the
JUNE 2019
Volume 10 | Issue 6
EYE ON THE
JUNE happenings
market
The Seattle area has earned a few top rankings these past few months, and the city just earned another. A recent report found Seattle to be listed as one of the top metro areas attracting millennials. While incomes are slightly higher than many other ranked metros, millennials as a group can only afford to purchase 9 percent of homes currently listed. Millennials cite job growth and opportunity as reason they choose to move here despite financial challenges.
When it comes to the health of our real estate market, Seattle ranks 12th (that 12th man again), but where the city thrives is the "Job Opportunity and Competition" category. In April, NWMLS reported less than two months of inventory in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties. While competition on offers has been at a slower pace than
in prior years, our market is still showing strong activity among both buyers and sellers, based on current inventory. Home values in the region have seen a surprising turn in the last year. A majority of homes valued at over $600,000, mostly in the Seattle and Eastside areas, actually saw a slight drop in value on a year-over-year basis. The last time the Seattle area saw a decrease in year-over-year home values was over eight years ago. Interest rates have fluctuated over the past few months, but have not risen as high as predicted at the beginning of 2019. Experts had predicted as high as 5 percent, but rates are currently just above 4 percent for a 30year fixed. The median sales price for single-family homes in King County was reported as $690,000; Pierce $357,900 and Snohomish reported at $500,000. While the markets’ pace is not in full swing yet, it’s expected to heat up as the summer months progress.
CAMPING around the Pacific Northwest Summer is approaching, which means great weather for the Pacific Northwest. This is a prime opportunity to start planning your camping trips for the season. Not sure where to begin? Check out these camping locations by their key features: If you want to camp on a riverfront
Hoh River Trail—Olympic National Park If you want to camp in the backwoods
Barclay Lake—Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
1-2 Duvall Days | duvalldays.org 1-2 Anacortes Waterfront Festival anacortes.org/waterfront-festival 8 Georgetown Carnival georgetownmerchants.org 8-16 Marysville Strawberry Festival maryfest.org
14-16 Edmonds Arts Festival edmondsartsfestival.com 14-16 Meeker Days! in Puyallup puyallupmainstreet.com
If you want to camp in a yurt
15-16 Bell Harbor Marina’s Classic Weekend https://www.portseattle.org
Cape Disappointment State Park— Washington/Oregon Border
15-16 Burien Strawberry Days discoverburien.org
If you want to camp on a lakefront
21-23 Taste of Tacoma tasteoftacoma.com
Owhi Campground—near Cle Elum, Washington If you want to camp at a fort
Fort Flagler State Park—Port Townsend, Washington If you want to camp really close to home
Denny Creek Campground—50 miles east of Seattle
If you want to camp on a beach
Shi Shi Beach—Olympic National Park
1-2 Maritime Gig Festival maritimegig.com
For more camping locations, visit parks.state.wa.us.
22 SipFest 2019 snoqualmievalleyrotary.org 22-23 Fremont Fair fremontfair.com 28-30 ACE Comic Con Seattle acecomiccon.com 29-30 Shoreline Arts Festival shorelinearts.net 29-30 Seattle PrideFest seattlepridefest.org