Market News

Windermere Chief Economist Matthew Gardner delivers his monthly Monday with Matthew video series covering the latest topics in real estate and provides his quarterly Gardner Report highlighting local market conditions in regions throughout the Western U.S.

Market News Western Washington Real Estate Market Update Washington State continues to be one of the fastest growing states in the nation and there is little to suggest that there will be any marked slowdown in the foreseeable future. Over the past year, the state has added 105,900 new jobs, representing an annual growth rate of 3.2%. This remains well above the national rate of 1.65%. Private sector employment gains continue to be robust...
Market News Are We Heading Towards A Bubble? The US housing market has been going gangbusters in recent years. Record-setting sales, record-setting home prices, & a market that has largely favored sellers, while forcing fierce competition among buyers. All of this has led some to worry that we are heading towards another housing bubble. So, are we? On Tuesday, September 25, at 11 AM PST, Windermere Real Estate is hosting a Facebook Live...
Market News Challenges Builders Face With New Construction Housing demand remains high across the Western United States, but home-building is still struggling to keep up. What can be done to help encourage construction of new homes? Windermere Real Estate's Chief Economist Matthew Gardner has insight.
Market News 5 Reasons Rising Interest Rates Won’t Wreck the Housing Market Interest rates have been trending higher since the fall of 2017, and I fully expect they will continue in that direction – albeit relatively slowly – as we move through the balance of the year and into 2019. So what does this mean for the US housing market? It might come as a surprise to learn that I really don’t think rising interest rates will have a major impact on the housing market...
Market News What You Need to Know About the US Luxury Housing Market Luxury homes sales across the U.S. continue to perform strongly, but I’m noticing some headwinds starting to appear that are worthy of a closer look. It’s often thought that luxury real estate runs totally independent of the overall market, and while this is true in some respects, there are definitely correlations between high-end housing and the rest of the market.
Market News How Restrictive Growth Policies Affect Housing Affordability In Many Cities Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner explains how restrictive growth policies are affecting housing affordability in many cities.​
Market News How Zoning and Regulatory Costs Impact Housing Affordability Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner explains the ways zoning rules and regulatory costs can limit housing affordability.
Market News Montana Real Estate Market Update According to the Labor Department, Montana added 2,900 non-agricultural jobs over the past 12 months, representing an annual growth rate of 0.6%. For perspective, the U.S growth rate is running at about 1.6%. Although the state has experienced significant increases in employment since the last recession, the pace of growth has slowed significantly, which is mainly due to a lack of workers...
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Market News Oregon and Southwest Washington Real Estate Market Update The State of Oregon has added 30,400 new jobs over the past 12 months, representing a reasonable annual growth rate of 1.6%. It is clear, however, that job growth in Oregon has started to taper, with the annual rate dropping below 2% in the early spring of this year. This is no great cause for concern as the state has essentially reached full employment, which tends to slow employment growth...
Market News Idaho Real Estate Market Update Job growth in Idaho tapered somewhat over the past few months but the state is still adding jobs at a fair pace. In total, the state has added 21,800 new jobs over the past 12 months, representing a solid growth rate of 3.1%. In May, the state unemployment rate was 3.1%, down from 3.4% a year ago. The state is, essentially, at full employment but I still stand by my forecast that Idaho will...
Market News Central Washington Real Estate Market Update The Washington State economy added 83,900 new jobs over the past 12 months, representing an annual growth rate of 2.5%. This is a slowdown from the last quarter, but employment growth remains well above the national rate of 1.6%. Employment gains continue to be robust in the private sector, which was up by 2.8%. The public sector (government) grew by a more modest 1.1%. Last quarter...
Market News Utah Real Estate Market Update According to the Labor Department, Utah added 49,800 non-agricultural jobs over the past 12 months, representing a substantial growth rate of 3.4%. For perspective, the U.S growth rate is running at about 1.6%. Monthly employment gains have averaged 4,520 new jobs per month so far in 2018. I am becoming increasingly confident that we will end the year having added 50,000 new jobs...
Market News Eastern Washington Real Estate Market Update The Washington State economy added 83,900 new jobs over the past 12 months, representing an annual growth rate of 2.5%. This is a slowdown from last quarter, but employment growth remains well above the national rate of 1.6%. Employment gains continue to be robust in the private sector, which was up by 2.8%. The public sector (government) grew by a more modest 1.1%...
Market News Colorado Real Estate Market Update Colorado continues to see very strong job growth, adding 72,800 non-agricultural jobs over the past 12 months—an impressive increase of 2.7%. Through the first five months of 2018, the state added an average of 7,300 new jobs per month. I expect this growth to continue through the remainder of the year, resulting in about 80,000 new jobs in 2018. In May, the state unemployment rate was 2.8%...
Market News Nevada Real Estate Market Update Employers in the Las Vegas metropolitan area continue to add jobs. A total of 27,800 new positions were added over the past 12 months, representing an annual growth rate of a healthy 2.9%. Interestingly, Las Vegas employment broke the million mark for the very first time in May of this year. Thanks to ongoing job growth, the unemployment rate continues to drop. The seasonally adjusted rate...
Market News Southern California Real Estate Market Update The counties covered by this report—Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino, Orange, and Riverside—added 110,200 new jobs between May 2017 and May 2018. As a result, the unemployment rate dropped from 4.2% to 3.6%. Employment growth in Southern California continues to outperform the nation as a whole, and I am confident this will continue as we move through the balance of the year.
Market News Western Washington Real Estate Market Update The Washington State economy added 83,900 new jobs over the past 12 months, representing an annual growth rate of 2.5%. This is a slowdown from the last quarter, but employment growth remains well above the national rate of 1.6%. Employment gains continue to be robust in the private sector, which was up by 2.8%. The public sector (government) grew by a more modest 1.1%. The strongest growth...
Market News How Will the Real Estate Market Respond to Rising Interest Rates? Let Windermere Real Estate's Chief Economist Matthew Gardner walk you through what to expect from the real estate market amidst rising interest rates.
Market News What to Expect From Property Taxes in Washington State in 2018-19 Why have property taxes gone up so much in Washington State this year and what can we expect them to do in 2019? Windermere Chief Economist Matthew Gardner answers the question that many homeowners are asking.
Market News Why the Seattle Head Tax is not Progressive; it is Regressive & Bad Policy The major topic of conversation at many Seattle businesses – both large and small – is the Seattle City Council’s proposal for a head tax on large companies. The city proposal is to raise $75 million annually for homeless and housing services through taxing businesses whose revenues exceed $20 million annually.