74.6 percent of homes affordable to median-income households, trade group finds

Housing affordability hit a new high in the first quarter, surpassing the previous high set in fourth-quarter 2010, according to the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo. The Housing Opportunity Index found that 74.6 percent of new and existing homes sold in the first quarter were affordable to families earning the national median [...]

Renters finding landlords have upper hand in this market

Angi Ramos and her former college roommate Laura Waltner have been looking for months for a place to call “home.” They’ve been trawling websites and have inspected a half-dozen units. They’d prefer a newer building in Capitol Hill or Queen Anne — vibrant neighborhoods with lots of young people, restaurants and nightlife. Their search so [...]

Washington State HomePath Buyer Incentive Offer

receive up to 3.5% in closing cost assistance through June 30, 2011 as part of the HomePath buyer incentive.

Pricey Real Estate, Great Schools Don’t Always Mix

Pricey, upscale neighborhoods don’t necessarily mean the schools will be better than less expensive areas, according to new research by Forbes.com and GreatSchools, an education parenting web site. Schools in areas with median home price above $1.1 million were not found to perform better than those in neighborhoods where homes were priced in the $200,000 [...]

Property-tax deadline looms; need some help?

With the first installment of property taxes due May 2, Barbara Alsheikh has her work cut out for her. “For many people, it is the first time they have really looked at the property-tax bill,” says Alsheikh, supervisor for the King County Tax Advisor Office. “And before writing the check, they have questions about the [...]

House Flippers Return, Still Finding Profits

More investors are taking on the risk of flipping homes, despite falling home prices and sluggish real estate markets across the country. But investors say there are still profits to be made in the house flipping business. Nearly 1 million homes were bought as investment properties in 2010, according to the National Association of REALTORS®, [...]

Homeowners facing foreclosure about to win right to mediation

More homeowners in Washington state could get help avoiding unnecessary foreclosures under a bill awaiting Gov. Chris Gregoire’s signature. The bill, the “Foreclosure Fairness Act,” would give distressed homeowners working with housing counselors or attorneys the right to in-person mediation with the bank or company servicing their mortgage. Consumer advocates expect Gregoire to sign the [...]

Bank of America wants to suspend mortgage payments for jobless

Bank of America wants to give struggling mortgage customers collecting unemployment benefits up to nine months with no mortgage payment. That’s right. Zero payment. Customers would have to agree that, if they haven’t found a job within the nine months, they will sign over their house to the bank. The Charlotte bank would give them [...]

Northwest MLS brokers report 51% jump in pending sales

Home sales around Washington state surged last month, with brokers reporting activity at levels “like we haven‟t seen in a while,” according to the owner of a Seattle brokerage. Northwest Multiple Listing Service members reported 8,605 pending sales during March for a 51 percent increase over the same month a year ago. Notably, while entry-level [...]

Homebuyers scramble as mortgage rates jump

The era of record-low mortgage rates is over. The average rate on a 30-year loan has jumped from about 5 percent to more than 5.3 percent in just the past week. As mortgages get more expensive, more would-be homeowners are priced out of the market — a threat to the fragile recovery in the housing [...]