By Peninsula Daily News staff
and The Associated Press
Dealership hires two for sales team
PORT ANGELES — Price Ford Lincoln of Port Angeles has added Garrett Thomas of Port Angeles and Rob White of Sequim to its sales team.
They bring more than 32 years of combined automotive sales expertise.
Price Ford Lincoln is located at 3311 E. U.S. Highway 101.
Hall of Fame
PORT ANGELES — Ania Pendergrass of RE/MAX Evergreen, 505 E. Eighth St., was recently inducted into the RE/MAX Hall of Fame.
Less than 2 percent of RE/MAX agents nationally reach this honor.
For more information, phone Pendergrass at 360-461-3973.
Home sales surge
WASHINGTON — U.S. homes sold in September at their fastest clip this year, a sign that the housing market is shaking off a slowdown that began in the middle of 2013.
The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday that sales of existing homes rose 2.4 percent from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.17 million.
Still, the sales rate has dropped 1.7 percent over the past 12 months.
Investors have retreated from the market over the past year.
Their departures are being offset by existing homeowners who are upgrading to more expensive properties or downsizing after having raised their children.
First-time buyers comprised just 29 percent of sales, well below their historic average of roughly 40 percent.
The figures suggest that the sales decline that began last year has ended, although home-buying is unlikely to surge back to their historic averages.
“The worst is over, but don’t expect a rapid rebound in activity or prices,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
