July sales numbers are in to multiple listing and here is how the month stacked up against 2015 and year to date. Pending sales are up 28% over July 2015! With this past month's sales closing we see a total of 101 year to date. Shorter days on market with a 42 day average is a big improvement. Buyer demand has been high. Many buyers are searching for waterfront which is in major shortage for 2016. Sellers with waterfront are getting top dollar for their properties. The majority of waterfront buyers have moved from deeded properties to leased land where this is a small supply of cabins. 

Closing times for lender purchases are taking lots of extra time to complete. Sometimes up to 60 days due to the Northwest appraiser shortage. Buyers and sellers are frustrated with the time frames. More rural properties outside of the urban growth boundary are suffering the most with 6 to 8 week appraisal time lines. It's at a crisis point for the real estate industry. Patience is the word of the year in getting properties to close on time with current appraisal challenges. 

        Mt. Hood real estate sales for July 2016 from RMLS