A common argument about housing prices that I’ve personally noticed popping up frequently in the last few weeks is that they are as high as they are here in King County thanks in very large part to the Growth Management Act (GMA). Specifically, the argument claims that the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) has so limited…
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Local News
Bubble Link Roundup
It’s time for another link roundup: a list of links that are worth posting, but not each as their own post. Some of these are Seattle-specific, some aren’t. Keith at Housing Panic provides a concise history of the housing bubble. Calculated Risk expects a recession in ’07 and explains what would change his mind. The…
Hello Again, Condo Anecdote
This is at least worth a brief mention. Another unit has come up for sale in the condo complex in my neighborhood that was the subject of my first anecdotal post. Actually, it’s not “another unit” but rather the same unit that sold just over a year ago. In December 2005 Unit #6 was bought…
What to Blame? Not Growth Management.
Here’s a guest editorial from today’s Seattle Times that says something I’ve been saying all along: The “home prices are high because we’re running out of land because of Growth Management” argument doesn’t hold water. The cost of housing is spiraling out of control in many parts of the Puget Sound region. King County is…
2007 Optimism, Part III: Some Cracks Appear
This is the last post in this impromptu series. There were just so many articles out there full of “expert” quotes and predictions about the Puget Sound’s economic outlook for 2007. Here are three more articles that discuss the interaction of the local housing market with the greater local economic picture. Surprisingly, the housing affordability…