Home prices in the Seattle-Tacoma area declined year-over-year again in April, according to the widely followed S&P/Case-Shiller index. This drop is the fourth consecutive in the index for the area on top of a downward trend seen since last summer.

I don’t put a lot of stock in month-to-month numbers, because so often those changes can be chalked up to seasonal or other factors, but those stats show a slight increase from March to April of 0.7 percent. (Pierce County’s median home price in May was $259,739, a 7.6 percent drop from the year before, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.)

Nationally, the index didn’t look too rosy – all 20 metro areas that are tracked showed annual declines. (Most have steeper decreases than the Seattle-Tacoma area.) The Case-Shiller index is considered a strong indicator because it ties today’s prices on a typical house to the price in Jan. 2000. The index shows that prices in the Seattle-Tacoma area, since then, have gained 79.6 percent.

Here are year-over-year changes in the Seattle-Tacoma area in recent months, according to the index:

April: - 4.9 percent
March: -4.4 percent
February: -2.7 percent
January: - 1.3 percent
December: +0.5 percent
November:+ 1.8 percent
October: +3.3 percent
September:+ 4.7 percent
August: +5.7 percent
July: +6.9 percent

OK, so it’s not all that warm out, but summer is officially here and it got me thinking this week about swimming pools and whether or not they add to a home’s allure. Not many Northwest homes have built-in pools compared to some other parts of the country, but they’re definitely out there and I’ve heard that pools can be more of a liability (homeowners worry about the safety of their kids and grandkids) than a benefit. On the other hand, swimming and parties around the pool can be a great way to spend the warmest months of the year.

Any thoughts? Would you be drawn to a home with a nice swimming pool?

A related side note: I noticed in a recent search that a lot of listings that mention a swimming pool play up the public pool near the house rather than a private home pool. So some people marketing homes for sale think people here like to swim.