Inventory levels remain very low, demand is high in Bellingham and Whatcom County.
< Map of Whatcom County, Broken Down by Zip Code
Bellingham & Whatcom County Market Data
Use my Language of Real Estate page to help you understand the market data in the reports below.
DECEMER 2020 WHATCOM COUNTY MARKET REPORT
I've been reading that December, not surprisingly, experienced a slight slowdown in the real estate market. Between the holidays and COVID, this is not the least bit surprising. But as you'll see from this December market report for Whatcom County, the same is not true locally. While new listings are up over 30%, closed sales are up 18%, and pending sales (a more current reflection of Buyer interest/activity) are up 7%. But the most amazing number is the average/median price increase in ONE YEAR: 24-26%!Low interest rates can't keep up with those price increases, to make homes more affordable. But speaking of low interest rates, the average 30-year mortgage hit an all-time low of 2.65% this week, according to data from Freddie Mac. But, as Inman News reports: "The forces behind plummeting rates are also starting to shift, according to Khater, so economists shouldn’t abandon the position that rates will climb in 2021 after one contrary week."
NOVEMBER 2020 WHATCOM COUNTY MARKET REPORT
New listings were up nearly 16% in November, but pending sales were up 29%! Like a broken record, that means that inventory levels remain very low during a time period where we are experiencing higher than normal demand. Having one month of home inventory was unheard of, but something we have experienced many times in the last 2 years. And now we are seeing that ridiculous low inventory during what is typically a very slow time of the year, real-estate wise. These numbers are reflected in the days on market, which dropped 32% since October and home prices, which have increased 9-13% in the past year! If we look at zip code 98225, which cover most of Bellingham's Southside and downtown, those numbers are even more noteworthy. While the average sales price is only up 1% from last year, 98225's median sales price has increased 34% in the last year! Months Supply of Inventory is down to .7%, in spite of a 73% increase in new listings, compared to a year ago. Pending sales are also up 35%.
OCTOBER 2020 WHATCOM COUNTY MARKET REPORT
New listings are relatively unchanged, compared to a year ago. Sales continue to outpace the prior year, as many Buyers are choosing Whatcom County to be their home. This trend should continue, as pending sales are also up, compared to last October. Average days on market was already low, but dropped nearly 36% to 27 average days on market, which is remarkable. And the average sales price is 18% higher than October of 2020.
SEPTMBER 2020 WHATCOM COUNTY MARKET REPORT
While new listings increased slightly compared to a year ago, they can't keep up with a 39% increase in pending sales and 30% increased in sold home. Average days on market was already low, but dropped 21%. And the average sales price has increased 22% in one year in Whatcom County!
AUGUST 2020 WHATCOM COUNTY MARKET REPORT
What an August! In spite of new listings being down nearly 12%, pending sales were up over 37%. Remember that Pending Sales is a reflection of consumer confidence. Not surprisingly, homes are on the market for less time with homes selling higher than list price - many agents can tell you how they have experienced bidding wars. All this activity has netted a 50% drop in home inventory in Whatcom County in one month!
Despite COVID, home prices have increased over 13% in the last year.
JULY 2020 WHATCOM COUNTY MARKET REPORT
The good news: new listings have increased slightly. The bad news: pending sales increased nearly 37% over June. We see the net results by comparing the Months Supply of Inventory - July is at 1.9 months, compared to 2.9 months in June - a huge drop.
Despite COVID, home prices have increased nearly 12% over last year.
JUNE 2020 WHATCOM COUNTY MARKET REPORT
It's not surprising that new listings are down - reports show that Sellers are delaying listing their homes, due to COVID concerns. In addition, Sellers are worried about finding a home to move to after their own home is sold, due to very limited inventory.
This is at the same time that demand has increased in Whatcom County.
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