Property Value & Appreciation

How is my area doing? Are values going up? The figures below are based on the average sales price for all new and pre-owned homes in Clark County.

Comparing the last 12 months to the 12 months previous.
NE Heights	- 18.0%
SW Heights	- 21.0%
East Heights	- 8.7%
Orchards	- 12.6%
Evergreen	- 11.2%
Cascade Park	- 20.6%
Fishers Landing	- 8.3%
Camas City	- 3.3%
Lincoln/HD	- 11.8%
5 Corners	- 11.0%
S. Salmon Creek	- 8.3%
N. Felida	- 6.3%
E. Hazel Dell	- 9.8%
N. Hazel Dell	- 12.9%
N. Salmon Creek	2.7%
Brush Prairie	- 8.4%
Ridgefield	- 2.8%
Yacolt	- 4.3%
Battleground	- 10.6%
Washougal	- 12.6%
Clark County	- 9.1%
Cowlitz County	- 0.9%
Pacific	5.4%

Housing Affordability in Clark County, Much Better

For many years Clark County has served as the relief valve for housing demand in the Portland metro area. When Oregon instituted growth management, it left the urban growth boundary around Portland open at the top, and demand spilled into Clark County. That demand, combined with the county’s own growth, pushed prices well out of their historic affordable levels.

All of that changed with the current downturn, which hit Portland hard. Unemployment in the Portland area peaked at 11.3% early in 2010, and got as high as 15% in Clark County before sliding back to a still high of 12%. Housing affordability indexes show a return to the high affordability levels seen in 2002. With inventories lower, construction very low, and supply moving toward a balance, prices should begin to stabilize as economic recovery takes place.

Through the End of October

October Highlights
Two months in a row, "sales prices" continue to drop, but sales activity showed some improvement. Closed sales improved by 24% and pendings were up 30.4% over October of 2010. September to October of this year showed a sales decline from 441 to 300 (-9.5%) and new listings were down from 667 to 633 a decline of 5.1%. Inventory in months is 7.2.

Sales Prices
From October of 2010 to October of 2011, the average sales price fell 8.9% and the median price dropped 7.3%. From September of 2011 to October 2011 the average price is down by 10.2% to $196,400 for October.

Year-to-Date
January - October of 2011 showed improvements over the same time period of 2010. Closed sales rose 2.8% and pending sales by 7.4%. New listings fell by 10.7%. Lower prices but less to choose from. Entering the holiday perod now, expect activity to drop further. If history is an indicator, the middle of January we kick start.