By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

Home Prices Continue Upward Climb

Median single family home prices surged nearly 14 percent in King and Snohomish counties in June compared to a year ago, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The median price was $653,000 in King County and $450,000 in Snohomish County. In Seattle the median single family home price rose 12.53 percent to $750,000.  Meanwhile, with 0.84 months’ supply of housing inventory, King County continued to have the tightest inventory of the 23 counties in the Northwest MLS market area. 

The Builders’ Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, U.S. Census Bureau, Office of Financial Management and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

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By Mike Pattison, Snohomish County Manager

In December 2016, the Washington state Supreme Court struck a blow to vesting rights when it ruled that newly adopted stormwater regulations do not vest. The Court let stand a window for certain projects to remain vested. The new stormwater regulations will apply to all applications submitted after July 1, 2015 and projects approved prior to July 1, 2015 which have not started construction by June 30, 2020.

The case, Snohomish County, et al. v. Pollution Control Hearings Board, will severely impact applications that have been submitted to a jurisdiction but are not yet approved. The opinion eliminates vesting for environmental regulations mandated by the state, including stormwater.

An editorial by MBA President Mike Walsh was recently published in The Herald discussing the case and explaining why vesting is so important to the homebuilding industry.

While there is no ability for local government to overcome the decision with local legislation, King and Snohomish counties are currently petitioning the Court to reconsider and clarify some of the opinion.

Further, there is a proposal before the Washington State Legislature, Senate Bill 5212, that would restore vesting rights.

For more information, contact Snohomish County Manager Mike Pattison, 425.460.8203.

Michell Filleau-Maas, our community stewardship manager, needs your help to make our 25th anniversary of Rampathon successful.

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