Quoted: According to RealtyTrac, an online foreclosure database, 6,495 properties entered some stage of foreclosure in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue region in the third quarter of this year. That translates into a 38 percent increase from a year ago, putting the region 95th out of 203 metro areas that RealtyTrac gauges.

Lending professionals are continuously trying to predict trends. This past summer, the belief was that rates were definitely headed to 6%+ territory. Now, we've actually reversed the trend and gone lower.

Word is that the Fed will keep rates low until the end of spring 10, which should, theoretically, bolster monetary supply and allow banks to continuet to transact in commercial and residential lending. Since there's an extension of the home buyer credits, rates probably won't stray too far from the 5-6% range for the near-term.

The FHA helps homebuyers who often cannot qualify for a loan otherwise. The problem is that there is usually a very good reason for why a potential buyer doesn't qualify for a conventional loan - poor/limited credit history is one, lack of funds is another. The result is that the FHA lends money to a pool of higher-risk borrowers (that is, a higher chance of default). It's no surprise, then, that as of this past summer, about 17% of FHA borrowers were behind on at least 1 payment.

I don't see anyway around a bailout of the FHA by taxpayers within the next few years.

Quoted: The Federal Housing Administration says its financial cushion has dipped to a dangerously low level but should remain above zero under "most economic scenarios." The agency, a major source of funds for first-time homebuyers, faces mounting concerns that it will eventually need a taxpayer bailout as losses grow from homeowners who lose their jobs and can't pay their mortgages.

yay!!!

Quoted: Google's bringing a free perk to 47 airports around the country, offering free WiFi service during the busy holidays. At SeaTac -- homeport for competitors Microsoft and Amazon -- the freebie will continue "indefinitely."

...but the increase may just put us in-line with historical levels.

Quoted: Overall, there have been 26,372 bankruptcies filed this year in Washington state, up 46 percent over the same period last year. Experts say the tightening of consumer credit and home equity lending over the past year left many families with no other option. The level of bankruptcy filings may be returning to normal historical levels, says Robert Lawless, a bankruptcy law professor at the University of Illinois. During the '90s, about 24,000 bankruptcies were filed each year in Washington state, according to data from the American Bankruptcy Institute. From 2000 to 2004, an average 37,000 bankruptcies were filed annually. Filings peaked at 46,930 in 2005.

Quoted: Pending sales of single-family homes and condominiums in King County jumped more than 70 percent in October compared with last year as buyers raced to purchase homes before losing a federal tax credit.

Woohoo, 4th safest!

Quoted: The city ranked third among 40 U.S. cities in the category of violent crime, second best in workplace deaths, eighth best in traffic deaths and No. 31 in natural disaster risk.

Sad. I drove by this right after it happened last week. Cool little non-profit coffee shop on a busy street.

The drop in prices in the area has definitely slowed. In some areas, we're even seeing prices increase a bit (even among new construction). We hope these are signs that the market is trying to get itself back on solid ground.

Quoted: However, Seattle home prices were relatively unchanged month-to-month between June and August of this year. The Seattle index dipped 0.1 percent between June and July, only to increase 0.1 percent between July and August, S&P data show. “Broadly speaking, the rate of annual decline