Housing facts for the area

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• Whatcom County home sales jump, prices decline in the third quarter

  Whatcom County home sales jump, prices decline in the third quarter

  Whatcom County's real estate market showed signs of life in the third quarter of 2011, with activity picking up and buyers shopping for bargains as prices dropped.

  The number of homes sold locally from July through September rose 17.8 percent compared to a year earlier, with the median price dropping 7 percent for the same period, according to Northwest Multiple Listing Service data collected and analyzed by Lylene Johnson of The Muljat Group.

  Much of the increased housing activity came outside of Bellingham, particularly in Ferndale and Lynden. In Ferndale, real estate agents sold 34 homes in September, its highest monthly total this year and among Whatcom County communities was second only to Bellingham, which sold 71 homes last month.

• Whatcom Co. sales of distressed property make up nearly one in four home transactions

  Whatcom Co. sales of distressed property make up nearly one in four home transactions

  Nearly one in four Whatcom County home transactions in 2011 was from either a foreclosure or short sale, according to a new report.

  Of the 1,832 home sales last year, 22.8 percent were from distressed property, according to an analysis by the Bellingham office of Coldwell Banker Bain. The data was gathered through the Northwest Multiple Listing Service and focused on single-family homes.

  The percentage of distressed property varied by community, with Bellingham and Lynden having the lowest at 18.8 percent each. The percentage of distressed home sales was 20.3 percent in Ferndale and 31.3 percent in the Blaine/Birch Bay area.

• Whatcom County home sales down slightly in 2011

  Whatcom County home sales down slightly in 2011

  It appears the free-fall in local real estate sales is coming to an end, although prices continued to decline last year, according to a new report.

  In 2011 Whatcom County real estate agents sold 1,837 homes, down 1.1 percent compared to 2010.

  The median price last year was $242,310, down 3.1 percent, the same percentage decline as 2010, according to data collected by Lylene Johnson of The Muljat Group. Johnson analyzed data from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service and used her historical records to put together the report.

• Whatcom County home sales bounce back in August

  Whatcom County home sales bounce back in August

  After a lackluster July, Whatcom County home sales strongly rebounded in August, posting the highest monthly total in more than two years.

  Last month real estate agents sold 250 houses and condominiums, up 66 units compared to July, according to data compiled by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. The last time 250 or more homes and condos were sold locally in a single month was in July 2009.

  While sales picked up, prices dropped. Last month the median price for those Whatcom home and condo sales was $234,750, down $11,500 compared to July and the lowest monthly median price in 17 months.

• Whatcom home sales steady, prices down in November

  Whatcom home sales steady, prices down in November

  November was a surprisingly steady month for Whatcom County real estate agents, according to a new report.

  Last month agents sold 176 homes and condominiums, up 22.2 percent compared to November 2010, according to data collected by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. November was the sixth-busiest month of the year; usually it's a time when real estate sales are slowing down.

  Even more dramatic was the price of the November home sales. The median price - or the midpoint price of the sales - was $208,000 last month, the lowest monthly total in at least five years. According to the NWMLS, the previous five-year low was $224,900, set in March 2009.

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