Here’s a pair of stories about local governments’ plan to up fees and permit costs for new construction. In Thurston County it’s “lot approval” while in Pierce County it’s “traffic fees.” Any way you cut it, it’s more taxes. Says the Olympian about Thurston County: And with $1.8 million in services the county can’t afford…
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South Sound Inventory Up, Prices Down
KOMO News and The Olympian must not have gotten November’s numbers last night like everyone else. Well, they’ve got them in hand now, so here for your reading pleasure (or frustration) are a couple more takes on November’s numbers, including a specific look at the South Sound, where prices were particularly stagnant: The holiday season,…
November: Home Prices Keep Rising — Sortof
November numbers were released today by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. You can check out the raw numbers here in PDF format, or you’ve got your pick of four local papers and their commentary on what the numbers “mean”: Much like the movie “Groundhog Day,” the latest news on local home sales may sound like…
King County Job Growth To Outpace Nation?
Business leaders seem optimistic about business growth prospects in the Puget Sound area, and as a result expect to see a “soft landing” in housing: A national economist predicted Thursday that job growth in King County will continue to outpace the nation as a whole next year. The forecast by Alison Lynn Reaser, chief economist…
"Bubble? The only answer right now is no."
At an “economic symposium” Wednesday, Washington’s Employment Security Department chief economist Rick Kaglic explained his belief that the state economy is cruising along just dandily: The local and national housing boom as well as The Boeing Co.’s recovery have finally kicked Washington’s economy into high gear, according to the chief economist for the state’s Employment…