Benton County was just named the most affordable metropolitan county in the state for first time homebuyers. This is a title Benton County is familiar with due to high wages, this is seen when looking at the first time homebuyer affordability index which is at 127.9(seasonally adjusted data). This means first time homebuyers come in with 28% more income than the minimum needed to qualify. When looking just one county over these numbers drop, in Franklin County the first time homeowner affordability index is 102.1, meaning first time homeowners come in with 2% more income then the minimum. This number is lower than Benton County but it remains higher then the statewide first time homeowner affordability index of 95.5, with the average homeowner throughout…

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"Top 10 Places People are Moving To" Puts Tri Cities at Number 1
The Tri Cities, Washington is a great place to settle down and plant some roots. If you don't believe me then check out the newest "Top 10"Âť list the Tri Cities made it on to. According to The Fiscal Times' most recent study, the Tri Cities is the number one place people are moving to. In order to see the truth behind this new study all you need to do is look around. For starters there is the decommissioned nuclear facility where tremendous amounts of effort is being put into cleaning up the site. The Tri Cities is also home to 3 hospitals, one of which, Kadlec, has been recently recognized for being the safest hospital in Washington. Over the past year the Tri Cities has made it on to…

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Tri Cities Ranks in 9 Fastest Growing Housing Markets

The Tri Cities Washington area is a great place to buy a home, if you don't believe me then check out the recent data released by the Case-Shiller Housing Index. The Tri Cities, Washington area made it into the top 9 fastest growing housing markets in the country.

Throughout the country the projected housing markets are rather bleak. Out of the 384 largest metropolitan areas in the United States only 50 are expected to remain unchanged to the dropping prices. These 50 states will not experience large gains in housing prices; rather they will see modest climbs. The Tri Cities has done well, home values are expected to grow 3.6% over the next year. The growth is due in part to the low interest rates…

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Tri Cities WA One of the 10 Best Places to Raise your Kids
A few years ago the Tri Cities was ranked as one of the ten best places to raise a family. Well, they did it again, Kiplinger just released another "Top 10"Âť list of best places to raise kids and guess who made the list? You got it, Tri Cities made it on the list again coming in at number 2! In order to make it on the list the Tri Cities was first looked at in regards to the ratio of family income to cost of living, crime rates and percentages of families with children. Then Kiplinger took a look at educational factors and fun aspects (ie. Parks, playgrounds, libraries). Tri Cities is home to 29 parks, a family fishing pond, a splash park, a quarter acre playground of dreams and 300 days of…

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Tri Cities WA: 13th Strongest Economy
The Tri Cities WA was recently ranked as the 13th strongest metropolitan economy. A recent report put out by Policom Corp studied 366 metropolitan areas and ranks them based on 23 distinctive economic factors over a 20 year time frame. These 23 factors include earnings, jobs, and wages in the areas of retail, farm jobs, non-farm jobs. Since 2009 the Tri Cities has been making a steady climb towards their present position of 13. In 2009 the Tri Cities was ranked 125th, in 2010 their ranking was 70th, and in 2011, 35th. The Tri Cities current placing has been accredited to having a very strong economy due to its ability to weather the recent recession.

Tri Cities Washington
The Tri Cities is located in southeastern…

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Forbes has recently come to a conclusion that residents of Tri Cities Washington have known for many years, the Tri Cities is a geeky place. Out of all the areas throughout the nation the Tri Cities ranks 11 as the geekiest place to live. This ranking is mostly attributed to the fact that 11% of the population works in a field having to do with science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, right behind Seattle with 11.8%.

Those who live in the Tri Cities Washington know its more than that when they look around; science is a huge part of the Tri Cities. Residents live on streets such at Einstein Avenue, Curie Street, Proton Lane, and Mercury Drive. Many residents have some fun at Atomic Bowl or get a bite to eat at Atomic Ale and Brewery, and they…

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The Tri Cities Association of Realtors® June 2011 market report was made available today. Things might seem bleak given the number of homes on the market(1) versus the number of homes sold(2) when comparing to last year's June. However, our homes appear to be increasing in value(3) and the really good news is our market might be headed for an upturn in sales given the number of homes under contract(4). Of course, remembering this time last year the First Time Home Buyer Credit was available, but having said that, June's sales are the lowest in 4 years. Given the rest of the United States' real estate markets, we are thankful to be in the Tri Cites as for the most part our homes are either maintaining their value but most often increasing in value. Plus,…

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Tri Cities Ranked "Top 10 Real Estate Markets to Watch in 2011"
Recently Inman News compiled a report of the "Top 10 Real Estate Markets to Watch in 2011". Among the areas listed on the report is our very own Tri Cities Washington Real Estate Market. In order for a city to make it onto the Top 10 list those compiling the report looked at unemployment rates, 1-year forecasted job growth, median household income, home sales, building permits issued, population, foreclosures as well as other statistics.

The unemployment rate in Tri Cities Washington compared to other areas is fairly low, as of December 2010 the unemployment rate was at 7.8%, almost 2% below the national average. Over the next year the Tri Cities is expected to see 1.1% employment growth, a…

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Tri Cities Washington The Next 2020 "Boom Town" According To Inman Real Estate News
Recently, Tri Cities Washington Real Estate is among the top 10 places in United States to experience growth in the next decade. Among the 10 metro areas in the United States, Tri Cities Washington's Kennewick, Richland, (West) and Pasco were number two (#2) on the list of "Top 2020 Real Estate Boom Towns" among potentially thousands of other candidates. Here is the top 10 list from Inman News:

Rank Metro Area Pop. 2010 Pop. 2020 (projected) % change
1 Raleigh-Cary, N.C. 1,140,057 1,546,556 35.7%
2 Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, Washington 255,485 345,779 35.3%
3 Austin-Round Rock, Texas 1,729,845

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Little ol’ Tri Cities Washington isn’t as quaint as those living here might think it is. Dating back to the early 1900s the Tri Cities has been recognized for many great accomplishments and earned a place on many different Top 10 or Top 20 lists around the nation.

The most recent accomplishment or Top 20 list that the Tri Cities has made its way on to is the American Cowboy Magazine’s Top 20 list of the best places in the west for a cowboy. The magazine looked at places where there are still beautiful pieces of untainted land, untouched by the metro areas. Places where cowboys could hang their hats with plenty of room to stretch out. The Tri Cities own Kennewick Washington made it onto the list as one of four cities in the Northwest. The article…

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