To Everything, There Is a Season

Happy Easter Sunday! Whether you’re inclined to quote the Bible or the music group The Byrds, it is certainly true that there is a time for everything. Clark County Title believes this is a season for rebirth and growth, so we’re opening an East County office on May 1 to better serve our customers in areas distant from our downtown Vancouver office. I mention rebirth not only because of the biblical timeliness but also to put our expansion in context: Clark County Title was born in 1980 and had escrow branches in several locations until the real estate downturn several years ago. Now, our local real estate market has returned to a level that allows and even requires our growth – a rebirth! We’re thrilled to be adding local people to our payroll, helping us provide the best title and escrow services around.

According to RMLS, the multiple listing service, the median sales price for Clark County houses sold has increased from $288,000 in April of 2016 to $318,000 last month. That’s an increase of $30,000 in a year! Much of that has been due to a lack of inventory (houses for sale) and buyer concerns that interest rates will increase in the future. Buyers hesitate to put their homes up for sale when replacement housing costs (including rents) are rising. Economic indicators leave no reason to suspect interest rates to fall. In short, I don’t see any reason to believe that housing costs will decrease in the short term, as new housing is expensive to build and new people continue to move to Clark County to enjoy our high quality of life. My advice to people contemplating a real estate transaction is to consult with one of the many competent professional Realtors or lenders in our area – the best of whom use Clark County Title to close those transactions.

Clark County’s real estate trend is continued warming, just like the weather. Rising home values and a strong economy are good signs for our community’s future. We’re proud to remain a local title insurance company in an increasingly corporate business. We’re fortunate to offer prices competitive with our mega-corporate competitors while you can experience our attention to customer needs and get a local decision when needed. We’re a family-owned private business instead of branch number “X” of a national machine. If you believe in “BUY LOCAL,” as I do, we’re the local option!

Thank you on behalfof the professional title and escrow people of ClarkCounty Title! I wish you and your loved ones happiness on this Easter Sunday.

Your neighbor,

Scott Hogan
Clark County Title
Scott@ClarkCountyTitle.com
360.694.4722