Tagged: housing

Dane Corrida works as a hotel manager for a luxury cruise line based in Seattle. He owns a house on Capitol Hill, but since he spends most of his time working on the boats, he rents it out. If he has a couple of weeks off here and there, he can usually charm a friend or two into letting him couch surf.

Seattle homes are now worth 14.4 percent more than they were a year ago. That’s according to Seattle based real estate firm Zillow, who release monthly reports on the value of homes in Seattle and elsewhere in the region. On the national level, the US has just made it through our 12th straight month of increasing home values. Top Zillow officials say that these numbers are a good indicator that local and national housing markets are showing significant improvements. Ross Reynolds talks with Zillow's Cheif Economist Stan Humphries about buying, selling and renting in western Washington.

The King County Housing Authority has stopped issuing new Section 8 vouchers. The program is federally subsidized through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The move is a result of the impending reduction in those funds due to sequestration.

Watch out for scammers. That’s Seattle Housing Authority’s warning to people who are going online this week to apply for the city’s Section 8 housing lottery.  Agency officials caution that some misleading sites have been set up to  trick people into submitting their personal information to the wrong place.

The housing market is showing signs of recovery and construction has started once again on developments delayed by the recession. That doesn’t mean everyone is in good shape. Many homeowners remain underwater, with home values nowhere near the purchase price. Then there are the questions about refinancing or buying something new. Real estate and housing experts Richard Hagar and Linda Taylor are here to help. Call 206.543.5869 with your questions or send us an email at weekday@kuow.org.