In June, Whatcom County real estate markets showed the effect of accelerated sales due to the homebuyer tax credits. Sales numbers dropped from 10% to 40% in all markets except Birch Bay/Blaine (up 4%) and Lynden (up 40%) over June of 2009. Average sales numbers in the county as a whole were down 25% and were lower than any month since February of this year.

The tax credit benefits showed up in more sales for the total of the first 6 months (except in Bellingham), due to strong sales earlier in the year. Birch Bay/Blaine & Lynden were particularly strong in the 2^nd quarter, with sales up 53% in Birch Bay/Blaine and up 75% in Lynden over the same period last year. In June, Lynden numbers were still strong (up 40%), and Birch Bay Blaine was up 4%.

The strong volume in Birch Bay/Blaine and Lynden helped move average sale prices up a bit over the first half of the year (2.6% and 1.7% respectively), and Birch Bay/Blaine managed to move the median up a bit, with an increase in the measurement of 2.1%. The county as a whole saw average sale prices drop by 4% and the median drop by 7%.

As prices drift lower, homes move into different price categories, which shows up in changes to the distribution of sales through price ranges. For the 6 months ending June 2009, 53.4% of the sales in Bellingham were under $300,000. For the 6 months ending June 2010, 62.6 % of the sales in Bellingham were below $300,000. The upper end, above $750,000, maintained the same number of units sold, but the range from $300,000 to $500,000 was particularly hard hit. For the complete article on what is currently happening in the Bellingham Real Estate Market and what we think the future holds. Visit The Johnson Team Real Estate Market Update Page.

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!