Whatcom County WCRER 2011 First Quarter Housing Analysis

According to the Washington Center for Real Estate Research 2011 First Quarter Housing Analysis; Whatcom County home re-sales ( # of units sold) were down -8.5% from the previous quarter, and down -15.2% from the first quarter in 2010. Statewide home re-sales ( # of units sold) were up 6.5% from the previous quarter and down -4.6% from the first quarter in 2010. Overall building permits in Whatcom County were up 2.2% from the first quarter of the previous year, in comparison to the 23.2% decrease statewide. The median re-sale home price in Whatcom County was $245,200 (down -1.6% from the first quarter in 2010), above the statewide median of $228,200 (down -7.2% from the first quarter of 2010). The 2011 First Quarter Housing Affordability Index (HAI) was 128.96 for Whatcom County, lower than the statewide index of 152.0.