Hungry for a good real estate bargain?

Pending sales during April reached their highest level in eight months, according to the latest figures from Northwest Multiple Listing Service.  The Multiple covers 19 counties in western and central Washington.

Other indicators tracked by the multiple listing service were mixed.  Prices for sales that closed during April were down about 5.5 percent compared to a year ago, but a look at more recent months shows stable price in many areas – especially compared to most metropolitan areas around the country.

In King County, the median price for last month’s closed sales of single family homes and condos was $410,000. That’s up slightly (0.67 percent) from 12 months ago and only $5,000 below the price reported for August 2007.

House hunters continued to have plenty of choices last month as realtors added 13,607 new listings during April.   That’s about 9 percent less than twelve months ago.

Northwest Multiple Listing Service, owned by its member brokers, is the largest full-service MLS in the Northwest. Its membership includes approximately 31,000 brokers and agents. The organization, based in Kirkland, currently serves 19 counties, mostly in western Washington, plus Grant, Kittitas and Okanogan counties in the central part of the state.