Snohomish County home sales in January were a bit sluggish, but they still beat last year’s numbers in the wake of a national slowdown.
Following a trend that began last fall, the number of listed homes was down last month. Buyers had a choice of more than 3,000 homes in January, a 6 percent drop from the previous year.
Pending sales were up slightly from year-ago figures. Closed sales were up 8 percent for the period.
That shows the county’s hot housing market has clearly slowed from last summer, when there were double-digit increases in comparison to the previous year. But it still showed modest increases, even though many areas of the county have seen strong drops in home sales.
J. Lennox Scott, chief executive of John L. Scott Realty, said he expects the housing market to continue to be strong in the Puget Sound area because of the economy. He noted that job growth is strong and interest rates are relatively low, two factors that drive home sales.
“Now that we’re through the worst of the weather and the Super Bowl has passed, February and March are expected to see a surge of buyers and subsequent sales,” he said.
The sales slowdown didn’t seem to have a strong effect on prices.
The median for single-family homes and condominiums combined was $299,950 in January, an 18 percent increase from homes sold a year ago. For single-family homes only, the median was $317,000. For condos, it was $185,000. Median means half the homes sold for more and half sold for less.
As usual, homes near the King County line were the most expensive.
Here’s a rundown on prices and appreciation in different areas of Snohomish County:
* In the Maltby area south of Snohomish, the median price was $430,346, a 37 percent increase from a year ago. Most of the homes sold in the area were new, which drove up median prices.
* Prices also were high in the Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace areas, where the median was $334,475, up 22 percent from last year.
* Homes in the Everett, Mill Creek and Mukilteo areas had combined medians of $292,750, a 17 percent hike.
* In the Snohomish Valley, the median price was $268,207, up only 8.3 percent.
* In the Lake Stevens and Granite Falls area, the median was $258,950, a 15.8 percent increase.
* And in the Stanwood and Marysville areas, the median was $264,700, a 17.6 percent increase.
January home sales
Snohomish County
Listings: 3,092, down 6.2 percent.
Median price: $299,350, up 18 percent.
Pending sales: 1,204, up 2.12 percent
Closed sales: 1,022, up 8 percent.
Island County
Listings: 566, up 5.8 percent.
Median price: $265,000, up 23.8 percent
Pending sales: 104, down 4.6 percent.
Closed sales: 77, down 33.6 percent.
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