Home is where life happens. It’s where we spend time with the people we care about, pursue the things we love, and create memories along the way. The spaces in our homes help make those moments possible. 

At MBAKS, we believe everyone deserves a place to call home. More homes mean more people have the chance to make these moments  happen. That idea inspired MBAKS’s new TV commercial, Room for What Matters, which started airing in June 2026.

The commercial highlights three distinct spaces in homes transformed by the people who use them in unique and unexpected ways: a family room reimagined as the ultimate game-night gathering place, a living room turned into a dog-training playground, and a walk-in closet converted into a home recording studio. 

The homes featured in the commercial are located in MBAKS member Greencity Homes’ Isla Community, a collection of three-bedroom cottage-style townhomes in Kirkland. These homes provided the perfect canvas to bring our vision to life, and we are grateful to the Greencity team for their partnership and collaboration throughout the project.

The spot concludes with a look toward the future, featuring new homes under construction and the promise of more rooms—and more stories—to come. For this final scene, we partnered with MBAKS member Olsen Anderson and highlighted one of their residential projects in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood.

We hope this commercial serves as a reminder that homes are about more than four walls and a roof. We invite you to watch it here, and to see how it all came together, check out the below behind-the-scenes production video.

By The Herald Editorial Board

The Legislature's $43.7 billion two-year budget—which took negotiations within hours of a partial state government shutdown—is signed, but some lawmakers haven't had quite enough brinkmanship for the year.

Now the state's $4 billion capital budget, which provides the funding for construction of public schools, colleges, universities, community and youth facilities, parks, environmental projects, and more, is being held up by the Republican-controlled Senate until lawmakers can resolve a disagreement over water rights for private development.

Homing in on Our Region's Housing Statistics

King County multifamily construction is on the upswing after three months of depressed permits following the implementation of the 2018 Energy Code. 91.7% of those multifamily units—and all of the multifamily growth in King County—are in buildings with five or more units; permits for two- to four-unit housing remain low. King County single-family permits have also hit a high for the year, although it is slightly lower than permit numbers at the same time last year. With less than one month of supply in both King and Snohomish counties, more housing production is desperately needed.

Please contact data@mbaks.com with questions or feedback. We want to know what data would be useful to you!

Months' Supply of Housing Inventory

As of August 2021

	King County had 0.62 months' supply of inventory (down from 1.16 months' of inventory a year ago).
	Snohomish County had 0.49 months' supply of inventory (down from 0.69 a year ago).

Many industry analysts consider a four-to-six-month level as an indicator of a healthy market.

Source: Northwest Multiple Listing Service

Median Home Price

August 2021

	The median price of single-family homes and condos was $771,750 in King County and $667,410 in Snohomish County.
	For single-family homes only, the median price in King County rose 14.41%, from $742,950 a year ago to $850,000. The median price in Snohomish County rose 25.21%, from $555,000 to $694,900.
	In Seattle, the median price of single-family homes and condos was $799,000. The median price for single-family homes only was $875,000, a 6.06% increase from $825,000 in August 2020.

Source: Northwest Multiple Listing Service

Building Permit Activity

Jobs

	The Washington unemployment rate for August 2021 is 5.1%; for Seattle/Bellevue/Everett, it is also 5.1%.
	Construction employment in Washington decreased by 1,600 between July 2021 and August 2021. Total construction employment is 224,200 statewide and 107,300 for Seattle/Bellevue/Everett specifically.

Source: Employment Security Department: WA Employment Estimates (Seasonally Adjusted), August 2021 and Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Population

The Puget Sound region's population as of April 1, 2021 was 4,330,400. Over the past year, the region added 66,200 people, as follows:

Source: Office of Financial Management

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