Seattle
Back to News Center Calling the housing affordability crisis in our region “daunting,” former Governor Christine Gregoire stressed the only way to solve this complex issue is via a public-private partnership. Gregoire gave keynote remarks recently during the 31st annual Housing Issues Briefing presented by Seattle King County REALTORS® (SKCR).…
Read More
Back to News Center Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell signed an executive order in late June to create an interdepartmental team that is tasked with streamlining the process to build homes and start a business. Titled PACT, or “Permitting and Customer Trust,” the measure represents “the most significant concerted effort in…
Read More
Back to News Center Watch the Public Hearing Hear Craig Walker (31:00), Sol Villarreal (35:00), Cheyenne Gillooly (39:00), and Garrett Nelson (46:00) testify at Seattle’s Select Committee for the Comprehensive Plan. The Issue Washington continues to face a housing crisis. There are not enough housing units for the people who…
Read More
Back to News Center Property taxes in the Seattle metro area ranked 10th highest among 216 other U.S. metros with a population of at least 200,000, according to data from Attom, a leading provider of property and real estate data. Its report shows property taxes have jumped 57% since 2016.…
Read More
Back to News Center Prominent attorney and civic activist Judy Runstad has been selected 2025 Seattle King County First Citizen. The widely recognized community philanthropist is the 87th recipient of the prestigious annual award. This year’s honoree is vice chair of Wright Runstad and Company and recently retired from Foster…
Read More
Back to News Center Seattle King County REALTORS® has been engaged in the Seattle budget process to ensure the record general fund budget deficits of $251 million in 2025 and $498 million in 2026 were not closed by levying new taxes. We commented formally and advocated to encourage transparency and…
Read More
Back to News Center When she ran for the position of Seattle city attorney in 2022, Ann Davison framed herself as a “pragmatist” and advocated for restoring law and order to the city’s streets by “increasing prosecution of misdemeanor crimes and clearing out homeless camps.” Since winning election and assuming…
Read More
Back to News Center In September, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a package of new legislation to streamline the permitting process and increase production of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in Seattle, creating more diverse and affordable housing opportunities. “Making progress on Seattle’s urgent housing affordability needs requires not only increasing overall…
Read More Back to News Center In 2023, Seattle voters approved a nearly $1 billion renewal of the Seattle Housing Levy. Accordingly, this year marks an all-time high, $340 million, in spending on income-qualified/subsidized housing for households earning 80% and below area median income. While SKCR’s focus is on increasing market-rate housing…
Read More
Back to News Center REALTORS® have long supported, and been active and successful advocates for, local action to increase the number of housing units, both here in King County and statewide. Those efforts to increase housing supply have included new financial incentives, and wide-ranging policies to increase middle housing, accessory…
Read More