That compares to a year-ago figure of 4,660 pending transactions. Brokers attribute most of the slowdown to seasonal factors, noting many agents take time off during the holidays and fewer homes tend to be listed during November and December. In Snohomish County, the ratio is about 14 percent, with the inventory much more plentiful in other neighboring counties. Active inventory includes 7,420 new listings that members added during November. The offerings include 21,649 single family homes and 3,157 condominiums.
Current inventory has a good selection of newly built properties.
In most areas it took a little longer to complete recent sales, with a market-wide average of 60 days, up from an average of 56 days for the same month a year ago. Median sales prices show wide fluctuation around the region when comparing last month' s totals to the same month a year ago. Two counties, Mason and Cowlitz, had declines in their median sales prices, while three other counties, Skagit, Grays Harbor and Lewis, reported double-digit gains from a year ago. King, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap had modest increases, ranging from 4.5 percent in Kitsap County to 6.6 percent in Pierce County. Northwest MLS, a broker-owned association, encompasses more than 1,100 real estate companies with approximately 13,000 sales associates.