A tad late on this, but I bet you’re a little busy right now, too. We do have some interesting news to talk about, though, so let’s get to it. You can check out the full press release here.

The biggest takeaway to come out of the press release, at least for me, was the “S” word – i.e. supply. It’s still low.

Here’s a quick 4-county survey:

• Pierce – 1.2 months
• Snohomish – 1.3 months
• Kitsap – 1.4 months
• King – 1.9 months

Some additional, interesting tidbits:

• Prices are up 3.5% year-over-year across the entire NWMLS (22 counties)
• King County is down YoY (-0.4%), but it is up slightly from February. Considering the blistering pace prices rose here last year, I don’t think this should be a surprise to anyone

Considering Earth Day is Monday, let’s take a few minutes and talk about solar power. Don’t worry, I’m not going to go all “hippy” on you. Just hear me out.

A new study by Zillow shows, “homes with solar-energy systems sold for 4.1% more on average than others nationwide in the past year.” Using the median King County price from the recent NWMLS press release of $622,500, that’s $25,522!

5kW systems are fairly typical across the country, according to Energy Sage, and cost an average of “$10,675 after the 30% Federal ITC discount (not factoring in any additional state rebates or incentives).”

“But this is Washington!” you say. “What is this so-called ‘Sun’ you speak of?” Well, you might be surprised how effective and efficient these systems can be. Check out your “Sun Number” before you jump to any conclusions. You may find a new money-maker for your design center AND help out the planet.