Home prices up, sales down for November
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 9 months AGO
Home prices were up in Adams County but down in Grant County for November compared to a year ago, according to information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. The Royal City home pictured above was listed for sale in the 300 block of NE Widmer Drive as of Wednesday afternoon.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | December 9, 2022 1:25 AM
MOSES LAKE — Home sales were down across Washington compared to November 2021, according to a statement from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, with rural East Side counties showing some of the heaviest declines. At the same time, median prices rose slightly, also with the exception of some rural counties.
“Determined buyers are purchasing homes, with pent-up demand driving the market,” said Dean Rebhuhn, owner of Village Homes and Properties in Woodinville, in the statement. “Sellers who price to the market are attracting showings and receiving good offers.”
Statewide closed sales were down by 40.43% from November to November, according to statistics supplied by the NMLS. Median home prices had increased by 0.88% during the same time.
In Adams County, median home prices rose by 8.6%, but Grant County prices fell by 6.61%. Both counties dropped dramatically in the number of closed sales, Grant by 47.06% and Adams by 60%. The only other county in Washington to drop by that much was San Juan County, which also had the highest median prices in both years.
Historically, November and December have been slow in the real estate market, the report said.
“December is traditionally the low point of new listings coming onto the market because of the holiday season,” wrote J. Lennox Scott, CEO of John L. Scott Realty.
Moses Lake real estate broker Ben Sellen agreed.
“I've shown houses in the rain and I've shown houses in the snow,” Sellen said in a November interview, “but generally people aren't out there looking at houses in the rain or the snow. That's why December is the best time to buy a house: sellers are already frustrated. Everybody's out shopping for presents, not for houses.”
“Our traditional seasonal slowdown around the holidays is happening earlier this year, with the alignment of climbing interest rates, economic news, local weather, and a volatile stock market,” wrote John Deely, executive vice president of operations at Coldwell Banker Bain, in the MLS report. “These conditions make it easier for consumers to place large purchases on hold, though we saw several notable sales in the luxury market over the last month, as real estate is still one of the best investments one can make.”
Sellen echoed Deely’s sentiments regarding investment.
“You might think a house is over-expensive right now, especially newer-built homes,” he said. “Get into one. Get into a newer-built home, and at least have it for rent. Investors that I've worked with, they tell me if you can't sell it right now, rent it, you'll have no problem.”
Joel Martin may be reached at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.