The good news is Sullivan and Washington counties are affordable housing markets. That means that a worker making the local median wage, having good credit, the recommended debt-to-income ra… Read More

One of the advantages of a website is being able to see what readers value by how many click on a story. The story receiving the most attention on CoreData during 2021 wasn’t posted th… Read More

2-minute, 40-second read Competition in the local home flipping market continues increasing even though sales were down during the third quarter. Local flippers, and some newcomers, are… Read More

The Tri-Cities labor market shifted into holiday mode in November. Employers added 1,500 jobs according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) non-adjusted payroll report. When the seasonal… Read More

3-minute, 10-second read As the Tri-Cities moves toward the New Year with an all-time low inventory of homes for sale, plans for new housing are becoming commonplace. Single and multi-family… Read More

3-minute, 22-second read Commercial real estate – like the region’s residential sector – is outperforming the overall economy. November’s transactions were up 44.1 fr… Read More

3-minute, 26-second readNovember’s area home sales were down for the third straight month, and there was a small spike in prices. That’s typical if you look at timelines from pre… Read More

Here’s another example of how relying on just national economic reports can be misleading about something as fundamental as real estate? A current loan application analysis is a prime… Read More

2-minute, 24-second read The Tri-Cities is having its best year for new home permits in over a decade. So far this year, it has the second-best growth rate in East Tennessee. There was… Read More

2-minute, 49-seconds readThe Tri-Cities unemployment rate dropped to a 30-month low of 3.2% in October. But there were 900 fewer jobs than during the previous month. It was also the third st… Read More

While the pandemic wreaked havoc on many parts of the economy, it has been a boon for homeowners. Some prime local examples can be found in ATTOM Data Solutions Q3 Home Equity & Underwat… Read More

2-minute, 19-second read It has been a very good year for Tri-Cities homes sales with million dollar plus price tags. During the 12 months ending Nov. 10, sales were up 260% from the pr… Read More

3-minute, 18-second readAsk just about anyone in the real estate business, and they’ll tell you the single-family rental market is just as competitive and crazy as home sales The crunc… Read More

4-minute, 22-seconds read Political scribes have proclaimed that President Biden’s next inflation threat is “The rent is too damn high.” It’s safe to say many Tri-Cit… Read More

2-minute, 57-second readThe Tri-Cities September unemployment rate dropped to what it was before the pandemic, and the economy added 600 jobs. Unemployment claims were also down. That’… Read More

1-minute, 9-seconds readAlthough the number and selling price of homes get the most public attention, there’s another way to look at a region’s home market. Comparing the income… Read More

3-minute, 14-second readHigh demand and a thin inventory continue attracting Tri-Cities area home flippers. Flip sales accounted for 10% of all homes sales so far this year. That’s dou… Read More

Jobs creation is back on the positive side of the ledger in September. After two months of disappointing performance, local employers added 600 new jobs. The full labor market report will be… Read More

Johnson City and Kingsport-Bristol are ranked among the top emerging housing markets in the nation by the Wall Street Journal/Reator.com. The rankings are part of an index that ranks 300 of… Read More

1-minute, 36-seconds readForeclosures in NE TN – SW VA were up during the third quarter but significantly below typical levels. There was a total of 88 new filings that include default… Read More

1-minute 50-second readCommercial real estate (CRE) transactions hit a slump in September but it didn’t dent the local market’s momentum. So far this year, completed sales and le… Read More

3-minute, 13-seconds readDuring the past six years, the Tri-Cities housing market made a spectacular run. It led the region out of the Great Recession and continues to be the heavy hitter in… Read More

3-minute, 22-second read  Local housing data show demand is beginning to slip. That coincides with a sales decline from August when closings were 13 shy of the all-time record. While th… Read More

Although the selling price of new homes gets most media and public attention, there’s another way to look at a region’s new home market. Comparing the average income range of hom… Read More

2-minute, 27-second readEmployers added 1,300 jobs in August. The unemployment rate dropped to 4 percent. That’s the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Tri-Cities tally on the non-adjus… Read More

