Q4 2022 Western Washington Economic & Real Estate Update
The following analysis of select counties of the Western Washington real estate market is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. I hope that this information may assist you with making better-informed real estate decisions. For further information about the housing market in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Regional Economic Overview
Although the job market in Western Washington continues to grow, the pace has started to slow. The region added over 91,000 new jobs during the past year, but the 12-month growth rate is now below 100,000, a level we have not seen since the start of the post-COVID job recovery. That said, all but three counties have recovered completely from their pandemic job losses and total regional employment is up more than 52,000 jobs. The regional unemployment rate in November was 3.8%, which was marginally above the 3.7% level of a year ago. Many business owners across the country are pondering whether we are likely to enter a recession this year. As a result, it’s very possible that they will start to slow their expansion in anticipation of an economic contraction.
Western Washington Home Sales
❱ In the final quarter of 2022, 12,711 homes sold, representing a drop of 42% from the same period in 2021. Sales were 34.7% lower than in the third quarter of 2022.
❱ Listing activity rose in every market year over year but fell more than 26% compared to the third quarter, which is expected given the time of year.
❱ Home sales fell across the board relative to the fourth quarter of 2021 and the third quarter of 2022.
❱ Pending sales (demand) outpaced listings (supply) by a factor of 1:2. This was down from 1:6 in the third quarter. That ratio has been trending lower for the past year, which suggests that buyers are being more cautious and may be waiting for mortgage rates to drop.
Western Washington Home Prices
❱ Sale prices fell an average of 2% compared to the same period the year prior and were 6.1% lower than in the third quarter of 2022. The average sale price was $702,653.
❱ The median listing price in the fourth quarter of 2022 was 5% lower than in the third quarter. Only Skagit County experienced higher asking prices. Clearly, sellers are starting to be more realistic about the shift in the market.
❱ Even though the region saw aggregate prices fall, prices rose in six counties year over year.
❱ Much will be said about the drop in prices, but I am not overly concerned. Like most of the country, the Western Washington market went through a period of artificially low borrowing costs, which caused home values to soar. But now prices are trending back to more normalized levels, which I believe is a good thing.
Mortgage Rates
Rates rose dramatically in 2022, but I believe that they have now peaked. Mortgage rates are primarily based on the prices and yields of bonds, and while bonds take cues from several places, they are always impacted by inflation and the economy at large. If inflation continues to fall, as I expect it will, rates will continue to drop.
My current forecast is that mortgage rates will trend lower as we move through the year. While this may be good news for home buyers, rates will still be higher than they have become accustomed to. Even as the cost of borrowing falls, home prices in expensive markets such as Western Washington will probably fall a bit more to compensate for rates that will likely hold above 6% until early summer.
Western Washington Days on Market
❱ It took an average of 41 days for homes to sell in the fourth quarter of 2022. This was 17 more days than in the same quarter of 2021, and 16 days more than in the third quarter of 2022.
❱ King County was again the tightest market in Western Washington, with homes taking an average of 31 days to find a buyer.
❱ All counties contained in this report saw the average time on market rise from the same period a year ago.
❱ Year over year, the greatest increase in market time was Snohomish County, where it took an average of 23 more days to find a buyer. Compared to the third quarter of 2022, San Juan County saw average market time rise the most (from 34 to 74 days).
Conclusions
This speedometer reflects the state of the region’s real estate market using housing inventory, price gains, home sales, interest rates, and larger economic factors.
The regional economy is still growing, but it is showing signs of slowing. Although this is not an immediate concern, if employees start to worry about job security, they may decide to wait before making the decision to buy or sell a home. As we move through the spring I believe the market will be fairly soft, but I would caution buyers who think conditions are completely shifting in their direction. Due to the large number of homeowners who have a mortgage at 3% or lower, I simply don’t believe the market will become oversupplied with inventory, which will keep home values from dropping too significantly.
Ultimately, however, the market will benefit buyers more than sellers, at least for the time being. As such, I have moved the needle as close to the balance line as we have seen in a very long time.
