It has been cold, but no snow yet! We are heading towards the end of the year. Winter does tend to be a slower time of year but overall the real estate market appears to be changing and not just making a seasonal adjustment. We have been seeing the usual inventory decline, but this Winter is a different market than last winter. When looking at Hood River County we have seen a 4% decline in average residential sales price. The Dalles and White Salmon areas have still been showing signs of strong markets with 8-10% increases in sales price. The days on  market in Hood River County has also increased averaging 90 days on market for 2018 and 52 for 2017. It will be interesting to see what this spring brings to our area. One thing we do like to remind people are these are general trends, if you would like to find out what the market is like for your particular property, let us know, it really does vary based on price range and area! If you have any questions or would like specific information on a listing, please feel free to give us a call.

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We are starting to see that the number of homes on the market are beginning to taper off as we approach the  holidays/winter. The number of homes for sale currently is almost the exact same number as last year at this time. Overall in 2018 our inventory level has been more consistent, we did not see the super low inventory levels in the summer like in 2017. We are still seeing interest rates for mortgages increase slightly, currently they are   hovering around 5% for 30 year fixed conventional loan. They still do predict rates to continually slowly increase. As the winter approaches it is important to remember to winterize sprinkler systems, clean gutters and downspouts, disconnect hoses and a good time to replace your furnace filter if you haven’t done it recently. If you ever need any recommendations for service people to help you with items like these never hesitate to reach out to us! If you have any questions or would like specific information on a listing, please feel free to give us a call.

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Fall is here! The weather is cooler, kids are back in school & the fall colors are coming out! September has traditionally been one of the highest months as far as active listings, which seems to have held true this year. Typically inventory will then go down as we approach the holidays. Many people wonder is now a good time sell and we do believe it is. Many sellers withhold listings because they don’t want to be bothered with showings or moving during the holidays or winter, but many buyers continue their search and are anxious to get into a new home before the holidays or year-end. Usually there are not as many sales during the winter months but it is  correlated with the number of homes on the market. Many buyers that are looking right now are even more anxious because they are worried about interest rates going up, which has continued to be the trend. 30-year interest rate have continued to inch close to 5%. If you have any questions or would like specific information on a listing, please feel free to give us a call.

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Fall is coming and school has started! August was another strong month for home sales. We are finally starting to see the inventory increase in Hood River County, which is typical for September in our area. Compared to last year at this time we are at about the same level. A little over 70% of inventory in Hood River County is above $400,000 and 15% is above 1 million. In Wasco County there are currently 108 homes for sale, last year at this time there were 128 homes. Unlike Hood River only 20% of the inventory is above $400,000 and under 2% over 1 million. Even though Wasco County is only 20 minutes from Hood River, they are very different markets! Just like the national statistics, our home prices have been climbing faster than our rent prices. We have seen a slight uptick in rents but nothing like we did 2 years ago. If you have any questions or would like specific information on a listing, please feel free to give us a call.

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Inventory has been remaining steady these last couple of months. However, if you feel like there hasn’t been a lot of new listings entering the market compared to last summer, it is true! Based on the graph above it may appear there were more homes for sale this last June, but really the inventory is just not moving as fast. In June 2017 there were 50 new listings in Hood River County, but in June 2018 there were only 34 new listings. It seems as though affordability is always a topic discussed in Hood River County. Nationally the median home price is $296,000. In Hood River County our median home price for 2018 is $446,224. About $150k higher than the     national average, which is one reason affordability is always a concern! Wasco County the median home price is $225,000, Klickitat County $301,595, Skamania County $306,518.  If you have any questions or would like specific information on a listing, please feel free to give us a call.

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We’ve been hearing the question a lot how’s the market? Things are still busy. Closed sales this last month           increased by 50%. Majority of sales that closed in June are homes that went under contract in April & May. Currently there are 43 homes pending (have an accepted offer). Inventory has slightly increased and we do have more inventory compared to last year at this time. Interest rates have been fluctuating these last couple of months, but comparatively to last summer they are higher. Days on market have also increased, where last year at this time the average days on market was 49 days versus currently 62 days. Overall it is important to know as a Buyer and Seller the market has changed from last summer, but is still very competitive.  If you have any questions or would like specific information on a listing, please feel free to give us a call.

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We saw inventory in Hood River County creep up this last month, which is typical this time of year. However, we are expecting inventory levels to be slightly higher this year compared to last year. Summer is beginning, the market is still hot. It doesn’t appear to be as hot as last year and has shown signs of more of a balanced market (versus Seller’s market) based on days on market, inventory levels & interest rates, but things are still moving and it is       important to act quickly. This week was the start of the re-build of the Children’s Park it has been great to see the community come together to help - they are still in need of some volunteers if you have time available!  If you have any questions or would like specific information on a listing, please feel free to give us a call.

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We are still not seeing the typical Spring/Summer increase in inventory yet. We weren’t sure if it would possibly come early with the mild weather. As you can see by the graph the inventory in Hood River County has still been slowly declining but we are at a higher level compared to a year ago at this time. Currently there are 25 homes pending in Hood River County, this is on the low side. 76% of the homes pending are below $500k. Below $500k has remained the most active price range - as you increase in price you will notice days on market increase as well and you may not experience as much of a seller’s market. The market has been changing if you are have been thinking of buying and selling it is important to stay in touch with your agent to know what kind of market you are in! If you have any questions or would like specific information on a listing, please feel free to give us a call.

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This month has flown by! January has always been typically a slow month, due to the timing of the holidays and sometimes weather. This year we had a very mild winter and didn’t see it affect the market like it has in the past. About 25% of the homes on the market are currently pending (under contract). Half of the homes that are available are under $400k, this is an increase of inventory in this price range. The market still appears to be leveling off—we are not seeing the appreciation we saw last year at this time. Our inventory is still low, many buyers are anxious for sellers to start listing their property. This January has been quite active in our office. After being in the same office building for 20 years we are updating our office, if you are in the area come check it out and say hi! We are also proud to say next year will be our 50th year in business! If you have any questions or would like specific information on a listing, please feel free to give us a call.

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Happy New Year! Inventory continues to slowly decline, which is a normal trend for this time of year. Typically we don’t start to see inventory increase until Spring. As you can see and as we have been reporting prices increased last year again. For 2018 we do expect prices to level out more and expect a smaller increase. It seems as though recently we have already started to feel and see this effect. Last year in the Spring as a Seller, you wanted to price for the future, slightly above the comparables (homes that recently sold). Now we are recommending Sellers to price either the same as comparables or slightly below if you want things to move right away. The new tax laws are in, if you haven’t taken a look it is worth reading. Most likely there was a change that effected you, luckily many of the benefits of owning a home that were at risk were preserved. If you have any questions or would like    specific information on a listing, please feel free to give us a call.

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