Spokane real estate prices slide at slower pace than Seattle - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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“The massive dumping of snow over the winterd months froze an alreadychille market, causing inventory to pile said Scott Wetzel, president and chieg executive of in Spokane. “I think we had 100 inchexs of snow fallthis winter,” said “That killed the market.” As a result of all the problemw associated with the down market, some real estate agent have left the business, a trend that has also playedx out across Washington, where 2,800 real estate agents have left the business over the last year, accordingb to the state’s Department of Hunter, of John L.
Scott, said the number of real estatse agents in Spokane County fell toabout 1,800 this down from 2,200. Some of Spokane’sa smaller real estate firms have also closef or been consolidatedinto others, although that trens hasn’t happened “as much as I woulc have thought,” said Hunter. “Some of the very smallk companies have been hard hit bythis downturn,” she said. But Spokanw real estate agentssay they’re encouraged by recenty signs of activity that might mean the market is turningb around. In addition, the spring and summet months are historically bettetrfor selling.
Wetzel of Windermere said he saw a big uptick in salesw activity over the past few weeks and Hunter ofJohn L. Scot t said she’s encouraged by new legislation that woulxdgive first-time home buyerss $8,000 toward their down paymeny upon closing. Higgins of the Spokande Association of Realtorssaid he’s expecting the markety to slowly recover over the next year. “We’re going to have seasonap upticks right now as the sun comes out and the flowersa bloomand people’s attitudes pick up,” he