About Matthew Gardner
As Chief Economist for Windermere Real Estate, Matthew Gardner is responsible for analyzing and interpreting economic data and its impact on the real estate market on both a local and national level. Matthew has over 30 years of professional experience both in the U.S. and U.K.
In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities, Matthew sits on the Washington State Governors Council of Economic Advisors; chairs the Board of Trustees at the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at the University of Washington; and is an Advisory Board Member at the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies at the University of Washington where he also lectures in real estate economics.
This article originally appeared on the Windermere blog January 26th, 2023. Written by: Matthew Gardner.
© Copyright 2023, Windermere Real Estate/Mercer Island.
Interest Rates, Post-Election
We’ve seen some volatility in mortgage interest rates since the presidential election. When Freddie Mac released the fixed and adjustable rates on Thursday, November 17th, they had gone up considerably. 30-year fixed rate mortgages jumped from 3.57% the week before to 3.94%. 15-year fixed rate mortgages climbed from 2.88% to 3.14%. 5-year adjustable rate mortgages followed suit, jumping from 2.88% to 3.07%.
However, we need to keep things in perspective. At this time a year ago, 30-year fixed rate mortgages were 3.97%.
When the Federal Reserve meets December 14th, it would not be surprising to see an increase in short-term rates. It’s projected they will increase them a quarter of an interest point at this meeting. If the Federal Reserve does move forward with a rate increase, there’s talk of slowly increasing mortgage rates to follow. The uptrend is expected to be modest, until we see stronger inflation, or until the Fed decided to move the 10-year Treasury Bond Rate closer to a “norm” of 3%.
On November 11th, Kiplinger mentioned in their Economic Forecast for 2017 that they projected the 10-year Treasury Bond Rate would remain at 2.1%, until the end of 2016. However, this past week we saw it rise to 2.34%. Erin Lantz, vice president of mortgages for Zillow Group, is quoted as saying, “There is a flight to safety of assets outside the U.S.,” in response to the jump in yields for the 10-year Treasury Bonds. Kiplinger had projected in their economic forecast we should see the 10-year Treasury note yielding around 2.5 by the end of 2017, with the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage moving upward toward 4.3%, and 15-year fixed rates around 3.6%. These are economic indicators we will need to monitor closely in upcoming days.
Until we know more know about the policy proposals President-Elect Trump will bring to the table, there may be a sustained increase level of uncertainty mirrored in interest rate levels. Erin Lantz stressed patience for home buyers, “Consumers considering buying or refinancing now should stay patient, as we’ll likely see rates stabilize once markets find a new equilibrium.” Freddie Mac’s chief economist, Sean Becketti, surmised that those who were waiting to see what interest rates were going to do will jump off the fence, under certain circumstances, “If rates stick at these levels, expect a final burst of home sales and refinances as ‘fence sitters’ try to beat further increases, then a marked slowdown in housing activity.”
The Wall Street Journal surveyed 57 economists between November 9th and 11th, asking for their forecast for 2017 and beyond. The average forecasts delivered by this group for growth, inflation and interest rates – in both 2017 and 2018 – all reported slight upward movement, when compared to their survey responses given before the election in October. Many of the responding economists added the caveat that their estimates were tentative. “Anyone who tells you they absolutely know what will happen under a Trump presidency is probably lying,” said Megan Greene, chief economist at Manulife Asset Management. There is definite concern regarding White House missteps, and the potential for trade wars to erupt. A number of economists continue to worry about a decline in business investment. Robert Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders shared, “Uncertainty on major policy issues limits hiring and investment decisions.” Across the board, however, the economist respondents to the WSJ survey estimate about a 1 in 5 chance of dipping into recession within the next 12 months. These replies are a slight decline when compared to data collected over the past three months, but are up from 14% a year ago.
We’ll have to be patient, as Erin Lantz suggested, until we see more concrete policy language from the Trump transition team. Continue to keep in mind how low our interest rates are now – they are historically low, and on par year-over-year. If you have any questions regarding interest rates, and the current state of our housing market, let’s schedule a time to talk. Please email me at marianne@windermere.com.
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