There's a reason why local real estate brokers have noticed real estate feeling much more "normal" as 2011 progresses.

In Bellevue, for example, total sales of single family homes this year have now officially outpaced last year while Seattle is poised to surpass last year's numbers in the next month or two. The leads should continue to grow because the second half of last year was stuck in a rut due to government tax incentives shifting 2010's demand towards the first half of last year.

Median selling prices in Bellevue have also rebounded since the beginning of the year thanks in large part to fewer distressed sales (short sales and foreclosure sales) dragging down selling prices. Averaging out the median selling price of each month in Bellevue dating back 20 months, we see that the $542,500 median selling price of single family homes in August is on par with the 20 month average of $547,463. For additional commentary and a month by month tally of Bellevue stats click on over to our Bellevue Real Estate Statistics page.

Seattle, meanwhile, is also seeing fewer distressed sales as a percentage of total sales; distressed sales accounted for 20.31% of all sales, which was the lowest percentage of the year. Typically, fewer distressed sales trend with a higher median selling price because there are fewer discounted sales working against prices. However, the median selling price in Seattle did slightly drop month over month, which points towards more buyers seeking out the best deals on the market. Buyers may also be growing more pessimistic about the condition of foreclosure homes and the short sale purchase process. For additional commentary and a month by month tally of Seattle stats click on over to our Seattle Real Estate Statistics page.

At the end of the day things continue to move in the right direction. The lingering concerns over the economy that are keeping buyers on the sidelines continue to do battle with the historically low rates and the affordability of real estate that makes now an excellent time for many families to buy. Regardless, as 2011 progress, the growing trend in real estate has been that "things are feeling much more normal."

- Prospera Real Estate's Seattle and Bellevue real estate trends, statistics, news, and blog