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Category: Industry News
Industry News
Workshop reviews model ordinance, user guide for Middle Housing
More than 100 people from various housing interests took part in an online workshop last month on the Middle Housing Model Ordinance. That bill was developed in response to an identified need for 1.1 million new homes over the next 20 years across the income spectrum, along with 91,357 emergency [..]
Industry News
FHA, FHFA raise loan limits for 2024
Both the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced late last month they would increase loan limits in 2024. The FHA floor, or lowest limit for any area of the country, will increase from $472,030 to $498,257, while the maximum amount the agency will insure [..]
Industry News
SuitUp program exposes students to real-life business competitions, career options
“Affordable housing is important because ALL people should have access to housing that is safe and in good condition,” say students who took part in a career awareness program based on addressing the shortfall of affordable housing. Middle school students in New Jersey teamed with mentors from John Burns Research [..]
Industry News
Nonprofit with two offices in Washington state promotes close-to-home greenspaces for all
Creating an equitable park system is one goal of the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national nonprofit “that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors.” At a program last month presented in collaboration with Kirkland Parks and Community Services, Mitsu Iwasaki, TPL’s associate vice [..]
Industry News
Sellers cutting prices, offering incentives
More than a third of every home that sold during a recent three-month timeframe involved some type of seller concession. Home sellers nationwide cut prices on one of every five active listings during October. Those were among the findings from an analysis of pricing data by Redfin Corp. Among concessions [..]
Industry News
New In Brief: December 2023
A recent USA Today ranking named Washington the worst state in the country for potholes. The ranking is based on analysis of Google searches for pothole-related terms from 2020 to 2023, used to find the states plagued by potholes (as pothole data from each state isn’t available). Colder, northern states topped the charts [..]
Industry News
Builder incentives contributing to sales resilience
With home prices growing twice as fast as incomes and mortgage rates at a 23-year high, few are surprised that housing activity has slowed. What may be surprising is sales of newly built homes are bucking the trend and showing remarkable resilience, according to reports from John Burns Research & [..]
Industry News
Builders call for more predictable permit process to ease housing crisis
Under the theme “Local Permitting Changes to Make Home Happen Now,” the keynote speaker, a panel of local officials, and representatives from the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) emphasized the importance of a timely, predictable, and fair permitting review process. Their remarks were made during the [..]
Industry News
Enhanced septic records search tool will ease siting of ADUs
King County recently unveiled a new septic records search tool that enables Realtors to view septic system and Group B water system records on file with Public Health – Seattle & King County. The streamlined tool was developed with assistance and input of the On-site Sewage/Septic System Technical Advisory Committee, [..]