Seattle Bubble

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…

Here’s another update for you on local municipalities spending the increased tax revenues from the real estate boom. This time Snohomish County reports in, with a stellar plan to pre-spend expected revenue gains from real estate excise taxes: Snohomish County will begin identifying renovation projects at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds thanks to an expected increase…

The battle over proposed changes in the real estate excise tax is heating up, and depending on which side you listen to, the change would either drive prices up, or drive prices down. The Washington Association of Realtors has launched a $1 million campaign aimed at squashing a proposed tax increase on real-estate sales. “We…

Seattle is a good place to put your money if you want to invest in apartments, or at least so says the Center for Real Estate Studies: The Seattle area has been ranked No. 10 on a list of the nation’s top markets for apartment investing. The Center for Real Estate Studies bases its ranking…

While the median price of Seattle-area homes has skyrocketed and the number of active listings on the market has decreased, the number of realtors out there trying to sell them has surged in recent years: The nation’s sizzling housing market has attracted droves of home buyers, but it has also drawn many who are looking…