The Olympian

Business briefs

The Olympian, news services | • Published October 04, 2007

Realtors survey finds concerns about housing

OLYMPIA — A telephone survey last month found that 67 percent of 400 people statewide expressed concerns about rising home prices, the Washington Association of Realtors reported Thursday.

Rising home costs have outpaced wage increases, creating an "affordability gap," said Steve Francks, chief executive of the 25,000-member association. Francks has been urging the state Legislature to address the issue by promoting programs to create more affordable housing.

The association conducted a $1.3 million ad campaign last year to call attention to the issue of home affordability.

Median sales prices dropped in Thurston County from $269,900 in August of last year, to $269,000 this past August, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service reported. Median prices were up 5.8 percent in King County, 4.4 percent in Pierce County and 10.6 percent in Lewis County for the same period, the multiple reported.

Aerospace

Airplane deliveries up over last year for Boeing

CHICAGO — The Boeing Co. said Thursday it delivered 9 percent more commercial airplanes in the third quarter than a year ago, with the single-aisle 737 model accounting for three-quarters of the total.

The Chicago-based aerospace company delivered 109 planes in the period, up from 100 a year earlier. That pushed its total for the year to 329 and keeps it roughly on pace to reach its full-year estimate of 440 to 445.

Gaming

'Halo 3' nets $300 million in first week of sales

REDMOND — Gamers around the globe dropped nearly $300 million on "Halo 3" in the week since the first-person shooter for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 console debuted, the company said Thursday.

Microsoft also said that in the week after the Sept. 25 launch, Xbox 360 console sales "nearly tripled" from the weekly average reported before the game hit store shelves, according to initial reports from retailers worldwide.

More than 2.7 million people have logged on to Microsoft's online service, Xbox Live, to collectively play 40 million hours of "Halo 3" with other gamers, Microsoft said.

Manufacturing

GE to close lighting plants in U.S., Brazil

HARTFORD, Conn. — General Electric Co. said Thursday it will close a number of lighting plants in Brazil and the United States as part of a plan to restructure its consumer and industrial division, potentially cutting more than 1,400 jobs in the process.