The 2009 Mercer Island Year in Review will be mailed to all Mercer Island homeowners this month.
Advance Copy of 2009 Mercer Island Year in Review
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Monthly Archives: January 2010
December 2009 Best in Three Years
Market Statistical Summary for December 2009
Mercer Island
Mercer Island had 11 Pending Sales in December of 2009 compared to only 1 in December of 2008! The List to Sales Price Ratio of 90% is the same as that of December of last year. The Average Sales Price is down 9.2% from this time last year to $1,023,000. The Median Sales Price is up 11% to $778,000 from $701,000 last month. Mercer Island continues to be a bargain for buyers looking to purchase as it has lagged in recovery several months behind more moderately priced markets in the Seattle area. Months of Inventory for sale has fallen 48.4% to 4.8 months from 9.3 a year ago and the Absorption Rate is 8.9%, up from 0.7% in December of 2008.
King County
King County Pending Sales were up, year over year, 85% with an average List to Sales Price Ratio of 96%. The Average Sales Price was down 5.4% for the year to $457,000, but continues to increase month over month from a low of $429,000 in March. All indications are that the King County market bottomed out in March of 2009. The Median Sales Price of $380,000 was up from a Median of $375,000 the prior month. Inventory for sale continues to decline (a very good thing!) and is now down 20.3% from a year ago. NWMLS reported that December was the best since 2006 with an Absorption Rate of 18.3%, a 131.6% improvement over the prior year’s 7.9%.
Eastside
The Eastside’s Pending Sales were up 102.4% over the prior year. The List to Sales Price Ratio increased to 95%, reflecting solid improvement in this market. The Average Sales Price was down 6.2% for the year to $600,000, but has increased nearly every month from a low of $564,000 in March 2009. The Median Sales Price of $530,000 was up from $500,000 the prior month and a low of $485,000 in March of 2009. Inventory of homes for sale was down 24.3% for the year bringing the Months of Inventory on the market down to 6.3 months from 13.8 last December. The resulting Absorption Rate was up an incredible 165.6% to 16.2% from 6.1% this time last year.
Seattle Metro
Pending Sales were up 92.1% over the prior year with a List to Sales Price Ratio of 95%. The Average Sales Price was down of $491,000 is down 5.4% from $519,000 last December. The Median Sales Price was down 5.9% to $400,000 from $425,000 the year before. The Months of Inventory was down 35.8% to 4.3 months from 6.7 the year earlier. The Absorption Rate was up a 145.9% to 24.1% from 9.8% in December of 2008.
Definitions
Active Listings: All homes currently for sale but not yet sold.
Pending Sales: Homes under contract but not yet closed for that month.
Sold Listings: Homes sales closed in a given month.
$/SqFt: The price per square foot determined by dividing the sales price by the square footage of living space.
Average Sales Price: The average price of all homes sold that month.
Median Sales Price: The price that represents the mid-point of all homes sold that month where 50% of sales prices are above and 50% of sales prices are below.
List to Sale Price Ratio: Represents the comparison of sold price and list price of the homes sold (sold listings) as a percentage.
Months of Inventory: Represents the number of months of inventory on the market based upon the number of homes for sale (active listings) and the number of homes pended that month. For instance, if there are 1,000 active listings and 100 of them sold in a given month, it would take 10 months to sell the current inventory of homes for sale.
Rate of Absorption: Represents the percentage of the current active listings that are being absorbed (or pended) each month. For instance, if there are 1,000 active listings and 100 of them sold in a given month, the rate of absorption would be 10%. 10% of the market is being sold in that given month.
National Trend Moving Toward Being Active and Spending Quality Time with Family- Mercer Island is Ahead of the Curve
In today’s New York Times, Damien Cave examines the national trend toward experiences and quality time with people, versus purchasing good and services. Across the nation, and income brackets, statistics are revealing that more Americans are turning toward activities and experiences. People are choosing to spend increased time with family and friends.
Mercer Island is fortunate to have 475 acres of parks and open spaces to hike, bike, play in and explore. Also, island residents can enjoy using the Community Center at Mercer View. The Community Center offers so much. It has a fitness room, an art gallery, lounges and library, game room, program and meeting rooms, free wi-fi and hosts recreation programs.
During January 2010, the Community Center will be hosting two free events: Play Away the Winter Blues! on Sunday Jan. 10th, from 12-3 PM and The Annual Hot Spot Basketball Event on Sunday Jan. 24th from 12- 1:30 PM.
Play Away the Winter Blues! is open to families of all ages. It’s an event to encourage families to turn off the tv and computer to hang out together and play. The gym at the Community Center will be filled with a variety of games and play equipment for participants to use.
The Annual Hotspot Basketball Event is open to boys and girls ages 7 to 14. Participants will attempt to shoot baskets from 5 different spots marked on the basketball court. The participant in each age bracket with the highest score will be declared the bracket’s winner and be eligible to participate in a state event.
Welcome to 2010!
The first weekend of 2010 does include two open houses on Mercer Island and one off island open house. The list is modest but features terrific homes. The list and a map are available for pick up at Windermere Mercer Island, located at 2737 77th Ave. S.E. Mercer Island, WA 98040. Or you can give us a call at (206) 232-0446. We are open 10 am to 4pm on the weekends.
Free coffee is always available. We look forward to seeing you.
