Today National Association of Realtors reported that most metro areas show strong home price gains in Q3. (details here.) While 41 out of 124 metro areas advanced more than 10% in the quarter, Seattle area also reaped a solid 5.6% gain. Median sale prices of the region advanced from $261,500 in Q3 last year to $276,100 in the passing Q3.
For my house which I purchased for $315,000 back in August, I just noticed that another identical house in my community was recently sold for $318,000, and another identical house on the same street is newly listed for $324,900. I'm not sure if my gambit during the transaction by boosting the price to $320,000 and asking for $5,000 seller's rebate has distorted what people see of the market.