Local Market Update – October 2015

Strong sales continue to whittle down a dwindling supply of homes. The lack of supply to meet demand kept driving home prices upward in September. While the Puget Sound area saw steady appreciation over a year ago, there are signs that that the frenzied level of growth may be starting to moderate – good news for a market that was starting to look unsustainable.

Eastside

The Eastside continues to lead the region in home values. The median price for homes sold in September was $680,000, an increase of 12 percent over a year ago. Sales were up as well, with many homes selling within days of being listed. As a result, inventory is at historic lows, with only a six week supply available. That is far below the three to six months of supply that is considered to be balanced.

King County

Home prices rose a moderate seven percent in King County as compared to last year. The median price for a single family home in September was $490,250. Areas farther from the urban core are relative bargains, with the median price in Southeast King County coming in at $344,975, and at $304,000 in Southwest King County. Inventory remained tight throughout the region, with just five weeks of available supply.

Seattle

The Seattle market continues to be very hot. Homes are snapped up as soon as they come on the market. As a result, the city has under a month of available inventory, the lowest in the region. Home prices climbed 10 percent over last year to a median of $571,000. That increase hasn’t seemed to decrease demand from buyers, who have become accustomed to facing multiple offers on newly listed homes.