FRIDAY - MIDNIGHT SNACK

Scandinavian Spaces by Vancouver Interior Designers & Decorators Andrea McLean Design Office

Room of the Day: Garage Is Transformed Into a Dreamy Studio

(Dedicated to CE & EE)

- Room of the Day: Garage Is Transformed Into a Dreamy Studio
- Time for some data from yours truly :)

- Rents Gallop Past Home Values in April

- U.S. Foreclosure Activity Increases 3 Percent in April to 18-Month High Driven by Rising Bank Repossessions

- Silicon Valley Exodus Is Real, Even Techies Can’t Afford The Bay Area Anymore

- Shedding our inhibitions about the backyard shed

- The Allure of a Well-Designed Carport

Enjoy!

Time for some data from yours truly :) - We're seeing double digit price increases in many areas with single family homes as well as condos/townhomes.

Rents Gallop Past Home Values in April - In April, rents grew at four percent year-over-year, overtaking home values, which appreciated at an annual rate of three percent. The switch comes after years of rapid home-value increases sped along by the improving economy. U.S. home values peaked in 2007, and then crashed during the Great Recession between 2008 and 2010. Since then, they have risen rapidly, returning to their peak levels in many markets. Rental growth has been outpacing home value growth for several months in some of the nation's hottest markets. In San Francisco, rents started rising faster than home values in July 2014, and have been growing faster ever since on an annual basis. In Boston, annual rental growth has outpaced home value appreciation since August 2014.

U.S. Foreclosure Activity Increases 3 Percent in April to 18-Month High Driven by Rising Bank Repossessions - “The REO increase in April was foreshadowed by a 23-month high in scheduled foreclosure auctions in October 2014,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. “Many of those scheduled auctions are now taking place, and properties are going back to the foreclosing lender. Meanwhile we continue to see foreclosure starts decrease, and foreclosure starts nationwide are now running consistently below pre-crisis levels — indicating that the overall increase in foreclosure activity in April is a continuation of the clean-up phase of the last housing crisis, not the start of a new crisis.

Silicon Valley Exodus Is Real, Even Techies Can’t Afford The Bay Area Anymore - The median pay for a software developer in San Jose is $112,000 compared to $83,300 in Boston, and $79,700 in Portland. The median sale price of a home in Silicon Valley is $1,050,000. The median sale price in Boston is $480,000. In Portland, it’s only $375,000.

Shedding our inhibitions about the backyard shed - People looking to get more use out of their backyards are building or converting sheds for a variety of purposes. There are backyard pubs. "She sheds," when they're built by women. Home offices. Art or yoga studios. TV rooms.

The Allure of a Well-Designed Carport - Easy access, unobstructed views and architectural appeal are a few of the reasons to love a carport. Some of my favorites: