After a failed attempt by neighborhood groups to block legislation that increases density, the Seattle City Council is finally considering upzones to some Seattle neighborhoods. The Seattle Times reported Monday that the plan under consideration would upzone 27 urban villages, which would allow developers to build anywhere from one to… Read more
With the Alaskan Way Viaduct coming down, Seattle is getting serious about waterfront improvements that will benefit all who visit and live in the city. The new waterfront won’t come cheap, though – and only a small group of downtown property owners were assessed for the improvements. Property owners spoke… Read more
Real estate technology company Compass entered the Puget Sound market this spring through a partnership with Northwest Group Real Estate (NWG), founded in Seattle in 2007. Earlier this month, the company announced that its Seattle and Eastside broker count will grow through a new partnership with boutique brokerage Avenue Properties,… Read more
On May 14, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a tax of $275 per full-time equivalent employee for companies with gross receipts of $20 million or more that would raise an estimated $48 million per year for housing and homeless services. Shortly after, a coalition of businesses formed the No… Read more
The Seattle City Council last week passed a “head tax” that requires companies in Seattle making $20 million or more in revenue to pay $275 per year per employee, to fund homeless services. The Seattle King County REALTORS® Board of Directors voted to oppose the tax; we believe it will… Read more
The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) released a plan today at its annual Housing Summit to promote the creation of more housing options for Puget Sound consumers. The ten-point plan suggests both regulatory and legislative changes to increase housing attainability that could be implemented by state… Read more
Approximately 100 people gathered at Sand Point Country Club for a luncheon to celebrate 2017 Seattle-King County First Citizen Award honorees, Bill and Jill Ruckelshaus. Bill and Jill are the 79th recipients of the prestigious award and the eighth couple to be saluted for their inspiring leadership and contributions to the area’s quality of… Read more
The Seattle City Council took an important step to provide more housing options in the City’s university district. The Council passed a planned up-zone that is consistent with goals set out in the Mayor’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda – HALA. The rezone will direct growth to the blocks near… Read more
Employment is growing in the Seattle area, yet the ratio of listings to closed sales (months of housing supply) has declined steadily since 2012 (see chart). The King County average for 2016 is 1.25 months of supply; a 4 – 6 month supply is considered a healthy, balanced housing market.… Read more
KBTC’S Northwest Now aired a segment last Friday on the real estate market in Western Washington. Their panel included our 2016 President Patti Hill , Skylar Olsen the Senior Economist for Zillow, Sharon Benson 2016 President of the Tacoma-Pierce County Association of Realtors, and Robert Lipston of Opes Advisors. You can watch the 2-part… Read more