2-minute, 59-second readWages have increased in Sullivan and Washington counties, but not enough to keep up with housing prices. Median-priced single-family homes in both counties were less… Read More

2-minute, 49-second read  Foreclosures are back. Expect to see a lot about them in the coming months. As expected, lenders stepped up activity as soon as the government moratorium expir… Read More

2-minute, 34-second read  No vacancy signs were out for single-family residential rentals in five of the 35 local zip codes analyzed in ATTOM Data Solutions Q3 Vacant Property and Zombi… Read More

The August health check on the Tri-Cities labor market is several weeks away. But if the U.S. labor report is an indicator, don’t be surprised to see another local down report. U.S. pa… Read More

4-minute, 17-second read  It’s not unusual for the Tri-Cities labor market to lose jobs in July. It’s the bottom of the summer slump, and this year’s labor shortage is… Read More

The Tri-Cities area housing market is beginning to move from sizzling to just hot when you look at much of the data. But when the Wall Street Journal and Realtor.com rank the two local metro… Read More

Tri-Cities mortgage loans hit an all-time high during the second quarter of this year. At the same time, refinancing was showing the first signs of cooling. There were 4,348 new loans in the… Read More

The pandemic fueled higher home prices have boosted the overall economic health of the local housing market. Higher home prices translated into hefty wealth gains for some local homeowners… Read More

1 minute, 48-second readTennessee’s political remedy to nudge workers back to the labor force may be working – just not to the degree or as quick as expected.  Employers are… Read More

Tri-Cities homeowners who sold during the second quarter saw profit margins dip at a time when the market is typically at its peak. While one quarter doesn’t make a trend, it’s s… Read More

  Cash buyers claimed 847 Tri-Cities existing home sales during the second quarter. It was an increase from Q1 and upped the mid-year all-cash total to 1,570, according to ATTOM Data So… Read More

Institutional investors are upping their Kingsport-Bristol area housing game. Their share of all-cash sales during the second quarter was up 91% from last year. There were likely other insti… Read More

Tri-Cities employers added 1,000 jobs in June, but only if you look at the adjusted Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report. The unadjusted numbers show the labor market was a push. New jobs… Read More

NE Tenn. properties with new foreclosure filings hit an all-time low of 83 during the first half of this year. Only one of the nine local counties in ATTOM Data Solutions’ Midyear Fore… Read More

3-minute, 30-second read The housing boom has pushed the local market to new highs.  But it’s not an equal-opportunity boom. Sales at the top end of the market have made a signifi… Read More

2 minutes, 19 second read NE Tenn. new and continued unemployment claims declined for the week ending June 3. That’s also the week Gov. Bill Lee cut off the extra $300 a week federal u… Read More

2 minute, 10 seconds readAverage workers in NE Tenn.’s two largest housing markets can manage the major expenses of homeownership based on lender standards. But Sullivan and Washington… Read More

3-minute read  Tri-Cities employers added 1,500 jobs in May. Employment increased by 1,497.  The unemployment rate rose to 4.4%. And there were 6,559 job openings, according to Job… Read More

Tri-Cities home flip sales were down significantly during the first three months of this year. Nationwide they were down in 70% of the metropolitan statistical areas analyzed in ATTOM Data S… Read More

Local properties with new foreclosure filings increased in May.  The number of new filings was low compared to some pre-pandemic activity. Still, it was an increase from both the previo… Read More

The Twin Cities added the most new residents from 2019 to 2020, while Jonesborough posted the highest growth rate, according to the latest Census population estimates. Bristol VA led the reg… Read More

Job creation slowed in the Tri-Cities during April. Employers added 200 jobs. So far this year, the monthly new jobs average is 275. Employment was up by 1,900 persons, and the unemployment… Read More

Three-minute read>/center> Everyone knows we’re in – some think at the tipping point – of the hottest local real estate markets on record. But if you think it just ap… Read More

Conventional wisdom holds the Tri-Cities got a population boost compliments of all those one-way U-Hauls that ended up here. There’s no doubt the region gained new residents. But an an… Read More

The hot housing market is making it a great time to be a homeowner in the Tri-Cities. The number of equity-rich mortgaged properties is up, and the number of upside-down mortgaged properties… Read More

