NEWS & INSIGHTS
What’s Happening
Press Release
Despite prohibition on open houses, brokers, buyers and sellers employ array of virtual tools to stay safe and fulfill housing needs
KIRKLAND, Washington (November 18, 2020) – Even though in-person open houses are not currently allowed under new and reinstated pandemic-related restrictions, broker-members of Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) continue to provide services to home buyers and sellers using several contactless and virtual tools. Feedback from NWMLS representatives include reports of [..]
Industry News
SKCR Events Calendar
Date Event Time Where Phone Nov 11 Affiliate Council 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Zoom 425-974-1011 Nov 18 Board of Directors 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. 425-974-1011 Nov 26-27 Holiday-Office Closed Dec 1 Gov’t Affairs Committee 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Zoom 425-974-1011 For updates visit: www.nwrealtor.com and look under “Events”
Industry News
Battle of the Barristers draws record crowd, raises $35K for scholarships
With more than 600 attendees participating virtually, five prominent real estate attorneys discussed and debated actions and inactions by parties to various real estate scenarios. The popular “Battle of the Barristers,” presented annually by Seattle King County REALTORS®, is also a fundraiser for the Seattle First Citizen Scholarship Foundation. The [..]
Industry News
Seattle barely makes “top 20” list of most dog-friendly cities
Seattle eked out a tie for 19th on a list of “most dog-friendly cities in America,” according to SmartAsset, a financial technology company. The company based its rankings on seven metrics using an analysis of data for 100 of the largest cities in America. Criteria included: Dog parks per 100,000 [..]
Industry News
SKCR Joins…Coalition for more housing choices
Seattle King County REALTORS® (SKCR) joined the recently launched Coalition for More Housing Choices, an organization whose members plan to collaborate to “advocate for a shared and defined vision for housing.” “The mission of our REALTOR® organization is to foster a business climate in which our members can meet the [..]
Industry News
Two groups to collaborate in quest to eliminate housing discrimination based on sexual orientation
Two groups plan to combine forces to cross-promote Fair Housing initiatives and related concerns, according to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) they signed in early September. The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), established in 1988, and the newly launched LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance pledged to collaborate to “rid the nation [..]
Monthly Market Update
Anxiety among home buyers “incredibly high” as they vie for unprecedented shortage of homes across much of Washington state
KIRKLAND, Washington (November 5, 2020) – “Finding and buying a home today is more difficult than at any time in the past 40 years of my career,” was how broker Dick Beeson summed up the latest statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service. The Northwest MLS report recapping October activity showed [..]
Industry News
Residents of Seattle, 13 other cities must earn $100,000 annually to live comfortably
Seattle is among 14 U.S. cities where residents must earn at least $100,000 annually to live comfortably as a renter or homeowner, according to an analysis from GoBankingRates.com. That personal finance website compared the 50 largest metro areas to determine the necessary income to abide by the “50/30/20” rule of [..]
Industry News
Seattle, Portland shift to outmigration markets as buyers opt for farther out and more affordable destinations
Labeling it a “surprise,” analysts with John Burns Real Estate Consulting reported Seattle and Portland flipped to outmigration markets for two consecutive quarters, reversing both cities’ patterns of being in-migration markets. Buyers moving to more affordable locations or farther out submarkets were cited as likely causes for the change. “Never [..]
Industry News
Region nets 166 people per day during 12-month period
Between April 2019 and April 2020, the Puget Sound region grew by 60,800 people, which is the equivalent of 166 per day, according to Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC). The organization, a leading source of data and forecasting, anticipates an additional 1 million people will live in the region by [..]