Certified Residential Appraisal Team @ Bennett Appraisals

With all of this scary financial news, it is difficult to keep up with all the latest developments! One place to gather information about Washington State Financial Institutions is the WA DFI: http://www.dfi.wa.gov/

This website has an excellent question and answer section that covers such current changes in the market such as; deposit safety, money market funds, AIG, mortgage payment issues, etc. here: http://www.dfi.wa.gov/consumers/economy.htm

Another helpful link (FDIC) on the financial health of your current baking institution can be found here: http://www2.fdic.gov/idasp/main_bankfind.asp

A helpful link o the finacial health of your credit union can be found here: http://www.ncua.gov/indexdata.html

Here is a set of links put together by the FDIC on the different bank and financial instituion ranking systems: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/bank/index.html

Just saw a news clip on this computer energy saving software and it looked pretty cool. Per the Edison website the program was "created by Verdiem's patented PC power-management technology, which is used by major corporations the world over, Edison is an innovative application that brings dramatic PC energy savings into homes like yours. Easy to download and install, Edison enables you to manage your PC's power usage, save on energy costs, and help preserve the environment."

Check out the link: http://www.verdiem.com/edison/

There are many helpful websites in the quest for local information; here is a great wesite for finding all of a Washington State's city info, from Aberdeen to Zillah & county info as well! It is the Municiple Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC for short). Per their website: (MRSC) is a non-profit, independent organization created in 1969 to continue programs established in 1934 under the Bureau of Governmental Research at the University of Washington. In 1997, Washington counties joined cities in funding MRSC, and in 2007, special districts were added. Our mission is "working together for excellence in local government through professional consultation, research and information services."

This website is very helpful you can find out everything from a city's officials to its municiple code, very good site for those of us in WA real estate

City Info: http://www.mrsc.org/cityprofiles/citylist.aspx

County Info: http://www.mrsc.org/countyprofiles/profilesmenu.aspx

Island County Housing Market

Here is some interesting Island County WA housing data:

According to the Washington Center for Real Estate Research 2008 Second Quarter Housing Analysis; Island County home re-sales were down - 17.9% from the previous quarter, and down -30.7% from the second quarter in 2007. Statewide home re-sales were down -8.5% from the previous quarter and down -31.7% from the second quarter in 2007. Overall building permits in Island County are down -50% from the second quarter of the previous year, in comparison to the -29.7% reduction statewide. The median re-sale home price in Island County is $284,000, below the statewide average of $291,900. The 2008 second quarter Housing Affordability Index (HAI) was 88.9 for Island County, lower than the statewide index of 95.5.

See all county data: http://www.wcrer.wsu.edu/WSHM/2008Q2/Snapshot_2008Q2.pdf

Snohomish County Housing Market

Here is some interesting/ helpful data on the Snohomish County Housing Market

Snohomish County home re-sales were down - 17.4% from the previous quarter, and down -44.4% from the second quarter in 2007. Statewide home re-sales were down -8.5% from the previous quarter and down -31.7% from the second quarter in 2007. Overall building permits in Snohomish County are down -41.5% from the second quarter of the previous year, in comparison to the -29.7% reduction statewide. The median re-sale home price in Snohomish County is $349,400, well above the statewide average of $291,900. The 2008 second quarter Housing Affordability Index (HAI) was 87.7 for Snohomish County, lower than the statewide index of 95.5.

See all county data: http://www.wcrer.wsu.edu/WSHM/2008Q2/Snapshot_2008Q2.pdf