2-minute read. Cash is still king in the local housing market. The market share is higher than both the U.S. and state average, but the king’s crown is slipping. All-cash purchases con… Read More

A typical home sale in the Kingsport-Bristol metro area during the first three months of this year netted owners a $47,730 profit from the original purchase price. The gain is down from the… Read More

2 minute 30 second read.   The Tri-Cities’ half-full economic cup is beginning to fill up. Employers added 1,100 jobs in March. At the same time, they’re trying to fill… Read More

The burning question among many NE Tenn. residents these days is, “who are all these people moving here, and where do they come from? Unfortunately, there’s no quick, easy answer… Read More

NE Tenn. unemployment claims were up for the third straight week in the current state Department of Labor and Workforce Developments count. The increase is slight (22 claims) from the week e… Read More

Local governments didn’t pump the brakes on property taxes during the pandemic. But they didn’t hit the accelerator. A new analysis shows $180.5 million in property taxes on sing… Read More

WETS’ Business Matters cited NETAR’s March and Q1 Northeast Tennessee Commercial Real Estate Report. Momentum has been building since the fourth quarter of last year. It released… Read More

New foreclosure filings continue declining in the Tri-Cities while mortgage delinquency rates are increasing. Government-imposed moratoriums have pumped the brakes on foreclosures, but accor… Read More

Washington County had the best housing affordability index in Tennessee during the first three months of this year. Washington and Williamson were the only state counties in ATTOM Data Solut… Read More

The Tri-Cities labor market appears to be shaking off a tepid close to 2020 and the beginning of the new year. February’s local labor market reports, and the most current unemployment… Read More

Despite a record soggy spring and a pandemic, 2020 was the best year for new Tri-Cities home permits since 2008.  And much of that new home surge is carrying over to this year. All but… Read More

Unemployment claims in the Tri-Cities region have declined for the second straight week. There were 2,312 continued claims for Carter, Greene, Hawkins, Johnson Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washingt… Read More

The Tri-Cities economy is stirring. Builders, Realtors, and lenders are scrambling to keep up with the housing demand. Local retail home improvement firms followed the national model in thei… Read More

Local, local, local is a mantra for reports on this page because much of the time local conditions don’t mirror what you read or see on media reports. The 2020 house flipping story is… Read More

Some locals who want to buy a home – just not at today’s prices – have marshaled their reserves and are waiting for the current local housing market to crash. It could be a… Read More

Homeowners took advantage of basement-level mortgage rates and made 2020 the year for refinancing. Almost half of the Tri-Cities loan originations (45.5%) went to refinancing, according to A… Read More

Vacancy rates for half of the Tri-Cities area investor-owned, single-family homes are above the national average. That seems out of sync in a housing market with a record-low inventory of ho… Read More

A new single-family rental risk analysis points to higher than average risks for Tri-Cities investors. While a risk assessment doesn’t necessarily signal an increase in defaults, it of… Read More

Tri-Cities homeowners are sitting pretty on a growing reserve of personal wealth. During the past quarter, the number of local homeowners with mortgages who are equity rich increased 27.2% f… Read More

Local existing home sales prices are increasing at a double-digit pace. However, cash is still king in the Tri-Cities area housing market. Cash sales had a market share of one-in-three home… Read More

Tri-Cities jobs declined in December for the first time since April. The preliminary, unadjusted Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) payroll report puts the loss at 400 jobs – 200 when se… Read More

Johnson City scored some social media branding points this week. It was selected as Tennessee’s best city for new home buyers in a bit of creative number-crunching by Insurify. Insurif… Read More

Kingsport-Bristol home sellers pocketed a $45,100 home-price gain on a typical sale last year – a profit gain of 22.2% from 2019. Profits rose in 90% of the U.S. housing markets with e… Read More

Sullivan and Washington are Tennessee’s most vulnerable counties if a tepid economic recovery extends to the housing markets, according to ATTOM DATA Solutions Q4 Special Coronavirus R… Read More

There’s a backlog of Tri-Cities foreclosures building up. It shouldn’t be anything like the wave of foreclosures during the Great Recession. But the red flags are waving. There&r&hell…Read More

