There are two upcoming open houses being held by the company that owns property at the Point Wells development project near Richmond Beach.  The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the long-term future of the land and the planned development of the property.

The first open house will take place on July 27 at 6:30 PM at the Edmonds Conference Center.  (201 Fourth Ave N. Edmonds, WA 98020).  The property owner will be talking about their proposal for changes for the land.  The owner wants to change the use of the property from its current use as a marine fuel distribution center and asphalt plant to an upscale development of condominiums, shops and restaurants.

There is resistance in the surrounding city's and communities to the development project.  Some of the concerns with the development include:

• Significant traffic volume increase
• Mitigation of impacts (parks & open space, service delivery, transportation, etc.)
• Preservation of existing view corridors
• Scale and bulk of the planned development

The City of Shoreline, The City of Woodway, and Save Richmond Beach.org all submitted appeals to the Growth Management Hearings Board regarding the project. 

www.saverichmondbeach.org has an excellent summary of the latest updates to the project and their concerns about it.

There will be a second open house on September 23rd at 6:30 PM the Shoreline Conference Center (18560 1st Ave NE Shoreline WA 98155)

As you've heard the First-Time homebuyer tax credit has been extended and they are now offering a Repeat-Buyer tax credit for people who have owned their current homes for at least five years.  You can view the video below put out by NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) or visit http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/ for further details.

The Wall Street Journal asked six experts which 10 cities they felt would emerge as post-recession meccas.  Their panel of demographers, economists, geographers and authors on urban issues—picked their cities based on the criteria they deem most important, from economic diversity to lifestyle.

Here's the top-10 list:

1. Seattle (tie)

1. Washington DC (tie)

2. New York

3. Portland, OR

4. Austin, TX

5. San Jose, CA

6. Denver, CO

7. Durham, NC

8. Dallas, TX

9. Chicago

10. Boston

We have posted the Median totals for all properties sold in the 1st Quarter of 2009 for select North Seattle neighborhoods.  The data was compiled using the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. You can view it by visiting our online Market Trends Newsletter or simply click here.

If you would like information on a neighborhood not listed in our Market Trends Update, please send us an email and we will add it to our lineup.

We have posted the Median totals for all properties sold in 2008 for select North Seattle neighborhoods.  The data was compiled using the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. You can view it by visiting our online Market Trends Newsletter or simply click here.

If you would like information on a neighborhood not listed in our Market Trends Update, please send us an email and we will add it to our lineup.

© Katherine Welles/Shutterstock

Methodology: Forbes.com evaluated the country's 40 largest Census-defined metro areas using the last 25 years of NAHB data. We examined new construction and vacancy rates to calculate historical fluctuations in supply and demand against national averages. Moody's Economy.com provided job-growth forecasts through 2017.

1. Seattle, Wash.

Job-growth projections 2008-2017: 1.5%

Seattle's peak building period in the 1980s run-up was in the second quarter of 1986. The Savings & Loan crisis didn't fully halt building activity until the fourth quarter of 1992. What lands it in the first position on this list is the combination of strong job growth with a building cycle that hasn't run in high excess of demand and, in part, its constrained geography. Especially compared to cities on the West Coast, Seattle has historically not overheated in boom times.

10 Cities to Look at If You're Looking for Work -
If you’re looking for a job, try Madison, Wis. It tops the list of places where jobs are plentiful, according to a survey by Ajilon Professional Staffing.

Ajilon researchers relied on statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor to identify places with a low unemployment rate and a high number of new jobs created in the last six months. Then it compiled information from its own professionals to find the cities with the best job opportunities.

Madison has a wide range of industries, plus it is the seat of state and county government.

Here are the top-10 cities where employers are hiring:

Madison, Wis.
Washington, D.C.
Boston, Mass.
Richmond, Va.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Baltimore, Md.
Seattle, Wash.
Houston, Texas
Dallas, Texas

Source: Forbes, Tara Weiss (01/05/2009)

Realtor Magazine, Daily News

We have posted figures for all properties sold in December for specific North Seattle neighborhoods.  The data was compiled using the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. You can view it by visiting our online Market Trends Newsletter or simply click here.

If you do not see the neighborhood you are looking for and are interested in the statistics, send us an email and we will add it to our lineup.