Page 12 - The Other Side of The Mountain October 2018

Cable Television
According to the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC),
the price of cable TV has been
growing far more briskly than
inflation. Between 1995 and 2015,
the price of basic expanded service
averaged annual increases of 5.8%,
rising from $22.35 to $69.03 (the number of included
programming channels jumped from 44 to 181). The overall
average annual inflation rate during those 20 years was 2.2%.

Home Prices
According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
the median U.S. home value was
$119,600 in 2000. It rose 96% by the
end of 2016 to $235,000, almost
doubling over 18 years. This is an
average annual increase of 4.1%, well

above the inflation rate. The median
home value in Idaho is $192,100 and the median price of homes
currently listed for sale in Idaho is $265,000. In Washington it is
$308,000, Oregon $350,000, and in Montana $202,000. Local
prices vary widely, and these values indicate that home prices are
on the rise in the Pacific and Inland Northwest.

If you are a buyer, these prices are not very attractive. For sellers,
it is a different story. If you rent, buying a home will be more
difficult as both prices and interest move upward.

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