As remote work becomes the new norm for many homeowners, real estate professionals are encouraging clients to consider implementing insurance-based smart home technology into their homes. 

Overall, September’s housing market statewide remained robust, according to a new report from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, but low inventory is still problematic. With single-family homes and condominiums combined, there were slightly more new listings last month (11,373)

Median rents in the mid-sized port city currently run about $1,280 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,680 for a two-bedroom — a rise of nearly 19% year over year.

Asking prices for homes reached an all-time high in September, despite pending sales and new listings cooling.

Mortgage rates rose quickly last week. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hit 3.01%, up 0.13% from the week prior.

Housing affordability has changed across all 50 top markets, proving to be more affordable than it was during the previous housing peak, according to First American Financial’s latest Real House Price Index.

All four geographic regions saw increases, led by the Midwest, which clocked a 10.4% rise from July, and the South, where sales rose 8.6%. Pending transactions rose 7.2% in the West and 4.6% in the North.

Property values continue to rise and those looking to downsize can make the most of the current market highs, but how much you can save by downsizing can vary significantly depending on where you live.

A new report shows the market cooled in August, at least in terms of the number of prospective buyers looking at homes.

The 10-city composite index rose 1.4% on a monthly basis and 19.1% on a yearly basis, while the 20-city composite gained 1.5% monthly and 19.9% annually. 

Fewer buyers were looking for vacation homes in August, as the demand for second homes dropped for the third month in a row.

The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of July was 378,000, representing a supply of 6.1 months at the current sales rate.

Last year’s en-masse move to remote work has driven what Zillow has dubbed the Great Reshuffling, as homeowners working from home have paused and reevaluated where and how they live.

The increase was driven by a 21.6% month-over-month spike in the rate of new multifamily construction. Single-family housing starts, meanwhile, slid 2.8%.

September’s reading of 76 was up one point from August, despite lingering challenges with labor and the building-material supply chain, the National Association of Home Builders reported, citing the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

Month over month, home sales were down 3.5%, and the median sale price declined 1.2% to $335,000.