Contact: data@mbaks.com

The HMI was 45 nationally, while in the West the HMI was 41. While this is still below 50 and indicates pessimism about the housing market, the sentiment is slowly rising compared to months prior. The HMI is based on a monthly survey of NAHB members designed to take the pulse of the single-family housing market.

Read the full May Builders Bulletin:

Wondering who has it best in Western Washington and the Pacific Northwest? Look no further than our phenomenal membership base. 

Every year, Seattle Business magazine puts out their list of the 100 best companies to work for, based on anonymous employee survey responses as picked from 10 categories: corporate culture, executive leadership, benefits, communication, hiring/retention, performance standards, responsibility/decision making, rewards/recognition, training/education, and workplace environment. 

Response scores are then calculated and averaged out, and companies ranked in four categories: small, midsize, large, and those headquartered outside Washington state. 

Which employees are smiling away at their standup desks flanked by exotic popcorn machines and flashy breakroom games where they can count their 401Ks? We’re proud to announce that 21 MBAKS member companies made the grade for 2018. Full disclosure, we were a little perturbed Seattle Business magazine didn’t expand the list to 3,000 and put all our awesome members on the list, but there’s always next year. 

Check out the extensive list of member companies that raised the bar in 2018. 

Large Companies (150+ Employees)

• Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning
• Clark Nuber
• Edward Jones
• Evergreen Home Loans
• Exxel Pacific
• Redfin
• Sequoya Electric
• Valley Electric
• Zillow Group

Midsize Companies (50–149 Employees) 

• American Income Life
• Andersen Construction
• Berntson Porter & Company
• Gravity Payments
• Pacific Capital Resource Group
• Pillar Properties 
• Sweeney Conrad

Small Companies (15–49 Employees) 

• Board & Vellum
• Carlisle Classic Homes
• Chermak Construction
• Kalles Group
• Pacific Crest Savings Bank

Congratulations to all 21 of our member companies for going above and beyond! 
See the entire list at seattlebusinessmag.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nona Raybern, PR & Media Manager
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
p 425.457.7067
m 425.208.6308

Housing Choices Toolkit Released to Assist With Local Planning

Toolkit offers proven policies to help create more housing choices so current residents, newcomers, and future generations can find a home that best fits their lives

BELLEVUE, Wash—August 19, 2020—Today, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) released a toolkit designed to help local communities create more housing choices.

As the Puget Sound region advances its collective response to the health, economic, and social crises created by the COVID-19 pandemic, those in the local homebuilding industry stand with their fellow community members. In creating and distributing this Housing Toolkit, MBAKS continues its collaborative approach to encourage the creation of more housing and more variety.

“Our region has for years been grappling with a housing crisis, and the pandemic and related economic crisis have significantly amplified the need for solutions that create more diverse and affordable housing choices for all,” said MBAKS Executive Director Kat Sims.

“We are often asked by local governments and community leaders for actionable ideas and solutions to plan for and enable more housing choices that fit the unique needs of each community. We are providing this toolkit in a spirit of partnership so cities and counties may more easily find a spectrum of proven housing policies and see which of their neighboring communities are already implementing these ideas.”

The MBAKS Housing Toolkit contains 37 specific code updates and process improvements jurisdictions can take to help provide more diverse, more affordable housing for our growing population. The toolkit is intended to serve the unique local needs of individual communities, help protect what current residents already love about our region and support the broader regional effort to plan for more housing choices.

Regulations and long permit timelines can create significant obstacles for those seeking housing by driving up costs and pushing new homes even further out of reach for many buyers and renters. There are, however, simple steps cities and counties can take today to help ease some of these regulatory burdens and reduce certain cost pressures on new housing without compromising environmental protections or other important policy goals.

All the tools featured in the toolkit can be adopted locally. None of them require state-enabling legislation. Included throughout the toolkit are examples of local jurisdictions already utilizing these tools and model codes that cities can reference. Some examples include policies that support accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in single-family zones, reduced parking requirements near transit, planning tools that facilitate infill development, video inspections, more transparency in permit timeline data, Built Green incentives, and affordable housing levies.

The MBAKS Housing Toolkit also includes a chart indicating the effectiveness of each measure to facilitate housing.

View the Housing Toolkit

About MBAKS

Founded in 1909 and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) is the nation’s oldest and largest local homebuilders association. Like our founders, our members continue to take a leading role in all facets of homebuilding and support the planning for a growing region. From new technology to advances in sustainability and from collaborative public policy efforts to investing in our communities, our commitment to a thriving, inclusive, and well-planned region never wavers. We are the professional homebuilders, architects, remodelers, tradespeople (carpenters, framers, roofers, plumbers, electricians), planners and engineers, suppliers, manufacturers, and sales and marketing professionals in your community who believe everyone deserves access to a healthy and productive place to call home.