It’s more affordable to buy a median-priced Tri-Cities home than renting – if you can find one. Local potential buyers face the biggest affordability issue in seven years because… Read More

Bloomberg.com is reporting that more than 340 companies declared bankruptcy in 2020 and blamed Covid-19 in part for their demise. The bulk of the small firms doesn’t get much public no… Read More

The housing market is going the wrong direction for some local home buyers. According to the latest analysis, affordability conditions in Sullivan and Washington counties are at a 7-year low… Read More

November’s Tri-Cities jobs report was a mash of mixed signals, but the trend points to a stalling economy. The exception is real estate. It is continuing a strong V-shaped recovery whi… Read More

Aldi’s may not be the specialty grocer some Tri-Cities residents pine for. Still, it has and continues to enhance property values for homes near it, according to this year’s Groc… Read More

High-end real estate continued sizzling in the Tri-Cities during 2020. And it looks like the growth spurt for living large will continue in 2021. Of course, living large is subject to expect… Read More

House flipping declined across the nation during the third quarter of 2020, but not in the Johnson City or Kingsport-Bristol Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA). The local increase wasn&rsq&hell…Read More

Tri-Cities’ existing-home sales in the primary city market areas were up 7% in 2020, and higher-priced home sales led the way. The new sweet spot is $200,000 to $399,999. That’s… Read More

 There shouldn’t be any argument that the local economy is on shaky ground. The labor market would have to create 8,500 new jobs by December to match the 2019 annual total. And th… Read More

Local builders are finally at the front of the housing market. They’re having their best year since 2006. According to The Market Edge, during the first nine months of this year, they… Read More

The Tri-Cities labor market continued healing from last spring’s initial coronavirus effect in October, but a new wave of infections is thwarting sustained growth. Employers added 1,70… Read More

While COVID-19 has been rough on the major metro multi-family housing sector, it hasn’t had the same bite in the Tri-Cities. Conditions vary from stable to slow growth. And the 2021 ou… Read More

The Tri-Cities housing market sizzled into November as it settles into a new sales and price benchmark. Sales in the local major city areas during the 12-month period ending in mid-November… Read More

 By DON FENLEY Look at commercial real estate (CRE) transactions and the numbers paint an overall picture of a flat market. That’s accurate. Transactions are running almost 12% be… Read More

Despite the pandemic and a lackluster labor market, the number of equity-rich property owners in the Tri-Cities increased from last year. So did the number of seriously underwater mortgaged… Read More

Cash is a four-letter word for many buyers in today’s housing market. Buyers love all-cash sales because it means less hassle and a faster transaction. But many buyers can’t comp… Read More

The Tri-Cities economy continued its slow recovery of jobs lost during the COVID-19 crash. September’s seasonally adjusted total from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) payroll surve… Read More

After a decade of underperforming the Tri-Cities existing homes market, builders are stepping up and saying, “it’s our turn.” So far this year, the numbers back them up. Th… Read More

The national and local foreclosure market is in a state of limbo at the same that home prices and sales are increasing at a breakneck pace. But one cloud on the housing market’s landsc… Read More

Sullivan County’s housing market was a Tennessee outlier in ATTOM Data Solutions’ Q3 special report on markets that are more or less vulnerable to the impact of the Coronavirus p… Read More

Nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 2,800 in August, and the unemployment rate dropped to 7.3% as the Tri-Cities’ labor market began moving out of the summer seasonal slump. The market h… Read More

The downside of a hot housing market with rising prices is often a loss in affordability. Sullivan and Washington counties are in that boat. During Q3, housing was less affordable than the p… Read More

August was the best month so far this year for Tri-Cities commercial real estate (CRE) transactions. Web traffic to local listings was also at a 2020 high. But, the number of deals for the f… Read More

Work from home is a bonified workplace culture disruptor that can walk hand-in-hand with attracting new residents (human capital) as an economic development component. Northeast Tennessee ha… Read More

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ensured a wave of Tri-Cities evictions is not ready going to happen – at least not until the first of the year. In one of the biggest… Read More