Wendell Cox from Demographia just posted an interesting story about the effect of their ‘urban containment’ policy. The result, according to Cox, is more people fleeing to the suburbs and home prices increasing exponentially. This is a typical Drive ‘Til...
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We all know the web is driving a lot of traffic to our industry, but which portals are getting the most action? Below are some numbers our online concierge, Colby Holmstead, compiled that I thought were interesting. Colby verified his...
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The month of April was the single, best April in the 15 years we have been keeping these records, even surpassing 2004-05-06. The single area with the biggest increase? Pierce county, with sales up 38 percent over last year. “We...
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This is what I dream about at night. I know, it’s a little strange.
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It seems around tax time there is always debate about who pays the most taxes. This chart, from researcher Curtis Dubay, using IRS numbers, breaks down income as well as tax burden. To be fair, this is only federal income...
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Look who is number seven and number 16! Now this is a list we want to be on. From the Praxis Strategy Group, this chart compiles the data for the metro areas that are generating the most tech jobs. Many...
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John Burns published this neat chart showing projected job growth over the next three years. Since jobs are the number one driver of new home demand, we are very happy to see the Seattle Metro market on this list. Texas...
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With April 15th just behind us, I thought it a good idea to check out who carries most of the burden for paying income tax in our country. To me, the most significant – – and shocking – – number...
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This chart from the National Association of Realtors dramatically illustrates how new housing starts are at only half of what they were 15 years ago or so. The NAR article goes on to list some of the reasons: Capital gains...
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Brad Inman hosted an interesting webinar just a few days ago on the Best Broker Business Model. Participants were Glen Kelman, Redfin; Sam DeBord, real estate writer and broker; Ben Kinney, Keller Williams; OB Jacobi, Windermere; and Vikram Deol, Coldwell...
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Toll Brothers is offering a ‘Fly and Buy’ program for potential buyers traveling to a new town. In some cases, consumers get to try out a new home in one of their communities. At the least, Toll will reimburse for...
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SKCAR hosted their annual Battle of the Barristers a few weeks ago, and it was the largest attendance ever. The Barristers in this 3 clock-hour course/event were moderator Mike Spence, Helsell Fetterman; Lars Neste, Demco Law Firm; Chris Osborn, Foster...
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While publicly traded homebuilders own more than 65% of new home subdivisions in Orlando, Las Vegas, Riverside, San Jose and Denver, the public builders are in the minority in many other markets. This is an interesting chart from the John...
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Last week I was whining about Washington State’s lack of leadership in pushing through a construction defects bill, like Vancouver B.C. and now, possibly, Colorado. Jan Rohila from the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) just sent me a link...
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My goodness! March was the second best March since the year 2000, only bested by the incredible year of 2005. The news release from the NWMLS stated that “Buyer anxiety is rising as the pace of home sales is faster...
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Construction-defects reform just passed its first big test in the Colorado legislature, winning bi-partisan support in the state Senate Committee. This bill has some similarities to the Vancouver, BC bill passed several years ago. Basically, it requires mediation or arbitration...
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This is good chart sent to us from Bonnie Muraoka at Wells Fargo. It shows a decline in February, due mostly to snow and weather, but overall a slow but sure growth in starts. Our year is off to a...
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The Puget Sound Business Journal reports that nearly 65,000 now live in downtown Seattle, almost a quarter million people work there every day and fifteen million square feet of office space is under construction. Wow. “Downtown” is defined by the...
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So, speaking of downtown, when are condos coming back? A great panel including Suzzi Moris from Lowe Enterprises, Paul Zeger from Polaris Pacific, Randy Daniels from HomeStreet Bank and David Herman from Cairncross & Hempelmann just made a presentation on...
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Multifamily Executive magazine just published a study that shows many new buildings include a large share of studios and one-bedroom apartments. That is sort of understandable, given that Millennials are a prime target. Having said that, if the developer is...
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I love Millennials because they are going to buy a zillion homes from us in the coming decade. A recent Google Consumer Study revealed that 30 percent more Millennials (born 1980 – 1995) visited real estate websites in 2014 compared...
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Sales in February were the strongest since 2005, even surpassing 2006 numbers! Wow. Some sources cite pent up demand, the consensus around our office is the lack of availability, especially in the more desirable areas. On a related note, 68...
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The U.S. Census has just reported that home ownership has reached its lowest point at 64% since 1990. Washington State is 63.2%. As the chart shows, this number has reached as high as 69%, and the desire for home ownership...
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