Bob's Bugle - Washington State Real Estate Blog

Total homes and condos listed for sale thru broker members of the Northwest MLS in Washington State dropped slightly in the month of November with 9 of the total 19 counties served by the multiple reporting declines.

Home Mortgage Interest Rates are Plunging! 

If you have been waiting for that perfect time to buy – It is HERE! Now! Homes prices are way down and now home mortgage interest rates have fallen to the same levels that they were more than 4 years ago during the Home Buying Boom.

Interest Rates: FHA, VA  and FmHA as low as 5.375%; Conventional 5.25%. Both are trending lower and no additional points required beyond the normal 1.0% lender fee. Also, just as important, lenders are lending again instead of putting all that bail-out money into reserves.

Better yet, home prices, depending on the area, have fallen as much as 20% or more from their highs of two years ago. That makes for maximum affordability for YOU. Home prices appear to be stabilizing while Buyer activity has picked up in a noticeable way and many Sellers, while generally not reducing their average asking price any further, are still offering Buyer incentives such as closing cost assistance. That means less money out of your pocket to get into a home.  

NOW is the time to buy a home! No one knows how long the current reduced interest rates will be available. But they are available right now, so what are you waiting for? Santa Claus will not put a new home under your tree – only YOU can do that!

The latest data from the Northwest Multiple List Service, November, 2007, indicates that there has been very little price change between this year and last. Homes and Condos active listings for sale are up 31 percent, year over year, but down 6.3% from October, 2007.

The numbers also show the normal seasonal slow down of activity for Pending Sales. However, reports from area real estate brokers seem to show an up turn in agents working with motivated buyers and sellers. The NWMLS data is collected from broker members in central and western Washington State, including the Puget Sound region housing market.

Stanwood Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the Stanwood Chamber of Commerce which includes the cities of Bothell, Brier, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Monroe, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo & Woodway, Washington. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.

My website, www.washingtonrealestatepage.com, has multiple pages of information including other Chambers of Commerce through out Snohomish County and FREE MLS real estate searches for homes and land for sale in each city located in Snohomish County or all of Washington State.

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258

Stanwood Chamber of Commerce
8725 271st St. NW
Stanwood, WA  98292
Office Phone: (360) 629-0562
Website: Stanwood Washington Chamber of Commerce

South Snohomish County Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce which includes the cities of Bothell, Brier, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Monroe, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo & Woodway, Washington. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.  

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258

South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce
3815 196th St. SW, Ste. 136
Lynnwood, WA  98036
Office Phone: (425) 774-0507
Website: South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce

Snohomish Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the Snohomish Chamber of Commerce. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.  

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258 

Snohomish Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 135
Snohomish, WA  98291
Phone: (360) 568-2526
Website: Snohomish Chamber of Commerce

Mukilteo Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258

Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 545
Mukilteo, WA  98275
Phone: (425) 347-1456
Website: Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce

Monroe Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the Monroe Chamber of Commerce. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.  

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258

Monroe Chamber of Commerce
111 W. Main St.
Monroe, WA  98272
Office Phone: (360) 794-5488
Website: Monroe Chamber of Commerce

Greater Marysville Tulalip Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.  

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258

Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce
8825 34th Ave. NE, Suite C
Tulalip, WA  98271
Office Phone: (360) 659-7700
Website: Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce

Greater Lake Stevens Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the Greater Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258

Greater Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce
9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 7
Lake Stevens, WA  98258
Office Phone: (425) 334-0433
Website: Greater Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce

Greater Granite Falls Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the Greater Granite Falls Chamber of Commerce. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.  

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258

Greater Granite Falls Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 28
Granite Falls, WA  98252
Office Phone: (425) 238-9840
Website: Greater Granite Falls Chamber of Commerce

Everett Area Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.  

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258

Everett Area Chamber of Commerce
2000 Hewitt Ave., Suite 205
Everett, WA  98201
Office Phone: (425) 257-3222
Website: Everett Area Chamber of Commerce

Greater Edmonds Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the Greater Edmonds Chamber of Commerce. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258

Greater Edmonds Chamber of Commerce
121 5th Ave. North
Edmonds, WA 98020
Office Phone: (425) 670-1496
Website: Greater Edmonds Chamber of Commerce

Greater Bothell Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.  

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258

Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce
10017 NE 185th St.
Bothell, WA  98011
Office Phone: (425) 485-4353
Website: Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce

Arlington - Smokey Point Washington State Chamber of Commerce Information:

Thank you for visiting my blog. Below you will find the address, phone number and a link to the official website for the Arlington - Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information that you may require for any other Chamber of Commerce in the area or for any real estate relate question or concern.

My Contact Info:

Bob Chapman - Associate Broker, Windermere Real Estate/Lake Stevens, Inc.
E-Mail: bobchapman@windermere.com,
Cell/Direct: (425) 268-2940, Off: (425) 335-4666 Ext. 236, Fax: (425) 335-1838
Address: 9327 4th St. NE, Ste. 3, Lake Stevens, WA  98258

Arlington - Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce
3710 168th St. NE
P.O. Box 3035
Arlington, WA  98223
Office Phone: (360) 659-5453
Website: Arlington - Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce

Prices for Homes and Condos, based on closed sales data during the month of October, 2007, were essentially unchanged in the 19 counties served by the Northwest MLS, which includes central and western Washington State including the greater Puget Sound area real estate market.

A closer look at the numbers show an average of less than a two percent drop for seven of the counties with five counties having double-digit increases over the same period of one year ago.

Real estate broker members of the Northwest MLS, which includes central and western Washington State and the greater Puget Sound region, turned in 6,127 pending sales of homes and condominiums during the month of October, 2007. That number of pending sales transactions was 379 more than September, 2007, but was still 28 percent less than one year ago.

Pending sales of homes and condos were up in western Washington State during October, 2007. This reversed a trend of several months of declining sales in the region. This information is based on the latest numbers from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) which serves central and western Washington and the greater Puget Sound area real estate market. The latest MLS figures also indicate some slow down in the number of active listings in inventory and price appreciation.

Figures just released by the Northwest MLS show real estate prices are still rising in Central and Western Washington State with inventory levels of single family homes and condominiums appearing to level off.

Buyers should not be spooked about the housing market, even with Halloween approaching! According to the latest figures from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service and the opinion of several real estate brokers in the greater Puget Sound region, now is the time for buyers to be making offers.

Attempting to “time the market” is next to impossible. If you are a buyer and you need a home, the selection could not be better. Trying to wait and save a bundle on the home you really want and are going to live in for more than three years just does not make good economic sense. Sellers are starting to understand that they are now competing against many more homes, just like theirs, and are beginning to offer some attractive bonuses to buyers. Buying single family homes and condos in Washington State is still a good investment for your future.