Naselle, Westendhome sales slow

Editor's note: The Eagle recently surveyed real estate firms in eastern Wahkiakum County about trends in housing sales. Here is a report from firms working in the Westend and Naselle areas

The sale of real estate in Wahkiakum County’s Westend follows its own trend, and that trend has slowed recently.

Western Real Estate Services broker Lori Fanoni said things were busier two years ago but are now in a normal stage for Naselle.

“We certainly haven’t died off like other parts of the country,” she said.

A major reason that there isn’t a lot of houses or other property available is because of the low turnover rate.

Because of the small area, there are few properties available, and people who move here tend to stick around for a long time, she said.

People love the beauty of the land and the friendly people in small towns. Those who like to hunt and fish always find there is a lot of that available too, she said.

Fanoni said that they sell more vacant land because that is what is available.

“There is more new construction than there has ever been,” she said.

The availability of vacant land seems to be the only thing that realtors agree on.

Charlie Otterson of Naselle Coast Realty gives a different point of view than that of Fanoni.

“Right now, things are pretty flat” he said. He said that the Naselle/Westend area is affected like the rest of the country.

Things are the same even on the peninsula, and it's pretty quiet, he said. While there are people moving in, mostly retirees, things just aren’t happening. There is lots of vacant land, he said, more so than homes.

Area bankers say demand for home loans has slowed.

Dave Batt, vice-president of The Bank of The Pacific in Naselle, said that there are loans to be had, but right now, there really aren’t a lot of buyers. There is some interest but not as much as last year; he said, things are pretty dry.

A Cathlamet banker who insisted on remaining anonymous said there hasn’t been much activity. There was more activity last year than this year, the person said, but there were no figures available.