 2009 3879 2008  3169 2007  6061 2006  7575     *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. Thinking of buying?  Try this "Check List" for Buyers:  Try this link.  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 have gone down again!  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 5.08% as of 09/10/2009.  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!  Current rate is 5.08% as of 09/10/2009.  Purchase price Interest Rate Monthly payment $229,200.00     4.78%         $1200.00 $221,600.00       5.08%       $1200.00 $220,000.00       5.15%       $1200.00 $218,300.00      5.22%       $1200.00 $216,000           5.29%      $1200.00 $213,300.00       5.42%      $1200.00 $200,149.94         6%          $1200.00 $194,894.67         6.25%     $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)