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Category: Industry News
Industry News
Student debt impeding home purchases among millennials
Rising student debt burdens have significantly deterred homeownership among young adults, concluded the Federal Reserve. In a new study, the nation’s central banking system quantified what many Realtors, millennials and mortgage lenders have long suspected. In a recent study, the “Fed” found significant slippage in homeownership rates among household heads [..]
Industry News
Tehaleh ranked one of Top 50 Master Planned Communities
Tehaleh, a Newland Communities development in Bonney Lake (near Tacoma), is the only project within Washington state to make the “Top 50” rankings of the country’s top-selling master planned community. It ranked 40th on the 2018 list with 366 net sales reported. Home buyers can choose homes by 10 different [..]
Industry News
U.S. consumer spending on media rising, but Japan likely to surpass it
U.S. per capita spending averaged $285 per month on media, a figure that is expected to rise to $295 monthly (or about $1,395 annually) through 2022, according to analysts at Research Intelligencer. Last year’s figure was up from $278 per month in 2017. With 2018 expenditures totaling $442.7 billion, the [..]
Industry News
Planning Commission report touts zoning changes to bolster Seattle’s housing supply and affordability
Adding more duplexes near schools, expanding boundaries for urban villages and reducing lot sizes to accommodate more homes are among strategies Seattle planning commissioners suggest in a 52-page advisory report to improve the supply and affordability of housing in the Emerald City. The report released late last year, culminated an [..]
Industry News
Northwest MLS brokers summarize 2018 housing activity highlighted by record-high dollar volume
Members of Northwest Multiple Listing Service reported 92,555 closed sales during 2018, fewer than the previous year, but the dollar volumes surpassed 2017 by nearly $688 million for a small gain of 1.4 percent. Measured by dollars, last year’s sales of single family homes and condominiums were valued at almost [..]
Industry News
Homebuyers Resuming Search Amid Improving Inventory, Attractive Terms
KIRKLAND, Washington (February 7, 2019) – Homebuyers around Washington state are making their way back to the market, hoping to take advantage of improving inventory, attractive interest rates, and more approachable sellers, according to officials with Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Northwest MLS statistics for January show year-over-year improvement in the [..]
Industry News
Microsoft earmarks $500 million to help solve affordable housing
Pledging a “commitment to do our part to help kick-start new solutions to this [housing] crisis,” Microsoft president Brad Smith and CFO Amy Hood announced a three-pronged $500 million workforce housing fund to boost affordable housing in the Seattle area. Writing in a blog post, Smith and Hood emphasized affordable [..]
Industry News
Data director briefs Realtors on regional planning
Housing the region’s growing population is a priority for planners, but compiling reliable data has stymied some well-intentioned efforts, one data analyst told Realtors. Puget Sound grew by 68,000 people in 2017, earning it 9th place among the country’s fastest growing areas. The four-county region is projected to add 1.8 [..]
Industry News
REALTORS in King County honor 11 for special achievements during 2018
Eleven individuals were singled out for special honors at the 2018 Installation & Awards Banquet of Seattle King County REALTORS® (SKCR). The annual event also featured the installation ceremony for incoming leaders of SKCR and three other Realtor organizations, and a raffle and dessert auction to benefit a scholarship foundation. [..]
Industry News
SKCR Events Calendar
Date Event Time Where Phone 5/13-18/19 NAR Meetings Washington, DC 425-974-1011 5/23/19 First Citizen Banquet 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm Fairmont Hotel, Seattle 425-974-1011 5/27/19 Holiday – Office Closed 6/4/19 Housing Issues Briefing 11:30 am – 1:30 pm Meydenbauer Center 425-974-1011 For updates visit: www.nwrealtor.com and [..]