Shadow Housing Inventory in Washington State

March 5th, 2012 by Rich Jacobson

Here is a recent graphic created by the good folks at The KCM Blog showing the estimated months supply of Shadow Inventory throughout the United States:

Here is a good working definition of what constitutes ‘Shadow Inventory:’

from Investopedia:

A term that refers to real estate properties that are either in foreclosure and have not yet been sold or homes that owners are delaying putting on the market until prices improve. Shadow inventory can create uncertainty about the best time to sell (for owners) and when a local market can expect full recovery. Also, shadow inventory typically causes reported data on housing inventory to understate the actual number of inventory in the market.

Fortunately for us here in Washington State, as you can see from the graphic, our Shadow Inventory is one of the lowest in the entire US. What this means is that traditional Home Sellers will have less distressed homes (foreclosures and short sales) to compete against, and that home prices should stabilize more quickly than in other areas across the country.

Here are a couple of recent articles that help to further explain the impact that Shadow Inventory has on the current residential housing market:

CNN Money - Shadow Inventory improves but still threatens housing recovery

Time Business – How ‘Shadow Inventory’ is killing the Housing Market

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Homes-for-sale-in-Kitsap-County-WA

Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional with Keller Williams West Sound, providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, ActiveRain, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail: kitsapagent@gmail.com

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